CHRISSI ISLAND - NOT A PIRATE IN SIGHT!

The Ancient Cedar Forest

I went where there were trees

Before the pirates came,

Leaving charred embers,

Now bald petrifaction

Like bleached skulls remain

Uncovered skeletons,

Earth-skeletons exhumed

By earth-breath,

And earth-tears

Weeping for lost trees

Not a pirate in sight! We took the 12.30 p.m. boat from Ierapetra and travelled south 8 miles to the beautiful Island of Chrissi (Gold). It took us about an hour to get there, so naturally we downed one or two beers on the way. There was a bar on the boat and sandwiches and snacks for sale too. Chrissi is almost flat, it covers an area of about 5 sq kilometers, and once off the boat we crossed to the other side of the island. After a few hours on the golden sandy beach, swimming in the turquoise see and generally having a desert island afternoon, we caught the 5.00 p.m. boat back to Ierapetra. We could have stayed another hour for there is also a return boat at 6.00 p.m. There were lots of happy campers dotted about between the remains of a cedar forest, and I sort of wished that we could stay the night. Oh well, we shall just have to return - life in Crete eh? By the way, the 'we' was David, my daughter Jo, my grandson Jack, and Daddy John.

No 'Tears from the Sun' on this trip to Chrissi - and no Smee either! (Smee is a character in my book).