Falassarna, Crete

Falassarna is a village and a quiet resort in the far west of Crete. The main industry seems to be agriculture but there are hotels here and there. The tourism industry is much less developed than on the north coast. The Big Beach of Falassarna is famous, however. The water is cooler than in the north, by about 3-5 C in my estimation, but it is crystal clear. We rented a car and drove the 60 km distance there from our hotel near Chania. The first 30-40 km to Kissamos were very easy driving on a national road. One thing about the road took some getting used to and that was the fact that there were narrow lanes that were almost as wide as an actual lane on both sides of the road. They seemed to be for getting out of the way of those who wanted to drive faster than the posted speed limit. At some points there were signs warning against rocks fallen from cliffs at the side of the road. The idea of having to decide whether or not to drive over a rock or get in the way of a speeding car coming from behind was a bit unsettling.

When entering the village, we had to descend to the shore from a ridge about 200-300 m above sea level. The road was broad enough but you'd better have good brakes. We had lunch at a taverna called Mouraki high up on the ridge. The restaurant was not too hot because it was at a windy spot and the large windows could easily be opened or closed according to the wind. The food was great. It turned out our waiter was into photography and when he saw my camera he said he had the same camera body. We discussed lenses and photography for a bit.

There are the ruins of an old settlement in Falassarna but we figured the beach was what we'd come for and that's where we went.

On to the photos taken in Falassarna. The first set was taken at the restaurant.