Cyclamen

Awoke today to grey skies and rain, some of it heavy, and for Crete cool temperatures 18/19oC. By midday there was no obvious sign of improvement so we drove along the coast to the west of Hania. Lots of tourist developments but no high rise buildings. An afternoon of driving - and getting partly lost in - remote country roads visiting churches and monasteries and the world's oldest olive tree. Over 3,000 years old. Some of its leaves were used in the garlands for the Marathon winners at the 2004 Olympics. Despite a trunk that was gnarled and more hollow than whole it seemed to be thriving. One of our stops was at a memorial to the Cretan Cadets who fought against the Germans in the initial stages of the invasion. The site was high on a hill overlooking the bay. The natural rock was eroded and in many holes these cyclamen were blooming. We assume planted there originally but now spreading naturally. Made for a lovely setting.