Greetings Steemians!
It's my pleasure to welcome you to a new discovery series of mine! This time I invite you to follow me on a photographic tour across the beautiful greek island Crete were I had spent two fantastic weeks.
I set up camp in the middle south of the Island close to Moires. This location allowed me to reach many interesting sites without driving too long, like the ancient remnants of the minoic culture in Phaistos, the hidden palm groves of Preveli, the fertail plains of Méssara, Kommós Beach and many places more. I'm looking forward to showing you around all these places in the upcoming posts.
The destination of my first excursion was Agiofárango, the Gorge of Saints. It's located in unsettled area in the very south of central Crete and connects to the Libyan Sea. A stony track leads through a wildness with blooming Oleander bushes, steep rock walls and finally ends at a narrow, pictorial bay.
The remoteness of the gorge has attracted ascetics already during early Christian times, who lived as hermits in the many caves of the gorge. It is said that the hermits gathered only once per year in the chapel Agios Andonis at the lower end of the gorge. We will reach the chapel in the next post.
The area is still considered holy by many people and signs at the entry of the gorge exhort visitors to enter in a regardful manner.
The view towards the gorge
Arriving at Kuna Muta, the last outpost before Libya ;). The skull above the sign prompted me to refill my water supply.
Entering the gorge under a goat's supervision.
Passing one of the many caves. How many hermits may have dwelled in this one throughout the centuries?
A forrest of oleander bushes with some peculiar plants here and there.
This brave ant wants to fly! A truly heroic endeavor.
A goat enjoying the oleander's scent.
I hope you enjoyed the first half of the walk through Agiofárango. Next time we will reach the bay for a refreshing swim in the Libyan Sea. Thanks for watching and have a great day on Steemit!
Shaka
All photos were recorded by myself with an EOS 7D / Tamron 18-270 mm in May, 2018. All rights reserved.
Dear @shaka,
I am so happy you visited my island :)
I hope you had a fantastic time, and I am so looking forward for your new posts and images!
I am not sure if you know, but last year some slackliners visited Agiofarago and you can see here how a slack liner looks, at 180m, during sunset colors :)
I hope I would have known earlier you would visit Crete (maybe I could give some extra advise :))
In any case, I look forward for more of your Cretan Tales!
Be well & Alles Gute,
Katerina
Hi Katerina,
how awesome to get a reply from an actual Cretan :)
The two weeks on your island have been fantastic indeed. And I think that I really picked the best season for my visit. It was not too hot, the sea already warmed up a bit and a lot of plants and bushes still blooming. And the food...mmmh...:)
Thanks for the link to the slackliners. Absolutely impressive. You will see the very same place in my next post. Well, you are probably more than familiar with that spot anyway.
All the best & und auch Dir alles Gute :)
Shaka
Slacklining
Slacklining refers to the act of walking or balancing along a suspended length of flat webbing that is tensioned between two anchors. Slacklining is similar to slack rope walking and tightrope walking. Slacklines differ from tightwires and tightropes in the type of material used and the amount of tension applied during use. Slacklines are tensioned significantly less than tightropes or tightwires in order to create a dynamic line which will stretch and bounce like a long and narrow trampoline.
Another series with amazing captures..!!
Good to see u posting again after a break.. The little ant is carrying a super big sized feather compared to his body..! Real brave guy..!
Anyways, stay blessed...!
~ Christina
Bei dem ersten Anblick der tollen Collagen fiel mir natürlich auch sofort die karge Landschaft ins Auge. Und wenn man bedenkt, daß das Taubertal (an dessen Ende ich wohne) eine der trockensten Gegenden Deutschlands ist, so muß ich doch konstatieren, daß Creta da nochmal eine ganz andere Hausnummer ist.
Auf jeden Fall ist das ein gelungener "Opener" einer neuen Serie. Ich bin gespannt, was wir noch zu lesen und sehen bekommen...
Wow, it looks stunningly beautiful. It reminds me a little of Zion National Park in Utah.
Anyway, the photo of the goat intrigued me, because oleander is poisonous to dogs. So out of curiosity I checked to see if goats can eat it. Here's what I found:
I'm guessing the goats don't eat it, in any case, great photography looking forward to the next installment.
