12% by car to Males

Today I felt for mountaineering by car. I have to say that I did not know that the road after Mithi would be more or less for only one car in width. Had I known.... But such an impressive drive. What a view! What a landscape!

 So I drove up from sea level in Myrtos to close to 1.300 meter I guess. The highest tops there are 1.500m, not even so far from the coast. The higher you come, the more olive trees you see. Agriculture is the mean source of income, making this area of Crete the most wealthy, mostly because of export of tomatoes, olive oil etc to the European Union.

 This valley above Myrtos has its own microclimate, which is subtropical. Here they even grow those little tropical bananas.

 Walking trough Males. Almost all the cars had to be parked outside the center, because of these tiny streets.

 Males church / one of 2 churches: a Greek orthodox church. Very small.

 A woman busy with moving a green garden bicycle. Was this bicycle so plants could climb in? I will never know. Very nice and long view from her garden. Besides the small old houses, a lot of big new houses in Males.

 Many home owners grow also citrus trees. I would have loved to pick one, but I was too scared to do.

 What is better to do, when you feel you have to go to the loo, then zipping a nice cup of sweet Greek coffee, served together with a glass of water? This must be the tiniest kafenion there is. He first offered me Nestle coffee, because we Europeans are so glad in it; but finally he understood my few words of Greek. He also had a very small shop in there. The toilet though, I had to fint in the big taverne on a big lower street. That taverne was crowded today, sunday. Got the impression that people from Lerapetra drive up the mountains to eat here.

During my way up to Males I felt my hart sometimes pounding, when I saw over the edge of the road. Wow, so steep down, and no protection for falling off most of the time. If I was lucky when falling I hoped to have a soft landing in an olive tree. But even those olives trees hanging there on those 12% slopes, I wondered 'how can they ever get those olives off''. I would not be able to walk there, I am sure, far too steep.

Learning Greek wherever I can.