Loutro-message board Sfakia, Crete: Loutro- New York Times

Loutro- New York Times

Posted by Manolis on October 6, 2004, 1:15 pm
213.16.184.130

In Crete, Mobility With a Guide and a Glide
By MARILYNNE RUDICK
Published: September 19, 2004
While all our overnights were in charming seaside towns, Loutro, where we spent two nights, was the stand-out, its brilliant white buildings, all with blue trim, set against a backdrop of fawn and peach hills.
At a family-owned restaurant in Loutro, we dined as a group, as we did all but one night.Typically we'd shared a groaning board of appetizers: stuffed grape leaves, eggplant salads, saganaki (fried cheese) and always tzatziki (yogurt, cucumber and garlic dip) and Greek salads.
Our main courses were traditional: lamb, fish, moussaka. Dinner ended with ouzo, or more commonly raki, the Greek version of white lightning.
The Crete trip was rated a 1 by the Northwest Passage -- easy, no experience needed. But Gordon, an experienced kayaker from British Columbia, thought it could best be described as covering a range from novice to expert. A van, driven by George Stavroulakis, a retired Cretan sea captain, tailed us, meeting us at our midmorning break, then again at lunch. That meant you could kayak for as long or as short a distance as you liked.
One day Janie and I shaved five miles off a 24-mile paddle, opting for a leisurely breakfast, a ferry and a van ride with George, meeting up with the kayakers mid-morning. Van rides had their own rewards: a chance to switch back through mountains, olive groves, vineyards and small villages.
MOST days, Rick also proposed a hiking alternative for those who did not want to kayak for the entire day. You could, for example, hike in the morning then join the kayakers for the afternoon portion. Obviously, I kayaked rather than hiked.
There was only one day when there was just a hike, an 11-mile downhill through the Samarian Gorge. On that day, I ferried with George to the day's destination, Agia Roumeli, at the foot of the gorge, and spent the afternoon on the beach. Another way to change the pace was to trade off between stable double kayaks and the expedition single kayaks.
In reading the pretrip briefing material, I felt sure I wouldn't do the final leg on the last day, an eight-mile open-water paddle from Agia Galini back to Matala, described as ''a challenge for the hardiest of paddlers.'' Other than this stretch, we had skimmed the coast, in easy reach of land.
But here I was on Day 8 in the front of a double kayak, with Bob in the back, feeling confident about my ability and eager for one last paddle. Rick scheduled an early launch to take advantage of the calm seas. But by the time we were beyond the sheltered harbor, wind and sea had whipped up.
Rick paddled over to check our comfort level and offer us a chance to turn back. But we'd honed our skills during the week and we felt up to the challenge. For the first hour, Bob and I fought the sea and heavy winds that pummeled our port and pushed us off course.
But then the wind shifted, and we were on a comfortable run. Our kayak became a surfboard, carried along by the motion of the waves. We relaxed and enjoyed the ride, the crossing and the week ending much too soon ........
http://travel2.nytimes.com/mem/travel/article-page.html?pagewanted=2&res=9A00E4DC1030F93AA2575AC0A9629C8B63

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Loutro- New York Times - Manolis October 6, 2004, 1:15 pm
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--Previous Message-- : In Crete, Mobility With a Guide and a Glide : : By MARILYNNE RUDICK : : Published: September 19, 2004 : : : : While all our overnights were in charming seaside towns, Loutro, : where we spent two nights, was the stand-out, its brilliant : white buildings, all with blue trim, set against a backdrop of : fawn and peach hills. : : At a family-owned restaurant in Loutro, we dined as a group, as : we did all but one night.Typically we'd shared a groaning board : of appetizers: stuffed grape leaves, eggplant salads, saganaki : (fried cheese) and always tzatziki (yogurt, cucumber and garlic : dip) and Greek salads. : : Our main courses were traditional: lamb, fish, moussaka. Dinner : ended with ouzo, or more commonly raki, the Greek version of : white lightning. : : The Crete trip was rated a 1 by the Northwest Passage -- easy, : no experience needed. But Gordon, an experienced kayaker from : British Columbia, thought it could best be described as covering : a range from novice to expert. A van, driven by George : Stavroulakis, a retired Cretan sea captain, tailed us, meeting : us at our midmorning break, then again at lunch. That meant you : could kayak for as long or as short a distance as you liked. : : One day Janie and I shaved five miles off a 24-mile paddle, : opting for a leisurely breakfast, a ferry and a van ride with : George, meeting up with the kayakers mid-morning. Van rides had : their own rewards: a chance to switch back through mountains, : olive groves, vineyards and small villages. : : MOST days, Rick also proposed a hiking alternative for those who : did not want to kayak for the entire day. You could, for : example, hike in the morning then join the kayakers for the : afternoon portion. Obviously, I kayaked rather than hiked. : : There was only one day when there was just a hike, an 11-mile : downhill through the Samarian Gorge. On that day, I ferried with : George to the day's destination, Agia Roumeli, at the foot of : the gorge, and spent the afternoon on the beach. Another way to : change the pace was to trade off between stable double kayaks : and the expedition single kayaks. : : In reading the pretrip briefing material, I felt sure I wouldn't : do the final leg on the last day, an eight-mile open-water : paddle from Agia Galini back to Matala, described as ''a : challenge for the hardiest of paddlers.'' Other than this : stretch, we had skimmed the coast, in easy reach of land. : : But here I was on Day 8 in the front of a double kayak, with Bob : in the back, feeling confident about my ability and eager for : one last paddle. Rick scheduled an early launch to take : advantage of the calm seas. But by the time we were beyond the : sheltered harbor, wind and sea had whipped up. : : Rick paddled over to check our comfort level and offer us a : chance to turn back. But we'd honed our skills during the week : and we felt up to the challenge. For the first hour, Bob and I : fought the sea and heavy winds that pummeled our port and pushed : us off course. : : But then the wind shifted, and we were on a comfortable run. Our : kayak became a surfboard, carried along by the motion of the : waves. We relaxed and enjoyed the ride, the crossing and the : week ending much too soon ........ : : : http://travel2.nytimes.com/mem/travel/article-page.html?pagewanted=2&res=9A00E4DC1030F93AA2575AC0A9629C8B63 :

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