Hania to Sougia
We‘ve had a last stop at the side of a village to fill our water bottles
from the fountain before reaching the south side of the white mountains and the
Sea. Around three o’clock we arrived at the Libyan Sea. The midday sun sent us
a golden smile, reflecting the relaxing warm rays of the sun on to the golden brown
fine sand beach of Sougia. The ancient town of Syia is lying under Sougia,
which today is a small fishing village. And as Mr. George assured Ms. Frauke,
the weather there, already seemed to be slightly better than elsewhere. We left
the car under the salty trees on a beach with a few taverns and two small
hotels with rent rooms. We were carrying our baggage, three sleeping bags, some
food and water for the small journey to Lissos through the Canyon. Mr. George
had also with him a guitar, a flute, some quartz and agate crystals and his
camera. I looked at the sun that it was directed towards the west, shinning
behind clouds of dust into the dull atmosphere passing over the village. I
couldn’t believe this weather change. Together with us came a well known
sportsman from Heraklion, who has been repeatedly reported at the local press, a
marathon athlet and long-distance runner, Mr. Idomeneas. He knows of all the E4
trails in Crete and Phoebus the dog is his faithful companion who shares all of
his trips, sometimes even wearing an athletic jersey with the same as Idomeneus’
number on it. Once we reached the village, Idomeneus revealed that he had with
him blessed bread from a friend in Heraklion to use it in an appropriate
memorial. So we made a detour to the church on the edge of the village of Syia.
In the churchyard, we saw the grave of an aviator called Elliniades and his
tombstone that reads: "sacrificed himself to save his fellow’s life".
Idomeneus was little embarrassed that he didn’t found the priest there and he hung
the with a euro at the door of the church and we left ... As I was informed by
Mr. George later - our companion Idomeneus was raised as a Christian Orthodox
and kept some of the memorial habits for the dead... this bread was
symbolically a gift to be shared as a liturgical activity for the Eastern Orthodox Divine
Liturgy of this village.
