In order to be more flexible, we decided in Chania to rent a car again for a week and explore the west coast of Crete with it. We got a car from the airport in Chania through Check24 and for less than € 18 per day!
With the rental car we were also able to visit the quite remote bay Seitan Limani. The road was very steep and it was very tight around the bend, but the road was paved and so it went down quite well. Tomek is always very relaxed while I claw myself into my seat! Arrived at the parking lot we gazed at the bay from above. You can also go swimming there, but the sunbathing area was already quite full and we also wanted to drive further west that day.
So shortly afterwards we went up the mountain again and further on to Kaliviani, a village near Kissamos, where our booked accommodation awaited us for three nights in the middle of the olive groves. On the first evening we drove directly to Falassarna Beach to enjoy the sunset in the sand dunes. The sand looked really pink there!
But as beautifully clear as the sky was in the evening - in the morning we were woken up by a storm and rain showers. Originally we wanted to go on a trip to Balos, but the weather wasn't good enough. Instead, when it was dry again, we simply explored the area by car and had a spectacular view from the road. We discovered a great bay at Sfinari, where the storm was clearly visible in the waves. Then we drove to Kissamos, had a cappuccino freddo, Tomek went to the hairdresser and we walked a bit through the city.
The next day we went to Balos. We had heard a lot in advance about the bad road conditions on the way there and in fact it was not exaggerated - potholes everywhere, generally no asphalt, the road still went very steeply upwards and in between a few curious goats stood on the road. It is only 8.4 km from our accommodation to the parking lot, which, according to googlemaps, takes 31 minutes! We got there very early and while we were on the way it was raining again. But punctually with our arrival at the (still very free) parking lot, it stopped raining and we had a wonderful view of Balos Bay!
We climbed the 20-minute walk down to the water and made ourselves comfortable. What a place to be! The water was pleasantly warm, super clear and it was also very calm on the beach. But that changed when a tour boat docked around noon and many people got off. It got loud and crowded on the beach and we decided to make our way back. The parking lot at the top was of course completely full and there were even cars that had to park a few hundred meters on the street. But apart from that: Balos Beach is really a beautiful place, we would absolutely recommend it to everyone to check it out!
We spent the next day in Elafonissi, a beach in the southwest of Crete, which is also known for its turquoise water and its beautiful sand. The way there went through the middle of the mountains and so we could again enjoy steep paths, tight curves and fantastic views. We arrived in Elafonissi in the early afternoon and with us the tourist masses streamed towards the beach. The beach is really beautiful, but it was too crowded for us. So we first had a bite to eat with a view of the beach and then checked into our accommodation. Later that day we walked the few meters to the beach, Tomek swam towards the sunset and we treated ourselves to a snack with a view of the water.
The next morning we checked out of the accommodation early and walked to the beach again, this time to enjoy it before it gets too crowded again. And that was really nice! Unfortunately the wind was very strong and the sand was whirled up around us, so we decided not to stay there too long.
We drove back to the middle of the island, where we had our accommodation for two days at the Topolia Gorge. Since we left the beach much earlier than originally planned, but our accommodation was only available in the afternoon, we used the time for a delicious lunch in a tavern. Tomek ordered “Moussaka” - a vegetable, minced meat and mashed potato casserole, and I ate aubergines baked with sheep cheese - really delicious! The waitress (and cook at the same time) was super nice and at the end we got a homemade cinnamon raki for free!
But even after dinner we still had time to check-in and just drove to the first beach in the direction of Kissamos. This was really beautiful and empty. This is a good way to bridge the waiting time.
Dann war es soweit und wir konnten in unsere Unterkunft (Werbung), die steil am Berg über dem Dorf Topolia lag. Wir waren direkt begeistert, sie war wirklich sehr gemütlich, liebevoll eingerichet und wir hatten einen riesigen Balkon mit Blick auf das Örtchen, die Berge, die Topolia-Schlucht und sogar das Meer, in dem wir vorher noch baden waren. Uns gefiel es so gut, dass wir kurzerhand noch eine Nacht dranhingen! Deshalb machen wir auch gerne Werbung für diese Unterkunft. Das war auch ganz gut, denn am ersten Tag gab es einen Wetterwechsel, es stürmte und regnete den ganzen Tag und ich bekam dadurch Migräne und ruhte mich aus.
But we were able to use the Sunday well to go hiking in the Topolia Gorge. To do this, we first had to walk a very steep way down from Topolia. The gorge was probably pretty badly worn in the storm last year, so that the paths were no longer quite passable. But we didn't notice too much of it. We also met a group that was equipped with garbage bags and shovels and we assume that this may be a volunteer group that regularly maintains the canyon. When we walked back the same way later, we just saw a tractor standing at the entrance of the gorge and the group driving up the steep path in its shovel! That was really too funny, because of course the ride up was only possible at a snail's pace.
Another week goes by so quickly and we had to bring our rental car back in Chania. From there we took the bus to Rethymno, which is the third largest city in Crete.
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