Flora and Fauna of South Crete

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001. Sky in the snowdrifts - On the way from Helsinki to Crete, Norwegian Air. 001. Sky in the snowdrifts 002. South Crete, Damnoni and Plakias beaches - On the left there is Damnoni beach (η παραλία Δαμνόνι), on the right there is Plakias beach (η παραλία Πλακιάς), Rethymno (Ρέθυμνο). South Crete is wayward, wild and beautiful! There are long belts of clean and empty beaches. Not many people. Silence, beauty, and calmness! The climate is drier and therefore it is better than in the north of Crete. There is no stifling and soggy heat here so it is easier to endure July hot. The place works fine for families with children. The Libyan sea is almost invariably calm, without waves, but the water is a bit colder (can’t say like ‘newly drawn milk’) because of the mountain rivers emptying themselves into the sea. You should remember that there is much less entertainment here than in the North Crete. It is quite difficult and takes a long while to get somewhere from South Crete by car or bus because of its serpentine roads. 002. South Crete, Damnoni and Plakias beaches 003. Mantis while visiting - South Crete is a pure kingdom of grasshoppers of many kinds, sizes and colors (but not terrible or dangerous!). They strove to get into our house in the evenings. 003. Mantis while visiting 004. Wind on the Libyan sea - Strong winds blow from the dry land, especially from the 10th of July to the 10th of August. There are no big waves, but the sea swells and drives small waves from the shore. You can’t lie on the sand beach at such moments because the wind drifts small grains of sand which stick into your body like thousands of needles! You should prefer pebbly beaches, hide behind rocks or simply go to a swimming pool. 004. Wind on the Libyan sea 005. Hiding crab - The very right edge of Damnoni beach (η παραλία Δαμνόνι) near the rocks. 005. Hiding crab 006. Grasshopper - 006. Grasshopper 007. River at Damnoni beach - There is a mountain river flowing into the sea almost at each beach of the South Crete. In those rivers you can find various living creatures such as: geese, crabs, turtles, hot pink and sky blue dragonflies. Because of the rivers, the water at the beaches of South Crete is a bit cooler than at the North Crete. 007. River at Damnoni beach 008. Three turtles - Damnoni beach, South Crete 008. Three turtles 009. Hot pink dragonfly - There are lovely, big dragonflies of bright pink and blue colors on the rivers of South Crete. Damnoni beach (η παραλία Δαμνόνι). 009. Hot pink dragonfly 010. Turtle on the bank of the river - Damnoni beach, South Crete 010. Turtle on the bank of the river 011. Black and yellow butterfly - You can often find such butterflies at South Crete. The butterfly had her wings damaged, so it sat on the arm. After that, we carefully moved it to the flower. 011. Black and yellow butterfly 012. Lilac burs along the road - Village Mariou (Μαριού), South Crete 012. Lilac burs along the road 013. Beehive probably made by wasps - Plakias beach, South Crete 013. Beehive probably made by wasps 014. Goose - The river at Damnoni beach, South Crete. 014. Goose 015. Big crab - The river at Damnoni beach, South Crete. 015. Big crab 016. Scull-spider - The spider wove a web near the river by Damnoni beach, South Crete. 016. Scull-spider 017. Giant pumpkin is the pride of a farmer - On the way from Mariou (Μαριού) village to Plakias (Πλακιάς) beach, South Crete. 017. Giant pumpkin is the pride of a farmer 018. Bunch of cones at the conifer - On the way from Mariou (Μαριού) village to Plakias (Πλακιάς) beach, South Crete. 018. Bunch of cones at the conifer 019. Yellow-orange flowers (Lantana camara) - On the way from Mariou (Μαριού) village to Plakias (Πλακιάς) beach, South Crete. We found the plants of Lantana camara on Cyprus, on other Greek islands and in Spain. 019. Yellow-orange flowers (Lantana camara) 020. Mystic fog - View from tavern Panorama (Πανόραμα), Mirfious (Μύρθιος) village, South Crete. 