Photos

Gramvousa Peninsula and Balos Lagoon in northwestern Crete.

Finally, a dream come true!?
I had wanted so much to be here and see this incredible place with my very own eyes...!

I started quite early in the morning, knowing temperatures would rise up to 38°C and more.
After a hard, steep, two hour mountainbikeride from Kissamos (west of Hania) up the dustroad, along the eastern slope of the Gramvousa peninsula - with several water bottles and photo equipment on my back :-P - I reached my destination.

The ride itself tested my endurance and stamina AND offered dreamlike views of Gramvousa (I'll post some more pictures in the coming days).

Of course, I could have taken a tourist boat from the port of Kissamos, but that's not my cup of tea.

On arriving, I walked towards the south, climbed the western slope of the mountain and so I'm offering you a south to north view of the location.

To the left of the Balos lagoon with its warm and shalow, turquoise waters, you can see the Isle of Tigani (saucepan). Behind it is Imeri Gramvousa (the tame) - with an old venetian fort on it - and on the horizon you see Agria Gramvousa (the wild). To the right you can see the western slopes of the peninsula, which stretches itself several kilometers up north still. The tiny white points on the lagoon are boats, which might give you an idea of the dimensions!

This part of the province of Kissamos is still quite wild and natural and there is, as far as I know, and apart from a couple of fences built by shepherds, no private property. We can only hope that this paradise won't be privatised...

One the downside, here I found loads of plastic, bear cans, bottles and materials of all kinds, including hundreds of cigarette filters and firelighters, on the beaches and low cliffs north of the lagoon. This is a dreadful reality, which affects all oceans around the globe. Furthermore, illegal washing of oil tanker ships, brings disgusting lots of tar and oil that spoil several parts of the awesome and beautiful western coast of Crete and endangers all habitats.

So now, how can you visit such a heaven on earth like this and scatter your f...ing waste around the place???
Nowadays EVERYBODY is informed about what we humans are doing to our one and only home: mother earth.
I saw several tourists behaving this way. So it's not only the sea currents washing the human dirt ashore!
Respect, awe or love for this wonder of nature on our mother earth, where have you gone?...what a reality stricken daydream!

Still, I will go back and love being there!

DNG@ISO200
18.00 mm
Developed with Rawtherapee v2.4

Thanks, René