Lissos and Sougia: where history and landscape come together

We are back, as promised, two weeks late but hey! Better late than never. Today we are going to talk about our last excursion with our mates Laura and Carlo. Crete, end of October, and still warm and sunny. No wonder why we choose Crete as our new home!!

DSCN3520We decided to explore the south west coast of the island. Firstly, we reached Sougia by car and then we followed the stunningly beautiful European E4 path (“The Cretan Way”), scattered with mountains, starting from Ai Kyrkos gorge. The trail going from Sougia to Lissòs remains one of our favourite routes here in Crete, the secret of its beauty lying in the diversity of its landscape, which encompasses rills, caves, a small and stony path scattered with pines and shrubs. Its planes summon to memory images of lunar landscapes. Our hike lasted about one hour and a half and then we finally reached Lissòs and the unforgettable bay of Ai Kyrkos. And when on top, you can’t help asking yourself: “What an amazing place is this?”.

But let’s focus on the Temple of Asclepio, the crown jewel of the archaeological ruins of Lissòs. The beautiful mosaic on its floor is the centrepiece of it all; it dates back to the first century and it reproduces geometrical shapes and a big quail. Then, you realize you are in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by rock-walls, carob and centuries-old olive trees, facing this human masterpiece. In over 1000 years this complex has faced and survived so many challenges! And there is so much more to come…the entire necropolis lays further in silence, scattered with dozens of arcosolium tombs. Death seems to dominate everything and the deafening silence instills respect for the place we are visiting. But we did not forget to visit Ai Kyrkos chapel and, west of the beach, the incredible church of Panagia (Holy Mary), whose marble rocks belonged to an ancient sarcophagus. There you can find a fine representation of Medusa’s head, the Gorgon monsters beheaded by Perseus.

Last but not least, a well-deserved rest, we finally arrived at the beach! Emerald colour, smooth and sanded pebbles, a surreal transparency…This place will never stop to impress us, no DSCN3635wonder it is so loved by the Cretans. A perfect conclusion of this memorable trip, and was a satisfaction looking back on our steps! After some hours spent sunbathing, and one last swim, at 4.30 pm we caught a ten minutes boat ride back to Soùgia. It was such a wonderful day, and we would like to conclude by thanking our mates Carlo and Laura, who already came to visit twice and that are our favourite kind of travellers, the ones that never say no!

Thanks, mates!

 

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Click on the map to see where all these spots are

5 thoughts on “Lissos and Sougia: where history and landscape come together

  1. Pingback: Gialiskari: il fascino del mare a novembre | Microcosmo Creta

  2. Carissimi, riuscite sempre a stupirmi! Creta la conosco meglio in altre parti e per diverse avventure, ma voi sapete rinnovarne il mito nella mia ormai patologica affezione per lei. E’ veramente un’isola ‘meravigliosa’. Così come meravigliosi siete voi due, che anche in condizioni difficili e complesse riuscite pure a ‘esserci’ per noi, qui, nei nostri uffici invernali, a sognare il sole e il mare …
    Non riesco a credere di avervi incontrato! al più presto, dunque, con l’augurio di ogni bene!
    Paolo

  3. Bravi, …tra le pagine piu’ belle e entusiasmanti che avete scritto, se non in assoluto le piu’ belle e invitanti. Super ben scritta e descritta la gita sara’ immancabile nell’agenda 2015. Beatrice e Enrico auguri a voi e i vostri cari…

    mario / marinho

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