The unexplored island of Crete, Greece - Page 3

markas · 01-24-2012, 05:28 AM

...we arrive in Mochlos village, our first target of the day.
The mountain you see rising from the sea, is our second target and the mountain behind it is our third one! Lets see if we manage all this in one day...

markas · 01-24-2012, 05:43 AM

Mochlos
The tiny village isn't what it used to be you know. I wasn't there to witness myself but the archaeologists say so.
In ancient times when the Minoans ruled this place (around 2700-1500 BC) the small island was attached to the mainland and acted as an eastern harbor. The harbor thrived, the many buildings on the island (some underwater now) and a big cemetary carved in stone are witnesses of this long lost culture. (Excavations still continue till this day). More info can be found in Wikipedia or other sources.

markas · 01-24-2012, 05:47 AM

The weather is too cold, we don't have a boat with us so no close up photos here. Anyway, daylight is precious in winter so lets continue...

markas · 01-24-2012, 06:01 AM

We follow a small dirt road in search of the one closest to the sea leading east...

...till suddenly a big tower appears in front of us!

The tower was build from the Venetians around 1500 to protect the local farmers from pirates. The structure was pretty good and stands now in top condition!
(BTW, did you know that Venetians had Crete for 400 years? Read more in Kingdom_of_Candia)

The plate explaining the history of the tower and the neighboring chapel where in Greek and English (as almost everything) but unfortunately i forgot to take a photo of the English version, sorry)

markas · 01-24-2012, 06:08 AM

Time is up, move it people, move it!

Having no GPS (don't like them much) we search and discover. Of course we get to some dead ends but the more the better the adventure

markas · 01-24-2012, 06:14 AM

I haven't mentioned anything about the perfumes the nature provided us for the whole ride. Spring is coming even if there is still some snow on the Mountains and the flowers make the scenery even more pleasant.

markas · 01-24-2012, 06:25 AM

Map of our ride till that moment:

Soon...

...we reach asphalt again and continue exploring.The road is pretty narrow but nice to ride on.

Anyway, we don't care much about the road as long...

As we have that awesome scenery to watch

Oh, and thats our main target of today! On this hill lies the Castle of Liopetro.
Can you see the ruins?
No?
Well, neither can we, but never mind, we will get closer to check the place anyway.

markas · 01-24-2012, 06:33 AM

Kalabros village

Well, the explorer virus stroke again and we find ourselves riding through dirt roads and paths seeking more adventure.

markas · 01-24-2012, 06:38 AM

Finally we enter a beton made road which leads us to a small beach.

markas · 01-24-2012, 06:47 AM

Waterfall in Crete? is that even possible in such a waterless place?
Well, as we heard later there are many more inside the canyon, some even 5 meters high with water all year long

!

The Canyon and the small river are named Richtis and surely deserve some hiking but we came here for riding and riding in the canyon with those bikes isn't an option.

So, we head to the beach for a small snack and a cup of Raki.

Cheers

markas · 01-24-2012, 06:53 AM

Lets check the area while we are here. The river with fresh meat nearby...

Drinkable water...

Shade for the heat of the summer under the trees, lots of firewood...
I think this place is perfect for camping!

We eat a bit, drink a bit, riding time!

East Coast Rider · 01-24-2012, 07:00 AM

One of my favorite classes in college was a specialized class that concentrated strictly on the Minoan culture...Crete is the at the heart one of my favorite periods of history

markas · 01-24-2012, 07:02 AM

Heading east again (this photo aims west, looking Kalabros mountain)

The elderly local couple we find working on their small vineyard say its a dead end again but the road climbing the mountain states different. Wana find out ourselves?

markas · 01-24-2012, 07:12 AM

We get a bit confused and lost in a small maze of dirt roads but...

...but we finally make our breakthrough after opening a gate. Those gates you must know are not for keeping you out. These are made from local shepherds to help them herd their sheep and goats. If you encounter such a gate in the middle of a dirt road just open it, pass and be polite enough to close it again before you leave.

yns · 01-24-2012, 07:17 AM

01-24-2012, 05:28 AM	#31
markas ^OP Small-time Explorer Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Crete , Greece Oddometer: 260	...we arrive in Mochlos village, our first target of the day. The mountain you see rising from the sea, is our second target and the mountain behind it is our third one! Lets see if we manage all this in one day... markas screwed with this post 01-24-2012 at 10:40 AM

01-24-2012, 05:47 AM	#33
markas ^OP Small-time Explorer Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Crete , Greece Oddometer: 260	The weather is too cold, we don't have a boat with us so no close up photos here. Anyway, daylight is precious in winter so lets continue... markas screwed with this post 01-24-2012 at 06:02 AM

