Our guide book recommended the seaside resort of Agios Pavlos for its wonderful beaches and scenic coves so off we set inland at first through the very impressive Kourtaliotiko Gorge. The first part of the road was fine and we sped past the historic town of Spili and though some majestic scenery. However, our guide book did not warn us about the narrow, very steep, very windy and on several occasions incredibly precipitous road over the mountains. It was not too bad as long as there were no vehicles coming from the opposite direction but it was pretty hairy and certainly the trickiest road I have driven on for a while.
However, it was definitely worth it. Agios Pavlos is simply stunning with warm, clear blue water in a perfectly formed and quite enclosed bay. We had a walk along the bay and up some very steep steps to admire the view and then of course we just had to swim in this little paradise. Of course it was warm and clear but also the views back inland to the very high mountains were wonderful. In fact in preparation for out trip to Australia & New Zealand in December, I should say it was awesome!
After our dip we found a very nice taverna with a brilliant elevated view across the bay. Once again, we were very impressed by the efficient and enormously courteous service which we have experienced everywhere on out trip so far. Many a UK restaurant could take lessons from the Greeks in how to threat their customers.
Now we had to face the drive back but having experienced it once it did seem less daunting and we were soon back on the main road back to Damnoni.
Another swim from our lovely beach and then our last dinner at one of our 3 tavernas - which one to choose?
Tomorrow we will leave Damnoni mid afternoon to head back to Heraklion where will stay for one night before catching the early ferry to Santorini on Monday. We had decided to do this to avoid driving along some faintly difficult roads in the dark on Monday morning.
We are very sad to leave Damnoni, it is a lovely resort with everything needed for a relaxing week.
No comments:
Post a Comment