5. HANIA - KISSAMOS (see Map of Crete. Hania or Chania)
The entire northern coast of Crete is quite even and often
sandy, and for this reason it has frequently served as a landing
point for both visitors and conquerors throughout the ages.
The coastline from Hania to Kolimvari has been especially attractive
to invaders.

Map of Crete. From Hania to Kissamos
|
This is where the Turkish army landed in 1645 (and based on
this area it went on to conquer almost the entire island which
it kept under its rule for 250 years). On this very same place
a Greek army force landed in 1897, marking the beginning of
the Greek-Turkish war that led to the liberation of the island
from the Turks and its subsequent union with Greece. This is
also where in May of 1941 the terrible battle of Maleme took
place after the sky started raining German parachutists determined
to set foot on the island. Both sides suffered heavy casualties
in this battle and the land was filled with corpses of Germans
and allies - Brits, Australians and New Zealanders - lying side
by side. Today another huge invasion takes place every summer,
as tourists “storm” the hotels, the taverns and
the scarce sandy beaches of the area, causing a frightful strain.
On the other hand, if you want to get to the most heavenly places,
you must first endure the torments of hell! Indeed, the shortest
route to the wonderful peninsulas of Rodopos and Gramvoussa
is the coastal highway. This road is lousy, slippery and narrow,
and it usually has a lot of traffic. It passes through an area
suffering from chaotic and tasteless “tourist development”
and full of plastic signs inviting you to Rooms to Let, Hotels,
Apartments, Studios, Villas, Handicraft and Souvenir shops,
Taverns, Souvlaki Stands and agencies renting cars or organising
Tours of Crete. (see below the )

Kolymbari. Moni
Gonias monastery
|
This lasts all the way to Kolimvari, so travel these twenty-four
kilometres carefully and without stopping, and as soon as you
have passed the village turn to the north to enter the Rodopos
peninsula. From here on your trip will become more pleasant.
THE RODOPOS PENINSULA
The roughness of the Rodopos peninsula is visible from a great
distance. A bare brown rock with steep shores, without water,
without trees, without even land for cultivation, it has never
been inhabited - and will never be inhabited - because it cannot
sustain life.
On the other hand, since the early antiquity, the isolation
and the magnificent wilderness of the landscape were the ideal
environment for worshipping the gods.
The only exception to the emptiness of the place is the few
small hamlets situated at the very beginning of the peninsula,
and that’s because of the small patches of arable land
that allow people to have some fruit and olives. In fact, the
olive oil of this area is of outstanding quality and it is sold
in standard packaging under the name “Kolimvari,

From Rodopou to Menies
|
Extra Pure Oil” (it comes in a handy glass bottle of
500 ml, which does not leak and is highly recommendable). Until
1960, these villages were completely cut off from the world
- the mule was the only means of transportation - but today
they can all be reached by an A3 road. Afrata has two kafenia,
which also serve a quick meal. Astratigos, Aspra Nera and Ravdoucha
are small, poor villages with stone-built houses and elderly
Cretans with the traditional black headband. As for Rodopos,
it is the largest village in the area. It has a bakery, a grocery
store and a butcher shop, so before you explore the peninsula
you can stop and do your shopping.
Rodopos is also the starting point of a country road (D3),
which was recently built on the track of an old path. This road
takes you to the northeastern end of the peninsula, exactly
before cape Spatha, where there is a small bay, Menies, with
a magnificent sandy beach. This was the location of the temple
dedicated to the Cretan Goddess Diktynna.
The Ancient Diktynnaion
Diktynna was an ancient Cretan Goddess who had a lot in common
with Artemis. She was the goddess of hunting and was young,
beautiful and a virgin by conviction. For this they had given
her the name Vritomartis, which means “sweet virgin.”
She was worshipped all over Crete but especially in the western
part of it where most of her sanctuaries were located. The most
famous and wealthiest one was Diktynnaion of Rodopos, where
during the Hellenistic and Roman period worshippers kept coming
with rich offerings from all over Greece as well as from other
parts of the Mediterranean. Custom required them to arrive barefoot,
in order to be in direct contact with the earth and the nature
which the Goddess personified. During the dark ages following
the collapse of the Roman Empire the sanctuary was abandoned
and looted, but the foundations of a temple and a sacrificial
altar, both dating from the reign of Hadrian, remain intact.
In the valley west of the temple, close to the sea, there are
more ruins, including those of a Roman aqueduct which probably
provided the priests and visitors with water. Also, a few ruins
of older temples can be seen, dating from the 7th and 6th century
BC.
Today the area has been deserted and there are only some ruins
of recent buildings to be seen. The only building that remains
intact is a small chapel, built by the local fishermen who come
here to find shelter from the storm or to rest before pulling
their nets.

