I rode into Paleochora expecting to beat Ingo, Sylvia and Kalliope who were in the car. I was able to park right outside Third Eye however they were much further away, along the sandy beach road.
There is no option but to eat outside at present so the inside tables were set up outside. We went around the rear of the building to sit under the grape vines. Only one other family group was there when we arrived. Busy it was not; more like steady. We ordered the Buddha Bowl and I had an India curry. The others did a pick-n-mix as Kalliope was unlikely to get through an entire meal alone.
After a pleasant meal, I rode back to the camping arriving around 21:45. The dogs were quiet until I arrived then Luis and Fido had a bit of a meltdown. I left them inside for a while to calm down but let Oskar and Fido out for a wee at bedtime. It was too warm to sleep so I sat out for a while.
The run back was my first nighttime bike ride although not the first time I’ve ridden in the darkness as I’ve done some early rides before it was light. The headlight is good enough but I think I’d need another if I was riding frequently on unlit roads which is unlikely to be the case.
The night was short as I went to bed late but at least Fido didn’t have me up at 02:00. We were out around 05:35 to discover ourselves alone on Alonáki if nothing else. A couple of cars in the car park revealed possessions abandoned on the Big Beach when we returned in daylight together with some small tents on the east side of the Big Rock. Nicely sheltered from the non-existant wind. We left them undisturbed.
A fishing boat was moored off Alonáki with only the port navigation light working. They didn’t appear too concerned as they sat almost motionless in the darkness. Neither the dogs nor I cared either. A body was sitting next to the water in the darkness presumably meditating or gazing into the gloom. It might have been Stephanos as he was nearby when we returned from Plakaki.
Having Elevated my brain, I set off for Paleochora with an almost-full battery. Almost is good as I only charge it fully each month to balance the cells. I rode up Panorama and through Paleochora stopping at a dog-less puppy zone. I went for a short walk around the port as my August Challenge is a little behind and requires walking to complete. Still no dogs when I came back from my walk so I set off for Alonáki for a quick swim.
The sea was busy. In other words, I wasn’t alone on the beach and had to share the sea! It was completely calm so I swam out to the line of floats which mark some fishing activity but not nets as I investigated and saw none. Tasos was walking along the beach so we had a bit of a catch up. Lau, who lives in Rotterdam, should be coming back to Paleochora following a two year absence as a result of Covid and illness. Tasos says he feels the salt season is at an end and was surprised Kostas was still collecting.
I rode back to the camping almost dry having chatted long enough on the beach in the sun. It’s cooling down as at no time did I feel too warm. The dogs were released and fed. I made tea and sat down for a while.
An outstanding task involving the manufacture of banana bread got me back into the kitchen so the aforementioned will remain cooling in the oven until tomorrow morning when I shall undoubtably eat some of it.
Otherwise, the day has been sunny and warm as expected in August in Crete. I notice another chunk of Greece has gone red on the Covid map. Redness appears to be catching. The three administrative areas on Crete are still red.
I’m told by Stephanos that there will be fewer people in the camping after the weekend as many will be returning home to prepare for school and to go back to work. He said that some were commiserating together in the bar the previous evening.
The day has been warm and sunny with a genteel breeze but not as warm as yesterday
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