During the eastward drive to the gorge, the terrain changed yet again. The road went from hugging the mountainside with hairpin turns to crossing flat, arid plateaus. Of course, there were still olive trees.
it is called Gorge of the Dead because legend has it the Minoans buried people in the caves on the steep slopes of the gorge.
I put in at entrance b for the trail hike. The guide book said it was most beautiful between A and B, so I decided to start at B and hike up to A so the return trip would be downhill. However, it turned out the trail to access the trail was the most strenuous part of the hike. Going down, I knew the last half a mile out was going to be a leg burner.
When I go to the trail head, I decided to hike past B to see what it was like. Was the guidebook correct? And it would make for a more varied hike. The wind blew up the crevice from the sea. It gave me a chill and I had goosebumps all over my body. It was feeling a bit creepy so I turned for the section I planned to hike.
I would agree the A to B portion is prettier in some ways, and definitely not creepy because there were no caves overhead. It didn’t take as long as I thought but that last bit hiking back to my car was a killer.
From the plateau, I headed down to Zakaros by the beach. Another important Minoan palace was here, of course. I soaked my feet in the ocean for a bit and then went in search of something to eat. I found a place with a limited menu—there are not many people at these resort areas in November. I had stuffed cabbage rolls and four fresh, tasty nectarines for dessert. Citrus grows abundantly here.
On my way back, I stopped in Sitia again for a coffee and a baklava. I sat by the harbor and people and boat watched. Then I hiked up the hill to see the Venetian fortress to see the view from there. After sunset and the church bells, I toodled on home.
I had some leftover pizza and Greek salad for dinner. As I was relaxing and watching a Christmas movie, I began to not feel so great. Sparing you the details, I was violently ill for most of the night. It was so bad, I couldn’t even keep a few sips of water down as I knew I was getting really dehydrated. It finally subsided as Inhad nothing left to hurl and I was able to drink some water and some juice. I was not going to the gorge of the dead.
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