Crete. Beach of Menies
|
In August many tourists arrive, either by boat from Hania or
with rented cars or bikes, but in May, June, September and October,
the area is a true paradise. You will have at your disposal
a wonderful sandy beach, an almost unexplored archaeological
site, a solitary place for long walks and all the tranquillity
you could hope for. Among the ruins there are plenty of pine
and cedar trees offering a welcome shade, and the patches of
thick grass growing around them make ideal spots for camping.
You will also find lots of wood on the beach for your camp fire,
and a well, close to the chapel, which can provide you with
fresh water for your shower. It might be better not to drink
from it, though, as it is not certain that it’s potable.
About three kilometres before the Menies
bay a small country road will lead you to the ruins of a monastery
of the ninth century. The parts of it that have survived to
this day are the church, dedicated to Aghios
Georgios, and a few cells. In the only cell that has a roof,
a goat herder has set up his household and his few goats animate
this barren landscape. There is also an impressive tower, the
remnant of the strong fortification the monastery needed to
defend itself from the frequent attacks of pirates who terrorised
the region. It seems that after some time the monks, tired of
fighting rather than praying, decided to transfer their monastery
from the lion’s mouth to a safer place. Acting on this
decision, one beautiful morning in 1618, they packed their belongings
and left to set up a new monastery at the south end of the peninsula.
In this endeavour they were prompted by Osios Vlasios, who
came to live with them somewhere around the beginning of the
17th century. One night, the story has it, as Osios Vlasios
was praying, he saw a vision of the Holy Mary, who led him to
the place where she wanted a monastery built in her honour.
It was this vision that gave the monastery its name, Moni Panagias
Odigitrias, as it was Panagia Odigitria - the Guiding Mary -
that dictated where it should be built. Construction started
in 1618 and finished in 1634, as the sign on the church dome
informs us. The monastery then grew rapidly, acquiring some
very large estates that gave it substantial wealth. It was exquisitely
decorated with paintings of saints and had a rich library.
Yet, once again, the monks found themselves in grave danger:
on the 13th of June, 1645, fifty thousand terrifying Turks landed
a few yards from the monastery, starting a fierce attack that
resulted in the occupation of Crete. The scenes that followed
are too horrible to describe.

Crete, Agios Georgios church
|
From that time and until the liberation of the island in 1897,
Moni Odigitrias Gonias suffered endless raids, cannon shots,
massacres, and fires. (In one of these, in 1867, the whole library
was burned down and thousands of rare books and manuscripts
were turned to ashes). Each time, though, the monks had the
good sense to hide as many treasures as they could, and with
their faith and endurance they kept the monastery alive.
Today, in the church of the monastery and in the small museum
(closed from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m.) you can admire many of these
treasures that have survived, among them priceless post-Byzantine
icons such as The Crucifixion (painted by Konstantinos Palaiokapas
in 1638), the icons of St. Nicholas (Palaiokapas, 1637) and
St. Anthony(1772), The Assumption of the Virgin Mary (1728),
and the triptych “Last Supper - Birth - This is the Man”
(painted by Dimitrios Sgouros in 1622). You can also see a few
manuscripts, early printings of books, silver vessels and pontificals
and, most important of all, an invaluable tomb stele of the
3rd century BC, originating from the ancient Diktynnaion. It
bears a relief representation of Efploia Aphrodite with a ship
and Diktynna - Vritomartis with a Cretan wild goat.
Approximately five kilometres north of Rodopos a country road
(D3) goes west and a sign (Gr) directs you to the chapel of
Aghios Ioannis Gionas. This is where every year, on August the
29th, a grand three-day festival takes place gathering hundreds
of people from the nearby villages. During the rest of the year,
though, the area is secluded - only a few shepherds bring their
flocks to graze - and you can camp during the night in the chapel’s
yard. The road continues for another two kilometres to the south
(D4) and stops three hundred metres before the isolated Aghios
Petros chapel. The entire west coast of the peninsula is nothing
but steep rocks.
If you now continue westward (from Kolimvari to Kasteli) there
are two roads to choose from. If you prefer to enjoy a speedy
ride choose the National Road (A1/15km), which has good asphalt
and the right inclinations. But if you are looking for a more
interesting ride you’d better choose the old road (A3/20km),
which winds up and down the hill sides, passing through huge
olive groves and hamlets with stone-built houses. Be careful,
though, because the road is very narrow and slippery and has
many dangerous turns. At one of these turns, at the western
exit of Plakalona, you will have a wonderful view of the entire
Kissamos Gulf and the peninsula of Gramvoussa. If you happen
to pass by at sunset, the view will be an unforgettable experience.
Source of the
information on this page : “Unexplored Crete”,
Road Editions. For more guidebooks and maps of
Greece, click here.
|
 |
|