These days it is hard to get off the beaten track but if that’s your kind of thing (it’s mine) Western Crete is for you. Olive trees out-number inhabitants by sixty to one; the scenery is spectacular; there is an abundance of churches and, at this time of year, lovely wild flowers.
Yesterday we did another walk up a gorge – this time gentler terrain than the larger Irini Gorge that we walked on Tuesday. There were no other walkers and we only met farmers and a lovely woman who came here from South Ossetia twenty-three years ago. She was disappointed that we wouldn’t take the oranges she offered us from her orchard to eat on our walk. Here are some pictures of the gorge.
At the top we came to the chapel of Agios Vasileos, built in 1462.
I was momentarily thrilled to find the grave of an Old Etonian until the drachma dropped.
Crete has never been posited as the home of the lotus-eaters who so undermined the morale of Odysseus’s crew but it is an easy place to be idle in the sunshine with stray cats and lovely local white wine for company. Nevertheless there is much to do and see; avanti!
I entirely concur with the numerous followers who have praised the merits of this blog, but consider how superior it could be if the author consistently augmented his compendious writing with Robert’s spiffing photography.
CASE STUDY: Examine the image of the author in yesterdays post. Robert has clearly got the correct exposure, the light angle is optimal, and the whole image is perfectly composed (even if it is merely of the authors arriere). This technique had the power to transport me directly to Irini Gorge – I can almost scent the olives.
So to today’s image of Robert captured by the author. Firstly the aperture is too wide, the light angle is incorrect, and employs too large a depth of field (poor Robert is depicted surreptitiously, in rather grainy quality). This form of photography is more paparazzi snap than tasteful portrait.
I ascribe credit to Robert for his contribution to the visual accompaniment of the writing, and sincerely hope we may enjoy more of his accomplished photography.
There are two pictures taken by Robert in this post:
https://christopherbellew.com/348/