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Day 10: Road Trip Across Crete

July 16, 2021October 27, 2021, Crete Trip Reports
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This post is part of a series called Greek Odyssey 2021
Show More Posts
  • An Exciting Journey Begins
  • Touring Greece Without a Plan
  • Day 1: Crete Arrival
  • Day 2: It’s Windy in Palaiochora
  • Day 3: Palaiochora Morning Exercise
  • Day 4: Exploring South-Western Crete
  • Day 5: Grammeno Beach Again
  • Day 6: Finally the Wind Dies Down
  • Day 7: Elafonissi Beach
  • Day 8: Last Time at Grammeno Beach
  • Day 9: Last Day in Palaiochora
  • Day 10: Road Trip Across Crete
  • Day 11: Preveli and Agia Galini
  • Day 12: Phaistos and Matala
  • Day 13: Gortyn, Heraklion and Sitia
  • Day 15: Karpathos Arrival
  • Day 16: Karpathos Beach Day
  • Day 17: Karpathos Beach Day…Again
  • Day 18: Ammopi Beach by Bus
  • Day 19: Exploring Karpathos by Car
  • Day 20: Rhodes Arrival
  • Day 21: Exploring Rhodes Town
  • Day 22: Rhodes Town Beach
  • Day 23: Rhodes to Tilos
  • Day 24: Cutting Tilos Short
  • Day 25: Kos Town Beach Day
  • Day 26: Kos Car Hire
  • Day 27: Kos Beach Day Again
  • Day 28: Kos Town Hotel Move
  • Day 29: Why I’m Still on Kos
  • Day 30: Ed Arrives on Kos
  • Day 31: Boat Trip with Ed
  • Day 32: Road Trip (with Ed!)
  • Day 33: Ed Departs, I Remain
  • Days 34-36: Nothing But The Pool
  • Day 37: Back to Kos Town
  • Days 38-41: Living Life in Kos Town
  • Day 42: Visiting Tigaki
  • Day 43: Moving Hotel Room
  • Day 44: Moving Hotel Room Part 2
  • Day 45: Last Gym Session on Kos
  • Day 46: Kos Final Full Day
  • Day 47: Kos to Amorgos
  • Day 48: Amorgos to Naxos
  • Day 49: Relaxing in Agia Anna / Plaka Beach
  • Days 50-51: Agia Anna
  • Day 52: Exploring Naxos by Car
  • Day 53: Naxos to Ios
  • Day 54: Exploring South Ios Magganari Beach
  • Day 55: Ios Agia Theodoti Beach
  • Day 56: Ios Chill Day
  • Day 57: Ios Psathi Beach and Palaiokastro
  • Day 58: Ios Last Full Day
  • Day 59: Ios to Sikinos
  • Day 60: Relaxing on Sikinos
  • Day 61: Sikinos Sightseeing
  • Day 62: Sikinos to Sifnos
  • Day 63: Sifnos Cloudy First Day
  • Day 64: More Clouds Over Sifnos
  • Day 65: Sifnos Sunshine
  • Day 66: Mum and Dad Arrive on Sifnos
  • Day 67: Mum and Dad’s First Full Day on Sifnos
  • Day 68: Bus Trip to Apollonia
  • Day 69: Sun, Sand and Sea on Sifnos
  • Day 70: Exploring Sifnos by Car
  • Day 71: More Sifnos Sightseeing
  • Day 72: Our Last Full Day
  • Day 73: Homeward Bound
  • Greek Odyssey 2021: Retrospective

Friday 16th July 2021

Another Morning Run

It was time for some more cardio, so for the last time (in Palaiochora, anyway) I got up just before 7 am, put my running gear on and headed out for a slightly more relaxed run – I’ve got a busy day travelling today, so didn’t want to exhaust myself too much!

I mostly followed the same route as I’d used a few days earlier, except I took a slightly different turn in the village towards the end so I would finish the 3km closer to the hotel.

Parting Ways

Mum and Dad’s return flight was at midday, so after breakfast, we loaded our luggage into the hire car and checked out of the hotel just after 9 am. We stopped by the bakery on the way out of Palaiochora so Mum and Dad could buy a sandwich and some small water bottles, then began the 90-minute drive north to Chania airport.

After saying our goodbyes outside the terminal building and wishing them a safe flight home, I hopped back in the car and set Google Maps navigation for my next destination… Plakias!

Spili and Plakias

My route from the airport looked something like this:

The majority of the route took me east along the northern coastal highway, one of the best roads you’ll find anywhere on the Greek Islands. At Rethymno, I turned south and the road became more twisty as I moved inland. Rather than head straight to Plakias where I would be spending the night, Mum and Dad had recommended I check out Spili on the way. It’s a small village famed for its lion-headed fountains:

The fountains at Spili, Crete

Spili also has a nice selection of little shops and cafes, so it made for a nice location to have a break from driving and a light snack lunch as well.

One of the many nice pottery shops in Spili, Crete

Next Hotel

My accommodation for tonight was the Galini Beach Hotel, situated in a nice central location in Plakias just off the northern end of the main town beach. I arrived a little early to check into my room, so I left my suitcase and bag in the car and had a stroll along the road that runs behind the beach, stopping for a nice cold beer at one of the many tavernas.

Galini Beach Hotel, Plakias, Crete

I returned to the hotel just after 3 pm and was able to get into my room, so I quickly changed into my beach gear and headed out onto the sand in search of a nice spot to do some sunbathing. The beach is very long and mostly coarse sand, with a few pebbles mixed in. There are various sunbed spots along the beach, but I ended up just throwing my towel down on the sand and making do without any shade – it was getting towards late afternoon and the sun wasn’t too hot.

My attempt at an artistic photo at Plakias Beach

First Solo Evening Meal of the Trip

I got back to my room just after 6 pm, showered and changed, then went back out to take some photos and videos for this blog and my next YouTube video. I dropped the camera back in my room so I didn’t have to carry it with me to dinner, then set off in search of a nice taverna for my first solo evening meal of the trip. I’ve never had a problem eating alone, but it does take some getting used to – my Kindle is my companion here, and I enjoy reading a good book between courses, with some people watching thrown in.

My taverna of choice was a place called Kri-Kri towards the northern end of the village. I had a delicious meal, starting with some garlic bread, followed by a ‘charcuterie’ pizza topped with barbecue sauce, meat and cheese. After the food, I had a stroll up and down the main road to get a feel for the resort, then headed back to my hotel to review my photos and videos from the day’s travels, before going to bed.

Posted in Crete, Trip Reports
Tagged Chania, Crete, Plakias, Spili
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Will Appleby
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   Day 9: Last Day in Palaiochora
Galini Beach Hotel, Plakias, Crete   

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Will Appleby

Listen to my ramblings about Greece and why I keep going back year after year.

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