Part 2 : Elounda
Elounda, Crete, July 2018
Having spent 4 days in Agia Galinia we packed our gear and drove all way to Elounda in the eastern part of Crete. Elounda is a small town just north of Agios Nicolaos.
Click each photo to enlarge
In Elounda we stayed at the Elounda Krini Hotel.
Elounda, July 2018
The sun was blaring down as we enjoyed the sunbeds at the swimming pool. Roger had to wear sun glasses. As a polar bear his eyes are a bit sensitive to the light.
We wished to visit Vai Beach at the north eastern tip of Crete. It's a very popular beach and visitors are advised to come early before the crowd rush in.
Vai Beach, July 2018
Vai Beach is famous for its palm forrest - it's actually the only forrest in Europe with naturally growing palmtrees.
We were driving around the area to enjoy the beautiful mountains
and stopping in small villages for coffee. Many places along
the roads we saw bear sized houses. Most of them were shaped as
churches.
"With all these bear sized houses maybe we should settle down in
Crete." Roger said.
"Well, each house represents that somebody died here." McBear
said. "It's a Cretan tradition."
Spinalonga Island, July 2018
We also went to the famous Spinalonga island near Elounda. Spinalonga became famous when it played a major role in the book "The Island" and there are many guests daily. Actually, it turned out there are MANY guests...
This island became a leper colony in the 1800s until it closed down around 1957.
Spinalonga Island, July 2018
Lepers were sent out here to live in small houses until they died. A sad story, really.
The island has fortifications dating back to medieval times when the Venetians fought the Turks.
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One day one of our humans bought a monster sized water melon. Wow! We got our share and enjoyed eating chuncks of it.
Then it was time for the Lunar Eclipse. We set up our equipment with cameras on tripods. When the Moon was shadowed by the Earth, it turned red brown.
Check out the map of Crete