Very well observed! In fact, it only appears on the phota as if the goat would nose the oleander. The truth is, the goat stood several meters behind the oleander. It was simply checking the ground as it jumped off from that ledge an instance later :)
I was fairly sure they wouldn't eat the oleander, otherwise there wouldn't be any of them left, but I was amazed the goat would be sniffing them. Thanks for giving me the backstory!
Lovely shots. I have to say that Crete looks very much like the Croatian Islands.
That Mediterranean feel. Love to go there one day.
Thanks! The landscape around the coasts is similar, indeed.
Sehr schön :) Ameisen sind echt coole Tiere - Ich erinnere mich da noch an nen coolen Beitrag bei der zweiten Neulingschallenge!
Absolut, faszinierende Wundertierchen. Richtig, bei der Neulingschallenge gabs mal was, und da ist doch noch jemand, der gerade über die Aufzucht einer Ameisenkolonie postet. Muss mal eben schauen, moment...
Hier, der @grimmling wars :)
I am so glad that you spent your vacation in my country @shaka And in fact you chose one of the most beautiful islands to do so. I spent 3.5 years in Crete as I was studying for the university and to be honest I regret leaving this place to live in the capital. Great photos...bring back all those memories!
It was really a wonderful two weeks and it won't be the last time that I have visited your country and Crete specifically, that's for sure. Glad to hear that you enjoyed the photos.
Of course I enjoyed the photos. I love photography. It is said that one photo equals a thousand words...and they are totally right...
Looking forward for your next post!
Great.
sir
Hallo shaka, da bist du also untergetaucht ;) Schaut wieder nach einem interessanten Erlebnis aus. Bin gespannt, ob die karge Landschaft im nächsten Beitrag aufblüht. Gruß
Also in diesem Abschnitt blüht es doch schon ganz ordentlich :). Ansonsten bleibt es vergleichbar karg, dafür mit mehr Meer. Grüsse!
Thanks for the reportage! Looks like a good place to be, but it also looks very hot; countryside fit for goats. No melting of cameras?
I was well prepared and had my cam wrapped in several layers of tinfoil :D
Well, no, in May the heat has not yet fully kicked in. But I wouldn't recommed going there in summer.
It will be 30oC here in The Netherlands today; too hot for me also.
BTW You're on Steemit; the tinfoil goes on your head 8-).
Do you seriously believe that I set foot into this gorge without my tinfoil hat? It's just that I had wrapped my cam in addition :D
Ganz wunderbare Bilder aus Griechenland hast Du uns da mitgebracht. Mir gefallen diese bergige noch fast archaisch anmutenden Gegenden mit ihrer ganz eigenen Wildnis.
Die haben ihren ganz eigenen Scherz da unten, haha.
Ein ganz tooler Reisebericht.
Notiz am Rande:
Ich habe Dich hier in meinem 666-er-Artikel in spezieller Weise erwähnt um mal danke zu sagen. Ich bin mir nicht sicher ob du ihn mal gesehen hast.
Mit lieben Grüssen aus der sonnigen Karibik!
Abenteuer und Reiseberichte aus der Dominikanischen Republik.
Besuch meine neuesten Artikel @followmikecee
Danke Dir! Den 666er Post hatte ich verpasst, daher danke für den link. Hast ja gemerkt, dass ich immer wieder mal bei Dir vorbeischaue. Am spannendsten finde ich immer die reports aus Deiner zweiten Heimat.
Der Dank gebührt Dir.
Und ja meine zweite Heimat würde ich heute schon als meine erste bezeichnen. Geht das überhaupt? ich fühl mich hier auch sauwohl und wenn dies in meinen Artikeln zu spühren ist, dann freuts mich riesig.
Abenteuer und Reiseberichte aus der Dominikanischen Republik.
Besuch meine neusten Artikel @followmikecee
I love these beautiful pictures....
