So far our journey in South Lassithi wasn’t something to be excited about. The greenhouses were alternating with raws of characterless “rooms for rent”, tavernas and various tourist shops. We left behind us Makrygialos, a former fishing village and now the most popular resort of the area, with a large feeling of disappointment about the effects of “all inclusive” tourism. Luckily the frustration didn’t last long (as you can see from the photo above).
[sam id=”7″]
It seems that Makrygialos (it means “long beach”) is south-east Crete’s final tourist frontier. Those few who choose to go ahead, find a place of stunning beauty. The huge hydroelectric plan of Atherinolakos is the only discord in this wild and unspoilt landscape; at least new roads were constructed in this area that was previously not accessible.
The Kapsa monastery is the first stop on our journey towards Crete’s Far East. The monastery is perching on the edge of the cliffs at the entrance of the Perivolakia gorge, just 7 km from Makrygialos [35.01993,26.05149]. It can be visited daily from dawn to 19.00 but be careful because it is closed for lunch between 12.30 and 15.30. It has a strict dress code so you are required to dress appropriately.
Don’t miss to visit the cave where Gerondoyanni (John the old), a former charlatan, then monk and ultimately Saint, spend 17 years of his life. He supposedly performed miracles attracting in this wilderness many desperate people. He died in 1874 after having reconstructed the monastery. The cave is located above the church of the monastery and it is worth the five minutes climb mostly for the view.
There are no more miracles so it is quite easy to find a place to park in the shade of the trees in the small beach just below the monastery. We spend the night there and despite being next to the road, it was very calm and quiet. However you have to be very careful when approaching the cluster of trees as the ‘stair’ between the asphalt and the dirty road is rather big.
The trail that passes through the Perivolakia gorge starts right across where we parked. It is 3,5 km long and it seems to be an easy walk. Unfortunately, the wind wasn’t calm enough to ensure a pleasant hike therefore we decided to walk just for one mile and then to turn back.
Next morning we were on the road towards Xirokambos, when we stumbled upon this spectacular beach:
It is called Asprolithos (White Stone) and it is something illusory, like a mirage, in this arid landscape. There is plenty of space to park [35.01799,26.08774] and very few people in the beach!
[sam id=”7″]