Crete - Kyriana

 A new bus schedule has come out and I went looking for a place to go, to get out of the town and into a more peaceful area. The bus schedule indicated that there were numerous trips to and from Kyriana so next, I googled what there was to do there....not much. 

I purchased my tickets at the bus station and the woman told me that it is a "city bus" and directed me to the bus stop above the bus station, by the church.

All of the other bus trips have been on the big, intercity, buses and have driven just a short way along the shore road and then up onto the highway. This one went through town and I got to see the bustling area behind the beach strip.

Then we went under the highway and up into the hills, through a couple of little villages, people on, people off and when I got dropped off here, I was the last one on the bus. I asked the driver and he said to wait across the road, on that bench, for the return trip.

Although I would not call the apartment, where I am staying, noisy, there is the sound of the road, people coming and going in the apartments around and the waves. Here it was so quiet that I could here the swish-swish of the guy using the scythe on the other side of the valley.

When I googled "What to see in Kyriana" this was the only thing mentioned. The 3 bell tower was identified as unusual.

One website listed the population as 400. They were all at work. The traffic on the road was just going through. Many of the houses were the usual cement, flat roofed that are built now. Just a few looked older and I could see the occasional tiled roof further up in the village. There were however, lots of flowers, mostly in pots, that really prettied the place up.

Small roads ran steeply up from the main one but I kept walking on.

There was, of course, another little chapel tucked in behind some village houses.

I could also see another chapel further up the hill so I headed for that.

Now out of the village (that didn't take long) and into my "happy place"

in the olive groves

with views of snowy mountains to the East

and to the West.

The church I was headed to turned out to be the village cemetery.

I continued up the road, searching for the one taverna that had been mentioned on the internet

but it was closed.

It would have been a lovely place to have lunch, out in the countryside

with views down to the sea.

I was getting hungry and hoped there would be other options in the village. Pruned orange trees,

the ground being cleared in an olive grove,

a pretty villa,

blossoms and

grape vines sprouting

all on my walk back into the village.

The wasn't much foodwise. The Kafenion (coffee shop) didn't sell food, just coffee, beer or raki. I ended up getting a premade sandwich and some nuts at the little supermarket and ate while admiring their spring bulbs emerging

and sketching the railing decor.

Revived, I walked up the steep streets into the village

and then back down to the church.

I had over an hour to wait for the return bus so I decided to go slower and get a bit more detailed with the sketch.

There was a lot of

detail

to deal with.

Past the mail boxes

and the tractor

to the bus stop. One other passenger waited with me. It must be a requirement that after a certain age women must always be dressed in black...black sensible shoes, black skirt, black cardigan or coat, and a large black purse.

Over the last couple of weeks I have seen a few swallows but they were abundant here, swooping and diving. I have no hope of getting a photo of them on the wing but got this one on a wire.

The bus was right on time. I had spent about 2 and a half hours there and it had been just what I was looking for, peace and quiet and a bit of countryside.

I stopped for milk and bananas and as I was huffing up the stairs a woman climbing more rapidly offered to take my bag up. So kind, but I explained it wasn't that the bag was heavy. I am just not in as good a shape as the locals who climb these steep inclines every day, for their whole lives.