Crete, Greece - Day 2

     Our second day in Crete was a driving day. We stayed outside of Chania on the western part of the island. Our idea was to take a scenic drive around the mountainous area on the western side of the island. We found some nice views.

     When we reached the town of Platanos, we saw signs indicating we were close to the ancient city of Falasarna. It was just a few kilometers away so we decided what the hell, why not. When we got there, it was hot and the road to the "site" went through an olive tree orchard. There were no signs telling us if we were indeed heading the right direction and the poor little rental car sounded like it was going to rattle itself to pieces. Eventually, we reached a small shed that had a sign on it that said excavation was in progress. There wasn't much of the city to see. We walked around a bit but the heat drove us back to the air conditioned car quickly. We tortured the car with another rattle to death fest driving back to the paved road. Here's what we found there.

     As you can see, the beaches are beautiful and the blue color of the water is rich and vibrant. It was hard to not go park and go to the beach instead of driving around. Instead, we continued on south to Sfinari. The road wound up and down and around the mountains. At times, it was only wide enough for one car. Thankfully, there wasn't much traffic going the other way. We stopped in a town called Elos for lunch and had some delicious nectarines they had grown there. Just outside of Elos was a nice little park and some intense mountains.

     We passed through the park on our way back to Chania. As we drove, we saw a sign for a Minoan settlement so we turned down the street only to find ourselves in another olive tree orchard. We laughed it off and drove a little ways. Then, the road suddenly ended and we had to turn the car around in a tight spot without falling off the road and into the trees. I guess they know the ruins are there but haven't quite unearthed everything yet. While it wasn't our most exciting day, it was nice and relaxing. Tomorrow, we head back to Heraklion for the day. There, we'll get to go visit the Minoan Palace at Knossos.

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