3. Chania – Platanias – Maleme – Tavronitis – Voukolies – Kantanos – Kakodiki – Palaiochora; return from Souyia via Rodovani – Temenia – Maralia – Epanochori – Ayia Eirini – Prases – Skines – AlikianosWe leave Chania in a westerly direction for Kissamos, and come first to the seaside village of Ayii Apostoli.
A diversion from our route here will take us to Galatas, famous as a scene of heroism and self-sacrifice during the fighting of the Second World War. The area is densely vegetated and has many streams; the beaches of Kalamaki and Glaros are the most popular in the vicinity. The coast road continues west through pretty villages such as Kato Daratso, Ayia Marina, Kato Stalos and Platanias. Next we come to Maleme, 16.5 km to the west of Chania. The village was in the front line during the German attack of 1941, since the small aerodrome nearby was among the first targets of the paratroopers. After a total of 20 km. we come to Tavronitis, a village called after the river of the same name. A road here leads south to Palaiochora, while if we head straight on for Kastelli we will come to Voukolies (at and altitude of 110m, on the west bank of the Tavronitis) and then Floria (at 580m, the highest point on the route). After this point the road begins to descend in a southerly direction; after 58kn we come to Kantanos, the chief town of the sub prefecture of Selinos, in the midst of the fertile Selinos valley. The name ‘Kantanos’ means ’city of victory’, and it comes from the town’s long struggle for liberty. In the surrounding area are numerous Byzantine chapels with fine wall-paintings. We continue through Plemeniana, Kakodiki, Sarakina and towns on the south coast of Crete, facing out to the Libyan Sea. Read part two of the trip from Chania to Alikianos. -> Copyright © 2007-2008 Crete-Travel-Guide.com. All rights reserved. |
