A long day today!
We pulled into the bike shop in Chania just after nine. And they could sort out our wheel!! Yeeha!! But they had the wrong axle set up for the bike…which meant they would use just a new rim and spokes…and reassemble around the old axle. Time-consuming!!
So we had plenty if time for a wander around Chania. Crete’s second city…with a lovely ‘Venetian Port’.
The guys were just finishing off as we got back to the shop at noon. Such a relief!! And…only 80 euros for new rim, spokes and complete wheel re-assembly!!
And so…..we headed off on the balance 75kms to Palaiochora…just as the day was its hottest! Having said that…it is now pleasantly hot…not the searing heat of last year!!
And after 20kms through the very developed seaside suburb of Chania (& 20km of parked cars to pass…hate that!)…we were soon climbing into the hills…where it was noticeably cooler…to cross over to the relatively remote South coast.
Gorgeous ride! Another beautiful, all-but-deserted road.
But we were both feeling surprisingly tired….)after some anti-vax Danes had kept us talking until too late last night! Immunologist Nae did her best not to engage! Idiots!)….so we stopped when the pedalling was done before the final plunge down to Palaiochora…..for a beer!
Such a cute wee taverna. Had to wake the old lady! Who then proceeded to provide lots of titbits of food…so sweet! (..the lady, not the food…!)
And on down to the village….
…..where we arrived still with sufficient time for a swim etc before evening habits! Earlier than I had feared after our enforced three hour stop in Chania.
Palaiochora felt like it was asleep…on ‘our’ side of the peninsular.
But I went for a wander to the ‘other’ side (huge sandy beach and all that entails)…& it was so different! Jam-packed with (mostly empty) restaurants…jostling for position as the roads were closed to traffic at 7pm!
Nice wee place.
And a ferry turned up later…which chugs its way along the otherwise largely inaccessible South Coast. Good way to go! Next time……
Hey Neil – enjoying your blog. Are you going to fit in the Samaria Gorge?
Cheers Bob M