Finding new friends on a rocky trail

Sunrise in Paleochora, from the fortress. Our hotel is the one in the bottom right, On The Rocks

The history of Crete is overwhelming to me. It has been fought over, occupied and “conquered” for thousands of years. Every village, town, city and wide spot in the road has some significant historical event(s). You can easily spend hours reading about ancient history on placards, walking around the excavations of civilization long gone or just pondering the importance of some remnant of a fortress now occupied by cats.

After our walk through the fortress and a relaxing breakfast at the hotel, we headed to a trailhead I had found. The trail was supposed to be only two miles but had some significant elevation gain for the distance. We were in need of some physical exertion and this seemed a good outlet.

The trail was definitely steep with lots of loose rock to keep you alert but the rapid elevation gain yielded many good opportunities for photos.

The view of Paleochora from our hike.

We had earlier passed a couple on the trail and had exchanged short pleasantries. At some point we had reached what I thought should be our summit and we turned around to head back when we came upon the couple again. “You are going back?” They asked us and then explained that we were close to a great little village with a wonderful cafe, The Old School House Cafe in Anidri.

Terri supporting a 400 year old olive tree in Anidri at the Old School House Cafe, a cross roads for hot, tired, sweaty hikers and a couple of locals

We walked with the couple, he a Swede and she an Irish gal, for about an hour, stopping from time to time, discussing politics, favorite places, cultures, philosophies and occupations. Encountering strangers and making friends is one of the best parts of travel.

A house I liked in the village of Anidri
A church we walked through, beautiful but not uncommon

3 thoughts on “Finding new friends on a rocky trail”

  1. I just KNEW that cats would be the ultimate conquerors of the best places! We saw a lot of them in Croatia too. Stretched out in sunny places, their human slaves attending to their every need. Wise creatures.

    Loved the lofty cafe with view. And your new friends along the way. Your OLD friends are missing you though! I’m busy painting – a new series that has really captured my imagination – working on #5 & 6 today! 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. Loved all of this — exactly what travel is supposed to be. The secret little village at the top of the hike was an even better bonus than what was already an exciting hike. Nice!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment