Crete-Discover the Unknown Crete

Following the shoreline, one notes
a solitary small, white church built over
an ancient Minoan settlement called
Ambelos. Reoccupied in the Hellenistic
period, it was later conquered by the
Romans. The cut of the stones has nothing
of the monumental to it, but it is nonetheless
interesting to observe the remains of the
ancient site which probably belonged to
the kings of Zakros. Ambelos had a peak
sanctuary of its own on the promontory that
looks out over the two little islands in the
middle of the sea known as Kavali.
The coast near
Ambelos gives a
good idea of what
the island must
have been like in
ancient times
Leaving
Ambelos
behind us,
the landscape
becomes everwilder
and
more arid
while the sea
glitters in the
sunlight, inviting one to take continual dips
in its refreshing waters. We would
recommend a walk up to the far promontory
of Xerokampos which offers a magnificent
view over the entire coast as far as Koufonissi.
In one wall of rock the wind and the saltwater
have carved a giant face with a wide-open
mouth: it could easily be the face of the
gorgon Medusa,
The sea cliffs have
been eroded by
water, wind and
salt which have
sculpted strange
images into the
rock
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