020. Mystic fog 021. Mist over the Plakias bay - View from tavern Panorama (Πανόραμα), Mirfious (Μύρθιος) village, South Crete. 021. Mist over the Plakias bay 022. Scarlet flame, Hibiscus - South Crete 022. Scarlet flame, Hibiscus 023. Cicada - Friendly and incessant chirring 023. Cicada 024. Tenderness in rosy and lilac colors - 024. Tenderness in rosy and lilac colors 025. Ammoudi bay - Occupied by nudists. A big bright green lizard with its family was noticed nearby. 025. Ammoudi bay 026. Walk to Μικρό Αμμούδι beach - South Crete 026. Walk to Μικρό Αμμούδι beach 027. African-bumblebee from South Crete - Damnoni beach 027. African-bumblebee from South Crete 028. Bush with white-pink flowers (Lantana camara) - Damnoni beach, South Crete 028. Bush with white-pink flowers (Lantana camara) 029. Somebody in the bushes… - Big grasshopper hiding from the wind. Damnoni beach, South Crete. 029. Somebody in the bushes… 030. Frequent guest of southern shores - Underwater shooting. The right edge (border) of Damnoni beach, South Crete. 030. Frequent guest of southern shores 031. Some bright fish of rocky shore - Ornate wrasse (Thalassoma pavo). Female-fish is on the top, male-fish is on the bottom. Underwater shooting. The right edge of Damnoni beach, South Crete. 031. Some bright fish of rocky shore 032. Ornate wrasse (female) - Underwater shooting. The right edge of Damnoni beach, South Crete. 032. Ornate wrasse (female) 033. Ornate wrasse (male) - Underwater shooting. The right edge of Damnoni beach, South Crete. 033. Ornate wrasse (male) 034. Underwater hunting - Underwater shooting. The right edge of Damnoni beach, South Crete. 034. Underwater hunting 035. Climber ark, Purple Bougainvillea - A timeshare hotel near Damnoni beach, South Crete. 035. Climber ark, Purple Bougainvillea 036. Purple ark - Bougainvillea. Timeshare near Damnoni beach, South Crete. 036. Purple ark 037. Such intense blue the Libyan sea - South Crete 037. Such intense blue the Libyan sea 038. Branchy pine at Preveli Monastery - Μονή Πρέβελη, Ρέθυμνο. There is a Miraculous Healing Cross at the Preveli Monastery. When fascists tried to send the Cross to Germany, the engines at none of three airplanes could start up. 038. Branchy pine at Preveli Monastery 039. Monument to Crete defenders - During the Second World War monks of Preveli monastery (Μονή Πρέβελη) along with ordinary people fought again fascists. South Crete. 039. Monument to Crete defenders 040. Steps to Palm Beach in Preveli (Πρέβελη) - Steps is only a name. There is a quite longtime descent over open sky, but drop-jaw view! 040. Steps to Palm Beach in Preveli (Πρέβελη) 041. Marine blue - The bright blue of the sea is the unique feature of South Crete! 041. Marine blue 042. ‘Crocodile river’ or Megalos Potamos - The river Megalos Potamos (Ο Μεγάλος Ποταμός). There are palm trees, green water and the African motifs in whole. It seems that a crocodile may appear at any moment now. 042. ‘Crocodile river’ or Megalos Potamos 043. View on the Palm Beach - In other words, Finikas beach (φοινικόδασος). There is striking contrast of green and blue water where the river Megalos Potamos falls into the Libyan sea and where the Kourtaliotiko gorge (Κουρταλιώτικο φαράγγι) ends. 043. View on the Palm Beach 044. ‘Crocodile river’ nearby - 044. ‘Crocodile river’ nearby 045. Rock-fist - May be petrified Titan’s hand? 045. Rock-fist 046. New moon - South Crete Night 046. New moon 047. Rocks at Skinaria beach - (Σκινάρια, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete 047. Rocks at Skinaria beach 048. Pasture - Skinaria (Σκινάρια, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete 048. Pasture 049. Water level line - Upstream of ‘Crocodile river’ (Ο Μεγάλος Ποταμός). 049. Water level line 050. Flowers - Barefoot walk along Megalos Potamos river (Ο Μεγάλος Ποταμός). 050. Flowers 051. Blue dragonfly with two-coloured wings - Barefoot walk along the Megalos Potamos river (Ο Μεγάλος Ποταμός). 