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Tuesday 4.4.17 |
Got up at 3.30 and walked down to the station. Matthew and the cats saw us off. Caught an earlier train than we intended arriving at Gatwick in overly good time and went through the usual rigmarole… Peter was picked upon and had to remove boots and contents of pockets; I sailed through. We bought some food for breakfast and lunch, which we ate en route. Came in to land at Crete through some low cloud. No trouble with customs and we soon boarded a coach which delivered us to the accommodation. We are in the Metoche Family House which is very spacious with excellent views over Souda Bay. The owner called in to see us. |
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 Grate by the front door |
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 Zantedeschia in gardens all over the island |
 Kitchen |
 Terrace |
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 First floor |
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 Double bedroom |
 Back of the house |
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There was an introductory talk before supper at the tavern. Where we had a selection of appetizers followed by a main course of our choice. I had boureki a version with courgette and potato and feta. Peter had moussaka. The wine was distinctive, but benign so we did not have a hangover after drinking it. We walked up the hill to home and went straight to bed.. |
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The logger shows our tracks on Wednesday from the Metoche Family House to Aptera Archaeological site
gps below shows points at which pictures were taken
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Wednesday 5.4.17 |
We had to put an extra blanket on the bed as it was cold in the early hours. Breakfast was difficult without a measuring jug or scales, but we managed. Peter went to the supermarket to stock up; not enough space in the mini buses to take us both. Still quite cool this morning. Made sandwiches for lunch and put away Peter’s purchases and then waited with the group to set off for the ruins at Aptera botanising along the way. We had lunch in the ruins then walked slowly back seeing the theatre and the Turkish Fort. |
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View from the terrace in the morning it was hazy and still cold |
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| We assembled by the bins photographing the plants in the verges |
 Oxalis pes-caprae |
 Chrysanthemum coronarium |
 the yellow form |
 Echium plantagineum |
 Pallensis spinosa |
 Malva sylvestris |
 Dimorphothica on the verge |
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 New house behind the old one? |
 Vicia hybrida |
 Phlomis frutucosa |
 Papaver rhoeas |
 Tordylium apulum seeds |
 Urtica pilulifera |
 Bugs mating Lygaeus saxatilis |
 Silybum marianum |
 Souda Bay |
 Adonis microcarpa |
 Souda Bay |
 Tragopogon sinuatus |
 Euphorbia helioscopia |
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 Natural rock garden |
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 Des res |
 Ranunculus asiaticus |
 Nepeta scordotis |
 Mainly viper's bugloss |
 Asphodelus aestivus |
 Verbascum |
 Borago officinalis |
 Vicia hybrida |
 Vicia hybrida |
 Italian wall lizard |
 Red Admiral - we did not see many butterflies and their posing was not the best  |
 Galactites tomentosa |
 Aptera & the Gang |
 Natural herbaceous border |
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 Turkish Fort |
 Verbascum macrurum |
 Panoramas from the ruins at Aptera - they do not enlarge
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| Roman vaulted cisterns |
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 Theatre |
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 Plantains |
 Almonds |
 Turkish Fort |
 Souda Bay |
 Turkish Fort |
 Turkish Fort |
 Roman wall |
 Turkish Fort |
 Souda Bay |
 Orobanche ramosa a blue and a pink form
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 Euphorbia dendroides |
 Gynandiris sisyrinchium flowers only last a day
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 Echium italicum |
 Ophrys cretica |
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Panoramas near the Turkish Fort - they do not enlarge
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 Pink tinged ranunculus asiaticus |
 Our house |
Went home to relax before dinner. As it was Stephen’s birthday there was a cake at the evening meal laid on by Pure Crete. There is also to be a special party on Saturday to celebrate the 25 years of the Crete in Bloom Holidays. |
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