We left our little village and headed west towards Mount Psiloritis. Also known as Mount Ida, it is the highest mountain on the island of Crete, with an elevation of 8,057 feet. It has the highest topographic prominence of any mountain in Greece. At one point they started building a ski resort on the mountain, but it was never completed.
We drove through a natural park, which includes Mount Ida. It is a member of UNESCO’s Global Geoparks Network. Boy, is it rugged! Our little Toyota Aygo – and I do mean little – did a great job of four wheeling on washed out roads where we found company only in the form of goats. It’s a vast area with unbelievably steep hills and truly perfect for goats. They were decked out with their long hair of vastly different colors, all with bells around their necks and quite shy. I’m very grateful for their delicious cheese.
We ended up in Anogeia (think “annoy-a”), a town we also visited last year, and one of our favorites. The family that owns the taverna where we lunched has been there for generations. They roast a side of lamb in their outdoor barbecue daily and serve a full menu of greek dishes. I had my favorite Briam and cheese pies filled with a sweet, steaming hot misithra cheese along with my Freddo Cappuccino (steamed milk).