051. Blue dragonfly with two-coloured wings 052. Venetian bridge - Bridge over the Megalos Potamos river (Ο Μεγάλος Ποταμός) upstream. There is snack-tavern nearby by the bridge ‘Η Γέφυρα.’ Geese, blue dragonflies and pink flowers are found at the river. You can wander for some time along the river and even dip into the cold water like locals. 052. Venetian bridge 053. Legend of Venetians - Megalos Potamos river (Ο Μεγάλος Ποταμός). 053. Legend of Venetians 054. Backwater on the river - Megalos Potamos river (Ο Μεγάλος Ποταμός). 054. Backwater on the river 055. View from Mariou tavern (Ταβέρνα Μαριού) - View of Damnoni beach (η παραλία Δαμνόνι), South Crete 055. View from Mariou tavern (Ταβέρνα Μαριού) 056. Mariou tavern (Μαριού) - Food is delicious here! Food is fresh, portions are big. Mariou tavern treated all guests to deserts, fruits, their own raki and ice-cream! Mariou village (Μαριού), South Crete. 056. Mariou tavern (Μαριού) 057. View from Mariou tavern (Ταβέρνα Μαριού) - Beautiful view is opened from here. Damnoni beach (η παραλία Δαμνόνι) is on the right and Plakias beach (η παραλία Πλακιάς) is on the left, Rethymno area, South Crete. 057. View from Mariou tavern (Ταβέρνα Μαριού) 058. View of the Timios Stavros from Mariou tavern - Timios Stavros is a small white spot on the top of the mountain. South Crete 058. View of the Timios Stavros from Mariou tavern 059. New moon - View from Mariou tavern (Ταβέρνα Μαριού), South Crete. 059. New moon 060. Bunch of grapes - Plakias beach (Πλακιάς), South Crete. 060. Bunch of grapes 061. Old mill - Surroundings of Plakias (Πλακιάς), South Crete. 061. Old mill 062. Tangerine-tree - Surroundings of Plakias (Πλακιάς), South Crete. 062. Tangerine-tree 063. Fig tree (Συκιά) - Surroundings of Plakias (Πλακιάς), South Crete. 063. Fig tree (Συκιά) 064. Orange ‘fruit’ - A timeshare hotel near Damnoni beach, South Crete. 064. Orange ‘fruit’ 065. Long run - Roughness at the Plakias bay (Πλακιάς), South Crete. 065. Long run 066. View of the Plakias bay - Plakias, Rethymno (Πλακιάς, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete. 066. View of the Plakias bay 067. Cutaway rocks - Once coal was mined here. There is a path on the top along the wall and futher. The view of all Plakias bay is opening up from here. Here and there the path goes right over a cliff! The left edge of Plakias (Πλακιάς), South Crete. 067. Cutaway rocks 068. Exciting view from above - Plakias bay, South Crete 068. Exciting view from above 069. Bay - The small port for unloading coal was nearby. Plakias bay, South Crete. 069. Bay 070. En-route of coal - The left edge of Plakias beach, South Crete. 070. En-route of coal 071. Entrance to the coal mine - According to locals there is one tunnel of about 100 meters. It leads to the viewing point from which you can see a beautiful view of Plakias bay. The left edge of Plakias beach, South Crete. 071. Entrance to the coal mine 072. Coal mine - You should take a flashlight! The left edge of Plakias beach, South Crete. 072. Coal mine 073. Remains of the port facilities - The left edge of Plakias beach, South Crete. 073. Remains of the port facilities 074. Blue and azure dragonfly - Souda Beach (Σούδα). The very right edge of Plakias bay, South Crete. 074. Blue and azure dragonfly 075. Mountain river with palm-trees - Souda beach (Σούδα). The very right edge of Plakias bay, South Crete. 075. Mountain river with palm-trees 076. Timios Stavros church on the top of the mountain (Τίμιος Σταυρός) - Timios Stavros church is a small white spot on the top. The height above the sea is 420 meters. 076. Timios Stavros church on the top of the mountain (Τίμιος Σταυρός) 077. The country road to the Timios Stavros church (Τίμιος Σταυρός) - 077. The country road to the Timios Stavros church (Τίμιος Σταυρός) 078. Surfs on the water - Because of the strong wind, the water swells and rushes from the shore though there are no big waves. On the way to Timios Stavros church (Τίμιος Σταυρός). 