Walk from Arolithos to Heraklion

Walk around Crete in 50 days – Day 47 from Arolithos to Heraklion

Number of steps 12913
Burned calories 460
Distance 9,8 km
Walking time 01h 42′
Pulse at arrival 68
Weather Warm but cloudy No wind Average 24C

Woke up at 08.00. Today the walking distance is only 10 km. Had my breakfast – a big and tasteful buffet – The best one, so far.. Real hotel service. Thank you Yannis and family, for your real Cretan hospitality ! Ta leme se liges evdomades! (talk to you in a few weeks).

After breakfast I continued reading a book I got from Bill – he walked with me from Rethymnon to Perama – “Challenging Crete”. The book tells the story of a man from Luxembourg, traveling in Crete in 1981, about 1300 km… Those where the days, my friend.. I am realy challenging the island of Crete now! Less hospitality, everything expensive, crazy drivers, sometimes realy dangerous.. Locals who suffer more and more and try to survive.. Crete in 50 days, anno 2005 will be completely different…!

Drinking my “elleniko sketto” at the local “I Oreia Kriti”, I enjoy ‘Xilouris’ and the warm atmosphere that surrounds me. Arolithos is a nice place to come, but a difficult place to leave… Anyway, I walk on at 11.00 direction Heraklion, where Verena Wells, an animal welfare worker, will wait for me.

11.45 I am in Gazi. Everywhere you see these “mobile” souvlaki shops. People park their cars, they have 4, 5 or more souvlaki’s with wine or raki, and drive on.. The ketchup and mustard make the meal more “modern”. Gazi is a big village, nearly a town, with a lot of activity.

12.00 Leaving the main road – read : horror road – in the center and going down towards the beach via a smaller one. More quiet and no shouting and nervous people ! Walking in the back area of Gazi now. The view of the Psiloritis and the “Stroumboulas” mountain is fantastic. I can even see the small chapel on the top of the last one, where I spent so many peaceful hours. A taxi drives with an incredible speed through the small road… Kids are playing with their happy dogs, while mothers are shouting for the coming danger… The sky is getting gray, no wind and 25C.

12.15 I am in Amoudara, a more touristic area, close to Heraklion. Hotels, apts, tavernas, rent a car, etc… A tourist “boulevard”. All shops are open, but salesmen and women are sitting outside.. “No buying tourists, maybe later in the evening” they say. Lucky me, I find an internet cafe and for 2 Euros I can send my last report and check some mail..

13.20 I continue my walk along disco’s, taverna’s, bars, one after another..

14.00 I meet Verena, waiting for me at the junction towards Mires. She drives me to Athanati, where she lives and shows me my “residence”, a private camper, in front of her house… Hot shower and good coffee, before we talk about her work for the animals in the Heraklion area.. Hard job, all on her own.. Verena is from Germany but lives since long time on Crete with her 3 dogs and her horse. The shelter, where she keeps about 25 stray dogs, is about 10′ drive from her house. She goes up and down to bring food and water.. She could not go on with this without the support of the Archenoah from Germany. With my respect, “lady” Verena, you’re a wonderful woman !

We have a nice vegi meal, cooked by Verena, and leave for tavern Neraida, in Kokkini Hani, where we have an appointment with Yannis, my webmaster and some local friends – Lou, Sofia, Tony, Chris and my partner Christina, for another meal I guess..

I can already smell my garden, my orchids, my little dog, etc… Only 3 days left !

Day 48: in Heraklion