Up early (of course!) and I head to Sarakiniko Beach for sunrise. The wind is howling and Gutless is getting pushed around on the road. I can barely stand upright as I walk from the parking lot to the beach, my head down and my eyes half shut against the grains of sand whipping into my face. Myself and another guy are the only people here and we try to set ourselves up before the sun makes an appearance but keeping my tripod upright is next to impossible. We decide to join forces and take turns holding each other’s tripods so we can get a couple photos of ourselves.
As the sun rises more people arrive and I head to a less populated area. The waves are massive and I can feel the ocean spray even though I’m well away from the water. The wind relentlessly pounds against me and my watering eyes can’t focus. It’s chilly this morning as the wind is coming from the North and I realize I should’ve dressed warmer. I race back to Gutless and crank the heat for a few minutes and attempt to de-tangle my rat’s nest of hair.
Next stop is Plaka and the Venetian Castle. I’m the only one here at this ungodly hour other than the cats, so I can wander aimlessly in peace and quiet. I have a brindle cat following me as I make my up the stairs to the castle. She’s pathetically meowing and I give her a couple of scratches under her chin. Although the cats here are mostly homeless, they’re all fed by the locals and some communities have created little houses to shelter them. Cats were imported to Greece back in the day to deal with the rat situation and because none of them are neutered, they are everywhere.
A church’s bells begin to toll, echoing between the buildings in Plaka. I follow the sound and hear the intonation of the service being conducted inside the church. Although I’m not a religious person, I’ve always loved churches. The ornate architecture, the priceless paintings and stained glass inside, and the stillness. There’s nothing like the heavy door shutting behind you blocking out the sound of a bustling city, and the utter quiet. Or if you’re lucky, perhaps there’s an organist practicing or a string quartet playing.
I decide I’m going to test Gutless’s mettle and tackle the dirt road to the Old Sulphur Mine and Thiorichia Beach. The road reviews on Google Maps are mixed with some people saying you need a 4WD and others saying they were fine with a car. I have faith in Gutless and head off. The scenery is spectacular with jagged red and white cliffs soaring above me as Gutless picks his way through the potholes. I take it slow and the road suddenly narrows with a cliff on one side and a very large drop-off on the other side. I opt to park Gutless in an open space as I don’t want to try getting around another vehicle and have no where to go but down or reversing around switchback turns. I strap on my camera bag and head off on foot for the remaining kilometre.
Coming around a corner I’m blown away by the view. “Wow. And wow.” The remains of the sulphur mine are built into a massive cliff with a tram line going to the top. It soars hundreds of feet high. The derelict machinery is strewn about the site along with crumbling stone buildings that I’m assuming used to be the worker’s housing and machine sheds. All of this is beside a stunning beach with bright turquoise water. “This is unreal. The place time forgot.” I explore the buildings and find rusted bunk bed frames and rotting mattresses. The massive machinery is corroded and the bits of metal that have flaked off are littering the ground. I find a cave that has bright yellow embedded into the rock above me and I’m assuming it’s sulphur. I’m too chicken to go more than a few feet inside as I’ve always had a paranoia about being buried alive. A young Italian couple jokingly say they’ll wait for me to make sure I get out alive and I seriously take them up on their offer.
I exit the cave unscathed and head to the beach for lunch. Another naked dude. “Sigh. It’s bloody epidemic. Naked dudes everywhere and none worth looking at unfortunately.” I ignore the nakedness and plop myself on the pebbly sand to enjoy a brief respite from the wind while eating my spanakopita. I’ll need some fuel to energize myself to climb back up the mountain to where Gutless is parked. Gutless makes it back to the tarmac unscathed and I’m so proud of him. “Good job!” I give a couple toots of the horn in celebration.
Back at the hotel, I relax on my sunny deck listening to music and the waves while enjoying a view of the Aegean Sea. Home seems very far away…
This was so comical!!! Fun to read😆