078. Surfs on the water 079. Timios Stavros church - There is a very nice isolated church with beautiful and powerful icons. Climbing with children complicated by strong wind occupied 1 hour and 10 minutes. When climbing it is better to wear trousers and it’s better to do it in more or less breathless weather. We had to bend down or almost lie down on the ground during strong blasts of wind not to be gone with that wind. The road is bad and it turns into a scree at the end of the height of 420 meters above the sea. We literally walked in the footsteps of mountain goats. The church is open every day. You should blow out candles when leaving the church. Skinaria village (Σκινάρια, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete. 079. Timios Stavros church 080. Icons - Timios Stavros Church (Τίμιος Σταυρός). Skinaria village (Σκινάρια, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete. 080. Icons 081. Altar - Timios Stavros church (Τίμιος Σταυρός). Skinaria village (Σκινάρια, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete. 081. Altar 082. Miraculous icon of Virgin Mary (Η Παναγία η Καρδιωτίσσα) - Καρδιωτίσσα – Cordial. Timios Stavros church (Τίμιος Σταυρός). Skinaria village (Σκινάρια, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete. 082. Miraculous icon of Virgin Mary (Η Παναγία η Καρδιωτίσσα) 083. Iconostasis - Timios Stavros Church (Τίμιος Σταυρός). Skinaria village (Σκινάρια, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete. 083. Iconostasis 084. Icon of Virgin Mary with infant Jesus Christ - Timios Stavros Church (Τίμιος Σταυρός). Skinaria village (Σκινάρια, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete. 084. Icon of Virgin Mary with infant Jesus Christ 085. Marble plaque (plate) outside - Timios Stavros Church (Τίμιος Σταυρός). Skinaria village (Σκινάρια, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete. 085. Marble plaque (plate) outside 086. Top view - You can see solar panels in the bottom of the photo. Timios Stavros Church (Τίμιος Σταυρός). Skinaria village (Σκινάρια, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete. 086. Top view 087. Holy Trinity icon - Timios Stavros Church (Τίμιος Σταυρός). Skinaria village (Σκινάρια, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete. 087. Holy Trinity icon 088. Timios Stavros icon (Τίμιος Σταυρός) - 088. Timios Stavros icon (Τίμιος Σταυρός) 089. Top view of Damnoni and Plakias beaches - Damnoni beach (η παραλία Δαμνόνι) is on the left and Plakias beach (η παραλία Πλακιάς, Ρέθυμνο) is on the right. Timios Stavros Church (Τίμιος Σταυρός). Skinaria village (Σκινάρια, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete. 089. Top view of Damnoni and Plakias beaches 090. Surfs on the water - Strong wind carries swelling water away from the shore. 090. Surfs on the water 091. Bell - Timios Stavros Church (Τίμιος Σταυρός). Skinaria village (Σκινάρια, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete. 091. Bell 092. Solar panels - 092. Solar panels 093. The end of a good path - Climbing to Timios Stavros Church. Skinaria village (Σκινάρια, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete. 093. The end of a good path 094. Beginning of the rocky path - Climbing to Timios Stavros Church. Skinaria village (Σκινάρια, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete. 094. Beginning of the rocky path 095. Thorns (burs) - Path to Timios Stavros Church. Skinaria village (Σκινάρια, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete. 095. Thorns (burs) 096. Crosses on the way - Path to Timios Stavros Church. Skinaria village (Σκινάρια, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete. 096. Crosses on the way 097. Beginning of the path to Timios Stavros Church - Skinaria village (Σκινάρια, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete. 097. Beginning of the path to Timios Stavros Church 098. Giant grasshopper - Inhabitants of South Crete. 