01-24-2012, 06:25 AM	#37
markas ^OP Small-time Explorer Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Crete , Greece Oddometer: 260	Map of our ride till that moment: Soon... ...we reach asphalt again and continue exploring.The road is pretty narrow but nice to ride on. Anyway, we don't care much about the road as long... As we have that awesome scenery to watch Oh, and thats our main target of today! On this hill lies the Castle of Liopetro. Can you see the ruins? No? Well, neither can we, but never mind, we will get closer to check the place anyway. markas screwed with this post 01-24-2012 at 07:31 AM

01-24-2012, 07:00 AM	#42
East Coast Rider Just Me... Joined: Nov 2007 Location: Stuck somewhere in motorcycle Purgatory Oddometer: 3,598	One of my favorite classes in college was a specialized class that concentrated strictly on the Minoan culture...Crete is the at the heart one of my favorite periods of history __________________ Txt msg with Dan right after he was paralyzed: Me: Hey Dan-O. Just wanted to say howdy and Love ya! Dan: Howdy and Love you too. Doin' good and feeling good. Me: Give 'em hell, little Bro! Dan: Roger that.

01-24-2012, 07:17 AM	#45
yns cretan inside Joined: Dec 2009 Location: Crete, Greece Oddometer: 57	__________________ Yannis YouTube channel Τhe "Unexplored island of Crete, Greece" thread

01-24-2012, 05:43 AM	#32
markas ^OP Small-time Explorer Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Crete , Greece Oddometer: 260	Mochlos The tiny village isn't what it used to be you know. I wasn't there to witness myself but the archaeologists say so. In ancient times when the Minoans ruled this place (around 2700-1500 BC) the small island was attached to the mainland and acted as an eastern harbor. The harbor thrived, the many buildings on the island (some underwater now) and a big cemetary carved in stone are witnesses of this long lost culture. (Excavations still continue till this day). More info can be found in Wikipedia or other sources.

01-24-2012, 06:01 AM	#34
markas ^OP Small-time Explorer Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Crete , Greece Oddometer: 260	We follow a small dirt road in search of the one closest to the sea leading east... ...till suddenly a big tower appears in front of us! The tower was build from the Venetians around 1500 to protect the local farmers from pirates. The structure was pretty good and stands now in top condition! (BTW, did you know that Venetians had Crete for 400 years? Read more in Kingdom_of_Candia) The plate explaining the history of the tower and the neighboring chapel where in Greek and English (as almost everything) but unfortunately i forgot to take a photo of the English version, sorry)

01-24-2012, 06:08 AM	#35
markas ^OP Small-time Explorer Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Crete , Greece Oddometer: 260	Time is up, move it people, move it! Having no GPS (don't like them much) we search and discover. Of course we get to some dead ends but the more the better the adventure

01-24-2012, 06:14 AM	#36
markas ^OP Small-time Explorer Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Crete , Greece Oddometer: 260	I haven't mentioned anything about the perfumes the nature provided us for the whole ride. Spring is coming even if there is still some snow on the Mountains and the flowers make the scenery even more pleasant.

01-24-2012, 06:33 AM	#38
markas ^OP Small-time Explorer Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Crete , Greece Oddometer: 260	Kalabros village Well, the explorer virus stroke again and we find ourselves riding through dirt roads and paths seeking more adventure.

01-24-2012, 06:38 AM	#39
markas ^OP Small-time Explorer Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Crete , Greece Oddometer: 260	Finally we enter a beton made road which leads us to a small beach.

01-24-2012, 06:47 AM	#40
markas ^OP Small-time Explorer Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Crete , Greece Oddometer: 260	Waterfall in Crete? is that even possible in such a waterless place? Well, as we heard later there are many more inside the canyon, some even 5 meters high with water all year long ! The Canyon and the small river are named Richtis and surely deserve some hiking but we came here for riding and riding in the canyon with those bikes isn't an option. So, we head to the beach for a small snack and a cup of Raki. Cheers

01-24-2012, 06:53 AM	#41
markas ^OP Small-time Explorer Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Crete , Greece Oddometer: 260	Lets check the area while we are here. The river with fresh meat nearby... Drinkable water... Shade for the heat of the summer under the trees, lots of firewood... I think this place is perfect for camping! We eat a bit, drink a bit, riding time!

01-24-2012, 07:02 AM	#43
markas ^OP Small-time Explorer Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Crete , Greece Oddometer: 260	Heading east again (this photo aims west, looking Kalabros mountain) The elderly local couple we find working on their small vineyard say its a dead end again but the road climbing the mountain states different. Wana find out ourselves?

01-24-2012, 07:12 AM	#44
markas ^OP Small-time Explorer Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Crete , Greece Oddometer: 260	We get a bit confused and lost in a small maze of dirt roads but... ...but we finally make our breakthrough after opening a gate. Those gates you must know are not for keeping you out. These are made from local shepherds to help them herd their sheep and goats. If you encounter such a gate in the middle of a dirt road just open it, pass and be polite enough to close it again before you leave.

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