There is a special feel about being in the mountains. The air is clear and crisp. Sounds of nature are all around. Most importantly it seems to inspire calm and tranquillity in body and spirit.
Whats more there are the views!
The villa is 400m above sea level and on top of the hill in Chiliomoudou village.
Whats more the name means “thousand peaks”, and you can certainly see 9 mountains over 2000m from the terraces.
Views from Panokosmos
From the rooftop level you have terraces with views of Crete, facing all points of the compass. The arm of the Lefka Ori, the White Mountains embraces you to the West and South. The foothills of Tria Korfalia rise up to 800m, and are backed by Kastro, Agios Pnevma and Mavro.
What’s more morning sunshine on the mountain tops can be stunning. The play of light on the ridges and valleys during the day is always changing.
To the south the plain of the Apokoronas region, the most green and fertile in Crete, stretches to the coast at Georgioupolis, and inland towards Kedros mountain to the right. Mount Psiloritis, the highest point on the island is visible, with the curious reverse echo of its saddleback shape in Vrissinas right in front.
Panning left from Georgioupolis we come to the Mediterranean sea, beyond Drapanos.
Notice the village church in the centre
Here the bays of Almeryda and Kalyves are visible with the changing blues of the sea beyond. In the evening and early morning the ferries to Piraeus and can be seen rounding the Akrotiri peninsula to Souda bay.
Although the outline of the Malaxa ridge, concealing Chania is visible in views to the North but closer to, the neighbouring village of Samonas outlines the hilltop.
Round to the west, the rocky outcrops and olive studded hillsides over towards Tsakistra and Kambi mark a closer landscape.
Panokosmos, at the top of the village, is surrounded by gorges
Down at the pool, the terrace stretches out over one of them, the Athimolakos gorge, diving 200m below.
Watching the eagles circling in the thermals is relaxing.
The sound of the sheep bells echoing across the gorge attracts your eye to their queues along the sheep trails on the other side. You can come across flocks in the road as the shepherds move them to new pastures.
In the winter there is the rush of water from the mountains, but in summer it’s the sound of the birds and bees, a sometimes frenetic blizzard of sound.
The Church of Agios Nikolaos
The church of Agios Nikolaos, one of the oldest in Crete, is picture postcard perfect in the gorge below. Particularly in the golden evening light the effect is magical, as the last of the sun’s rays shaft thru the gap in the mountains.
The White Mountains stretch out as a backdrop to the village
More about living in Crete
There is much more in our blogs. These show things to do in Crete, whether it be walking a gorge, hiking in the foothills of the White Mountains, or taking a drive to see the sites. Chania is a great town to visit, particularly to go to the street markets, and of course you’ll want to get the benefits of the Cretan diet – be it the yoghurt and cheese, or the olive oil.