098. Giant grasshopper 099. Damnoni beach (η παραλία Δαμνόνι) - Normally the water here is a little bit cool, but the sea is of intense color. The waters get deep almost at once. We noticed an octopus was noticed near the shore. Area of Rethymno (Ρέθυμνο). 099. Damnoni beach (η παραλία Δαμνόνι) 100. Cove - Neighboring to the other cove Agia Fotini (Αγία Φωτεινή), not far from Souda (Σούδα) beach. The right part of Plakias bay Rethymno ( Πλακιάς, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete 100. Cove 101. Small pier - The right part of Plakias bay (Πλακιάς), South Crete 101. Small pier 102. Agia Fotini beach - Village Kerames (Αγία Φωτεινή,Κεραμές, Ρέθυμνο), South Crete. 102. Agia Fotini beach 103. Frangokastello fortress, Chania (το κάστρο Φραγκοκάστελλο, Χανιά) - The fortress is preserved quite well. There is a stage in the fortress now. Venetians were the first people who tried to build the fortress. However, freedom-loving locals resisted the construction. They killed workers and destroyed what they built during a day. The fortress was completed only after Venetians brought their troops to the area. In the days of Turkish occupation, there were cruel battles. In the bloodiest battle on the night of May 16-17 all Greek rebels were killed. Every year at dawn of May 17 an unexplainable phenomenon is observed. You can see shadows of brave dismounted warriors and cavaliers and there is still no scientific explanation of this phenomenon that was registered many times! 103. Frangokastello fortress, Chania (το κάστρο Φραγκοκάστελλο, Χανιά) 104. Inside the fortress - Frangokastello fortress, Chania (το κάστρο Φραγκοκάστελλο, Χανιά), South Crete 104. Inside the fortress 105. Fortified wall - Frangokastello fortress, Chania (το κάστρο Φραγκοκάστελλο, Χανιά), South Crete. 105. Fortified wall 106. Top view of the stage - Frangokastello fortress, Chania (το κάστρο Φραγκοκάστελλο, Χανιά), South Crete. 106. Top view of the stage 107. Frangokastello beach - The beach is nice and works well for children because of warm and shallow water. It is something like Ballos bay. It is home for turtles! Frangokastello fortress, Chania (το κάστρο Φραγκοκάστελλο, Χανιά), South Crete. 107. Frangokastello beach 108. View from observation tower - Frangokastello fortress, Chania (το κάστρο Φραγκοκάστελλο, Χανιά), South Crete. 108. View from observation tower 109. View of mountains and road - Frangokastello fortress, Chania (το κάστρο Φραγκοκάστελλο, Χανιά), South Crete. 109. View of mountains and road 110. White mountains - Chania (Χανιά), South Crete. 110. White mountains 111. Turquoise water and White mountains - Frangokastello fortress, Chania (το κάστρο Φραγκοκάστελλο, Χανιά), South Crete. 111. Turquoise water and White mountains 112. View of the Frangokastello fortress from the sea - Frangokastello fortress, Chania (το κάστρο Φραγκοκάστελλο, Χανιά), South Crete. 112. View of the Frangokastello fortress from the sea 113. Little turtles of the tavern owner’s son - The tavern is located above, to the right from the road (if you look from the sea with your face turned in the direction of the fortress). Frangokastello fortress, Chania (το κάστρο Φραγκοκάστελλο, Χανιά), South Crete. 113. Little turtles of the tavern owner’s son 114. Automatic wine machine at the tavern - Frangokastello fortress, Chania (το κάστρο Φραγκοκάστελλο, Χανιά), South Crete. 114. Automatic wine machine at the tavern 115. View of the Frangokastello beach from the tavern - Frangokastello fortress, Chania (το κάστρο Φραγκοκάστελλο, Χανιά), South Crete. 115. View of the Frangokastello beach from the tavern 116. Our mini-hotel - It’s a splendid hotel with a perfect view and a very hospitable female-owner! South Crete. 116. Our mini-hotel 117. Silence, beauty and calm - View from the hotel in the evening. Damnoni beach(η παραλία Δαμνόνι). Rethymno area, South Crete. 117. Silence, beauty and calm 118. Full moon - View from Mariou tavern (ταβέρνα Μαριού), village Mariou (Μαριού), South Crete. 118. Full moon
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