Na da wirste wohl auch noch zum greece-lover :) Musst mal ein bissel durch Landesinnere fahren. Kreta ist die größte Cannabis Plantage Griechenlands. Ganze Landstriche bauen das an. Biste Luftlinie ja mal gerade so 3-400 Kilometer von mir entfernt. Wäre die Fähre von Kalamata nach Kreta nicht so ein Seelenverkäufer würde ich ja fast überlegen auf einen Ouzo vorbeizuschauen. Genau richtig zur ersten großen Hitzewelle in diesen Jahr dann dort angekommen, mir aktuell schon wieder zu heiß.. Und bei dir iss es ja noch einmal 3-4° wärmer. Dann hau dir erst mal eine Gyros Pita rein und trinke ein kaltes Mythos dazu :) Gruß Holger
Das Mythos ist tatsächlich ein feines Bier, und die Insel habe ich gerade noch rechtzeitig vor Erreichen der 30°C- Schwelle verlassen ;)
Wer lesen kann, ist und bleibt eben doch ganz klar im Vorteil :) Bist ja schon wieder weg von der Insel. Also nix mehr Gyros Pita &Souflaki :) Zakynthos und noch eher Kefalonia sind auch 2 tolle Inseln genau gegenüber von mir. Da geht auch eine Fähre rüber wo man nicht Angst haben muss das sie jeden Moment untergeht. Kefalonia und dann eine Tagestour rüber nach Ithaka zu den alt Hippies aus den 70iern iss ein cooler Ausflug. Da gehört einer Handvoll übriggebliebener eine ganze Halbinsel die gekauft worden ist von damalig 500 Aussteigern. Da wohnen heute noch Omas in Baumhäusern die cool drauf sind und sicherlich noch nie etwas von Steem gehört haben :) - Ich merke, ich fange schon wieder an zu quasseln ohne ende ....
Klingt als müsstest Du genau da mal hinfahren und ein paar Fotos von den coolen Omas in den Baumhäusern auf Steemit mitbringen. Klingt sehr spannend :)
I hope that you really enjoyed two weeks of this tour, and i want to say that you captured some gems of Nature. This place have very unique essence and all stuff like, mountains, trees, flowers and animals, and every stuff reflecting natural beauty. You shared some macro pictures and those pictures are just amazing to watch. And in my opinion the most beautiful picture is the one where we can see an rocky way but those flowers on both sides making this picture as way towards amazing world.
In my opinion the goat is having nice time roaming there, most of the time rocky and mountain places have very raw essence but this place literally have beautiful mixture.
Thanks for sharing this post with us and wishing you an great day. Stay blessed. 🙂
beautiful shots as always @shaka!
a lovely tale to tell about the ant and you having a goat for a guide!
I've never been to Crete
lucky you for always being able to travel!
I hope you're having fun!
This is one of beautiful and unique place. The varieties of flora are also looking very beautiful and unique due to vegetation. Ants can lift 5000 times the weight of its own, so feathers weight is not that much for them. Have a great Day @shaka
It's amazing really to live with the nature.
I wish I had some free time to go with the flow and enjoy the nature for once.
Great pictures, good clarity. And the lamb is pretty cute.
Wow, das sind richtig schöne Bilder, die du uns da zeigst! Ich finds cool, wie hier einfach ein paar Ziegen rumlaufen :)
Kreta sieht Toll aus, ich muss da auch unbedingt mal hin...
Ja, an Ziegen mangelt es dort nicht :)
Sind diese Tiere "wild", oder gehören sie irgendwem?
This is an exciting series of yours and I love how you presented your photos. My country is a tropical island with a lot of beaches and jungles. Crete looks very beautiful and I have a passion for religious architecture which I often cover whenever given a chance. I will be looking forward to that chapel you will be sharing.
Wie früher, Mega Reiseberichte von Dir. Kreta war ich auch schonmal - dort bestimmt 20l Wasser bei der Hitze verloren, aber schön war es - insbesondere der Trip dann nach Santorini.
Danke Uwe! Ich war jetzt das zweite Mal dort, beides Mal im Frühjahr und ich war wieder sehr angetan. Wasser habe ich bei den verschiedenen Ausflügen auch verloren, vor allem aber gute 4kg mehr mit nach Hause genommen. Ist halt einfach lecker das Essen dort...;)
Very exotic, love the coat pattern on the goat
I have been waiting for another of your amazing trip and it was worth the wait.
You got great vision to spot the ant. What a brave ant indeed, smiles.
Another great post @shaka.
By the way, I would be glad if you could visit my blog and advice me on ways to improve. I would PM you on discord.
#Resteemed
Wow Crete looks lovely. I wish someday I’ll experience such adventure.....anticipating the second half
Hui,
sieht spannend aus da. Wie heiß ist es denn da, dass die mit Totenköpfen da vorwarnen ??
Beste Grüße
Michael
Als ich da war so um die 27 Grad. Im Sommer dann gerne 40... Kreta ist vor allem sehr trocken, d.h. man kann/darf nicht damit rechnen unterwegs irgendwo auf eine Quelle oder ein Bächlein zu stossen.
