Messara Plain & Asterousia Mountains

Today the weather was mixed, so we went on a tour through the Messara Plain and the Asterousia Mountains. The tour was about 100km long and breathtaking.

The Messara Plain (Greek Πεδιάδα Μεσαράς) is a lowland in the south of the island. It is located mainly 45 kilometers south of the city of Heraklion and the largest towns are Mires and Tymbaki.

In the northwest lies the Ida Mountains, which rise to a height of 2456 meters. In the south the plain is separated from the southern Mediterranean by the Asterousia Mountains, which are up to 1231 meters high. In the west the plain borders the Mediterranean.

The plain is almost 50 kilometers long, up to eight kilometers wide and has an area of ​​over 150 km². It slopes down from a height of 250 meters in the east to the Mediterranean in the west.

The Geropotamos River flows through the fertile plain, supplying water for numerous cultivated areas, making intensive agriculture possible in this rain-poor area.

The region's main source of income is olive cultivation. The trees are irrigated by local wells. Vegetables and other crops are grown on the plain at the edge of the river (often in greenhouses or on artificially irrigated areas). The edges of the plain are quite densely populated compared to other drier regions of Crete.

The historical archaeological sites of Gortyn and Phaistos are also located here.

We set off on a whim, sipped a coffee here and there or ate a pastry, watched animals, found strange windmills and visited small villages.

We were back home safe and sound by sunset, full of new impressions. I'll write more about the various things we found and encountered along the way later.

What a wonderful day 😍.Read more