A Rambling Writer Rerun: Return to Crete, Part 5: Plakias Pleasures

The journey and accommodation were a lot different from my previous trip to southern Crete 37 years ago. But the magic of swimming the purple-blue sea remains the same!

NOTE: Of course, Thor and I had to make another trip to Greece, as he’s fallen as much in love with the islands as I am. This time, in addition to other island-hopping, I wanted to return to Crete after 37 years. My first months-long trip was as a hippie backpacker, camping in the ruins and falling under the spell of the mysterious, vanished Minoan culture. This time, I got to introduce Thor to “glorious Kriti” and research more settings for my novel-in-progress, THE ARIADNE DISCONNECT. This rerun of a 2019 blog series started August 26, 2023, and will continue every Saturday (with occasional diversions).

You may recall that Thor and I left the ancient Minoan cemetery of Armeni (Nov. 2 post) to drive over the mountainous spine of the island and through one of the narrow gorges that guard the southwest coast. My first glimpse of the sea beyond the rocky passage sent me into a flashback of my first trip to these shores (Nov. 9 post), but sitting beside my hero-driver and most excellent husband Thor, I’m grateful for the new adventures we’re sharing. And for some comforts this time around.

As usual in the Greek islands, the steep roadways tend to be crammed at the edges with an array of shrines, chapels, cemeteries, and more, with little in the way of guard rails (exception in photo above). Here, solar panels and power lines update the situation:

I’m posting my complete blog entries on my own author website at www.sarastamey.com, where you can finish this episode and enjoy all the accompanying photos. Please continue reading by clicking on the link below, then you can return here (use “go back” arrow above) to comment, ask questions, or join a conversation. We love your responses!

https://sarastamey.com/the-rambling-writer-returns-to-crete-part-5-plakias-pleasures/

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You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s novel from Book View Cafe is available in print and ebook: The Ariadne Connection — a near-future thriller set in the Greek islands. “Technology triggers a deadly new plague. Can a healer find the cure?”  The novel has received the Chanticleer Global Thriller Grand Prize and the Cygnus Award for Speculative Fiction. Sara is at work on the sequel, The Ariadne Disconnect. Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com