Great pics!!!!
Thanks for the view.
Hugs
You're welcome!
Looks quite different to wear I am living now. I wish I had the time to travel to some different place, I have never been to the Mediterranean area.
Did you just come back from Crete?
Cool, crete. Definatly on my bucket list. Is it your first time there or are you a veteran?
Second time, and not the last time for sure :) If you ever go there I recommend early to mid May. It's really the best season. Summer ist not endurable.
I also like camping in hilly areas. How long these caves are? Waiting for the next part.
Have a great day.
Sehr geile bilder, kreta fehlt mir auch noch auf meiner niemals enden wollenden liste, der zukünftigen reiseziele. :)
Danke! Ist in jedem Fall ein tolles Reiseziel. Vor allem im Frühjahr. Im Sommer ist es dort zu heiss.
Ich weiß, war vor zwei jahren ende juli auf kos, böser fehler ^^ :D
Is there an exact figure of how many hermits may have dwelt there? I do not know this answer should I get to investigate a little more
How are you friend @shaka asking me about you, what were you doing I asked myself, he's probably on one of his adventures
And so it was
It's good to have back and be able to know a little more through you
The Gorge of the Saints seems to me an attractive place I had never heard of him I have not gone so far
It's like a desert maybe that crenea would alert anyone you did well in filling your water supplies
I hope your next adventure I want to see more of this trip that kept you busy for two weeks and I did not see you by Steemit @shaka
you took beautiful photos! i am happy that you had good times to my country!
Have a beautiful day!
Thank you! I had a great time in your country and it won't be my last visit for sure :)
i wish you come soon!!
and if you will come to Athens i hope to meet you! :)
I've been wondering where is shaka? I think I have more than a month that I do not see you here I missed these wonderful places where you travel and give us the opportunity to meet through your photos
But now I see you come back with another trip to a new place eager to see what else you bring us I also have a lot of fun with your contests
Cool Kreta, hat mir total gut gefallen. Wunderschöne Landschaft, nette Leute, tolles Meer! Aber das hast du auch alles erlebt, oder;-) Tolle Bilder von deinem Ausflug!
Wieder ein toller Beitrag mit genialen Bildern. Vorallem das mit der Ameise, sehr beeindruckend, da warst du wohl aufmerksam :D
Danke! Das mit der Ameise fand ich auch ganz besonders. Wer weiss, was die mit der Feder vorhatte..
It is not possible for everyone to visit every site of this world. So, the travel logs like this give those person to chance to see how other parts of the world looks. @shaka I love your posts and eagerly wait for them.
Enjoying your photos and waiting for the upcoming part of your journey.
Beautiful to explore that along with you superb pics thanks for sharing and so good to see your post after a very long time :)
Sehr cooles Bild mit der Ziege :D
Sieht ziemlich trocken aus alles, aber die Blumen bluehen trotzdem! Sehr schoen! Bin gespannt, was du noch alles zu berichten hast
sehr cooler Bericht und tolle Bilder. Mir gefällt die karge Landschaft. Bin gespannt ob es da noch grüner wird in den nächsten Berichten.
Es wird etwas grüner werden, ja :)
Oh ja, solche Gegenden liebe ich. Die trockene Gegend aber mit den Pflanzen wo trotzdem dort leben können. War für mich immer ein Abenteuer da durch zu gehen. Spanien und Griechenland haben auch solche Gegenden. Super
Those goats seem to be popping up every where..... they seem to be keeping quite a close on you:)
Really stunning images.... a vast difference from the "Mount Doom" Series.
Thanks! Later this summer I will travel to Mount Doom again. No goats there, just cows :D
Beautiful photos of manifestation of God's handiwork. This is awesome @shaka!
Regards.
@eurogee of @euronation and @steemstem communities
Beautiful picture mate, the weather looks nice and the place looks peaceful :)
Thanks! Weather was ideal, indeed.
what a beutiful island it is. it is my dream to travel a island . i am glad about your journey and travel. this island could be risky but you are brave . you photographs make us to enjoy the nature, i just love your capture. one interesting click was the got and another is the nudism restricted area.. thanks for share , my brother.
This is excellent photography.
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really great photography...
Awesome picture.I really liked these images.Thanks for sharing
Great pics!!!! Thanks for the view.
beautiful scenery, hopefully in the next journey there are no obstacles