Balos and Falasarna

So my course is halfway over and I can't believe it. There's so much going on right now it can be a little overwhelming but then I realize where I am, a huge smile creeps across my face, and I remember how fortunate and happy I am to be here right now. Anyways, I had an incredible trip across western Crete last Saturday. First, my classmate Gardiner and I wanted to rent mopeds and go exploring. However, after trying two different rental places, we found out you have to have a class B liscense to rent mopeds and neither of us had that. So, we decided to rent a car. Naturally, we went with the cheapest option, and you definitely get what you pay for. The tires weren't much more than spares and it left a little to be desired in terms of power but it got the job done (First pic, obviously). So we headed west along the coast where there is pretty conitnuous development until the Rodhopou peninsula. That's where the drive got really fun. I love driving on winding, mountain roads and these roads certainly fit that description. Plenty of hairpin turns as we made our way through countless olive groves and up the mountains. After one seemingly insignificant turn, the road opened up to a stunning view. We pulled off the road to a lookout and it gave me chills. Mountains to the left, sea to the right, the plain below us and the Gramvousa peninsula in the distance. It really was spectacular (4th pic, too bad my camera sucks). After soaking this in, we continued down the mountain and on to the Gramvousa peninsula. The Gramvousa peninsula is an uninhabited (except by goats) peninsula jutting out of the northwest corner of Crete. The only road is a rocky, dirt path and we started out on said road. However, as I said before, our car wasn't exactly a 4-wheeler and after awhile I was pretty nervous that I would bust a tire, or worse, and they had my credit card at the car rental place, so we pulled off, parked the car, and headed out on foot. This really wasn't so bad as the road was relatively flat and the scenery was breath-taking (3rd pic). Walking with the goats was also an enjoyable experience. After about an hour hike, we reached the top of Balos bay. When the view of Balos opened up before us, Gardiner and I were left speechless as the landscape is unlike anything I've ever seen (2nd pic). Words and pictures don't do it justice but check my Facebook page for some more pics. It was another 15 minute hike down to the bay and we were in paradise. We stopped at the one taverna for a beer and then spent an hour or so swimming, sunning, and taking in this magnificent locale. Yet there was more exploring to do so we started the hike back up the mountain which wasn't terribly fun. Although I was sweating profusely, cussing occasionally, and had to stop a couple times, the scenery definitely made up for any frustration with the steep ascent. We eventaully got back to the car and continued west to Falsarna, another beautiful beach at the base of the peninsula. More sweeping views were had and we explored Ancient Falasarna, founded in the 6th century BC. Gardiner is really into archaeology so he explored the site while I just enjoyed the views. We had to get the car back by 9 pm so unfortunately we had to head back to Hania. And if driving the mountain roads was exciting during the day, it was a little scary at night. Fortunately there weren't many other cars on the road s and we made it back without incident at 8:50. Truly an incredible day and it certainly didn't change my belief that Crete is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. I suppose that's enough for now but I look for another post on Greek culture (it definitely deserves its own post) soon. Yasou!