Right after CI Crete 2014 comes the CI touring Crete, 28 September - 2 October 2014
3 delicious, healthy Cretan meals per day, a wonderful studio to share ideas, discussions, movement, dance and accomodation in sharing rooms (10min.walk from the sea!) with wonderful view at the high energy village Agios Pavlos, in the south part of the island of Crete.
Looking forward to meeting you all, for reservation please contact: info@contactimprocrete.com
touring - Crete 2014 - Agios Pavlos - Rethymno
The sheltered bay of Agios Pavlos (St.Paul) with the green deep waters, the impressive seabed and a coastal village is located 58km south of Rethymno, on the edge of Melissa Cape. Right next to Agios Pavlos, there is the -most popular among alternative people- idyllic beach with the sand hills, known as Akoumiani Gialia, where, according to more recent estimations, St. Paul took refuge during his trip to Rome. Further to the east there are more secluded beaches, also of exceptional beauty, more or less accessible by vehicle or on foot.
At a short distance (13km southeast of the village Akoumia), at the foot of Mount Siderotas and next to lush olive groves, there are the beaches of Triopetra, which are separated by a small peninsula. Three imposing rocks, from which the region gets its name (Triopetra means “Three Rocks”), rise at the edge of the peninsula, in the sea. The first beach, known as Small Triopetra (or Koumado), is formed in a closed sandy and rocky bay, where the region’s small harbor, Stomio, is located. In the southern part of the beach there is the estuary of Akoumianos River, while in the northeast, on the top of a high hill, there is the chapel of Prophet Elias, with a wonderful view of the entire region. The main beach, known as Large Triopetra (or Chatzi), with coarse sand and wonderful waters, a large shady cave in a triangle shape and a small creek with cool water, is formed west of the rocks. The beach is also famous for its unique sunset.
Preveli, the most famous beach of South Crete, also known as Lake Preveli or Phoenix, is located about 35km south of Rethymnon and 10km east of Plakias beach, at the exit of the imposing Kourtaliotko Gorge, where Megas Potamos (means “Great River”, another name for the homonymous river Kourtaliotis) flows. The river has water throughout the year and forms a lake 1.5km long before emptying into the sea. On the banks of the river there is a large colony of Theophrastus palm trees, which gives the area a sense of an African landscape. The walk along the river, under the shade of the palm trees and the other trees, and in the gorge, as well as the cold bath in the large ponds which are formed there, is an unforgettable experience. Besides, this is the place where homo erectuslived 130.000 years ago, as tools and remnants of that distant era were found during archaeological excavations. The palm forest was burned down four years ago but paradoxically it has recovered to a great extent. At the exit of the river, a sandy beach with a pebbly seabed is formed. The waters are very cool because of the river. In the eastern part of the beach, there is a beautiful rock reminding of a mast.
Preveli gets its name from the homonymous historic Preveli Monastery. It is a male monastery, founded in the 16th or 17th century and is dedicated to St. John the Theologian. In an outdoor fountain there is a carved inscription bearing the date 1701. In the monastery’s museum vestments, sacred vessels and important religious relics are exhibited. The Monastery played an important role in the fight against the Turks and during the German occupation, as it gave refuge to several Greek fighters and foreign soldiers who took part in the Battle of Crete. The view from Preveli Monastery is unique, as it is located very high and looks over the vast Libyan sea. Nearby, a few meters south of the old stone bridge, there is also the old monastery, which is abandoned today.