It was difficult to research transit around Crete, but once I got the hang of it everything flowed smoothly. I decided to spend a few days in the very small southern coastal village of Agia Roumeli. This entailed taking a bus an hour and a half from Chania in the north to Sfakia in the south, then transferring to a one-hour ferry west to Agia Roumeli. There are no roads connecting Agia Roumeli to the rest of Crete, making boats the only option in and out. There are a few roads in town and cars arrive by ferry; some belong to tourists, some to farmers in the area, and some bring in supplies. But the roads expire eventually, leaving a sense of deep isolation.
The village consists of a handful of tavernas, two little grocery markets, and small tourist accommodations, nestled under a tall mountainous backdrop with a dark pebble beach for relaxing and swimming in the clear Libyan Sea. I was told that in the winter most people leave; maybe 15 people will stay, and a ferry comes maybe every four days depending on the weather.
I chose a room connected to the Paralia Taverna, the first spot next to the little port, featuring an expansive view of the sea I could see from my bed and a large balcony, all for the excellent price of $70 a night. The air conditioner allowed me to keep the windows closed, effectively blocking out the soft sounds from the taverna below. I chit chatted with Nikos from the taverna quite a bit, his colleagues unable to converse widely in English.
While it seems like a random choice of destination for me, Agia Roumeli has a little more to it than just being a sleepy town. It is the terminus of the popular Samaria Gorge hike, a challenging 12-mile point-to-point hike down from the mountains. Arriving hikers enjoy a waterfront meal and then a hop in the sea to cool off, before boarding the last ferry out of town at 5:30pm to return to the bus to Chania or Rethymno. I completed the hike four years ago, finding a group of friends along the way who all bonded over the amazing and beautiful experience. I loved the town at the end, and I always thought it would be nice to return and stay there for a few days, seeing it after the hikers leave and just lounging around the area.
And lounge I did. Agia Roumeli was an excellent social contrast to Chania, giving me lots of alone time to rest and enjoy. It was quite hot midday with little wind, and the beach umbrella I bought back in Naxos became essential for my beach flopping hours. I enjoyed people-watching the hikers and then the quiet family beach vibes that remained once they left. I savored long slow meals at several of the waterfront tavernas.
Unfortunately the sore throat I had toward the end of Chania had developed into a bit of a cold, and then I got my period. Luckily it was the perfect place to feel a little under the weather. I was happy to spend hours in the middle of the hot afternoon just staring at the ocean while watching tv in bed. While I wished I hadn’t removed the decongestant from my bag at the last minute, I made do on tea, oranges, cough drops, and zinc tablets. I recovered quickly.
Obviously I didn’t just lounge about the whole time. I decided to hike the Samaria Gorge backwards, starting early and going in just about halfway for a 5-hour total journey. It was cool and beautiful, and I passed almost no other hikers early in the morning, though I did pass some goats and a random horse. Water flows through part of the gorge at the bottom, carving a narrow gap between the mountains, and there are many wobbly wood plank bridges to cross along the route. No swimming allowed, because this clean water is used for drinking in the village. I later learned this area was used as an Allied hideout area during World War Two.
I also hiked the mountain closest to town up to a fortress I could see, but the trail was treacherous and hard to follow, and the sun was quickly setting, so I decided to turn around halfway. And on my last morning I took a short early-morning coastal hike on part of the E4 European hiking route through some massive rocks and hoards of goats. Starting before the sun peaked above the mountain was essential, because it then got very hot very quickly. All of these hikes were people-free and lovely. They also gave me the uninterrupted time and headspace to start thinking about my life a bit more deeply, enjoying where I’m at and starting to dream about the long-term future again.
The quiet of Agia Roumeli was nice and luxurious, but it was just a break. I was ready by the time I had to board the ferry and transfer to two buses back to the north, bound for Rethymno, my final destination in Greece!
travels.of.tara 