Samaria Gorge

This day definately began very early! At 430 am our alarm clock went off. We quickly got up and grabbed our things. Then we headed downstairs for breakfast at 5:00 am. Since we were not going to be around for regular breakfast and dinner hours, the hotel had agreed to open the breakfast room early and they were going to put a cold plste of supper in our room fridge

for when we returned.

We met our bus at 5:30 and then we started the journey to the gorge. After driving forever...and taking the most twisted road up the side of the mountain....we finally arrived at the gorge and our guide reminded us to let her know about any "healthy problems" we had before she let us "jump in the gorge". We thought that it was funny that she kept saying "jump in the gorge" but that is basically what we did. The first part of the hike involved decsending 1200 metres in to gorge. The descent was very steep and rocky. It was very slow going. One thing that makes Greece different than any other tropical place we have visited is that there are palm trees and pine trees growing sides by side. In the gorge there is a special type of pine tree and as we were trekking your could smell the sweat smell of the pine needles. It was like smelling cedar wood in a sauna.

Once in the gorge...the terrain remained very rocky throughout the hike. He stopped about halfway at a old village that is now only inhabited by the ranger and a doctor. The inhabitants of the village were relocated during the 1960's I think. The remains of the village buildings and stone fences still remain. There were also many other old churches and stone walls throughout the hike. Near the 11 km...the stone walls of rock on either side of the gorge began to narrow. Signs along the path warned us the walk quickly and quietly to avoid rock falls. The walls cane as close together as 3.5 meters and up to 500 metres high. The scenery was truly amazing.

Oh....and we also saw the kri kri....(goat featured in the pictures). This mountain goat is endangered. The Samaria Gorge is one of the few places to see this goat in the wild. The gorge was made into a national park to protect this goat.

Well it took us 10:20 until 4:00 to hike the gorge with a few 10 - 15 minute breaks to eat and get water from the natural springs. Before boarding the ferry to our bus we took advantage of the opportunity to swim in the Lybian Sea where the beach was made from black pebbles. The water was so clear and warm!

At 10:30 pm we finally arrived back at our hotel. We ate our cold plates and took a hot bath and went straight to bed. I was glad that we decided to do the Samaria Gorge hike. It was a ong day but the scenary was definately worth it. According to our guide..."We made many pictures of the Samaria Gorge"...on our cameras and in our minds.