Elafonissi Beach - Topolia

Just imagine, it's October 11th, and we're going to the beach! For people who grew up in the Urals and live in the northern US, this still seems incomprehensible. 

This is a unique beach. Until recently, few knew about it, but now it's been hyped up and included in the top ten most beautiful beaches in the world. Elafonissi has become one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. This is all because the pink sand contrasts beautifully with the azure water. They say crushed shells give the shore its unusual hue. Yes, we've seen white, black, yellow, and green sand, but not pink. Well, we'll see.

 Once again, our path leads us through narrow and winding mountain roads. Along the way, we stop in the small village of Vlatos. Google Maps assured us that an ancient olive tree grows there. Wrong! The tree turns out to be a sycamore, but also quite ancient—two thousand years old! Gnarled and hollow, it commands respect. Many generations of people have been born and died, but it has outlived them all. We stroke the sycamore's rough bark one last time and move on.

That Elafonissi is a popular tourist destination is evident from the ample parking spaces, which quickly fill up with cars and tour buses. Long lines of people stretch from the beach parking lot along the paths. There are umbrellas and sun loungers on the beach, but where is the pink sand? Since we arrived early, we manage to find a nice spot in the shade of a cedar tree. While Denis takes a swim, I look around and realize what makes this beach so appealing. The warm, shallow water is a great spot for families with children and for non-swimmers. There's also some depth, of course. About twenty minutes later, Denis emerges from it and announces he's found pink sand. It's a narrow, barely noticeable strip at the edge of the water. Later, I, too, find the famous sand in crevices between the rocks.

For some reason it seemed like the pink color would be more obvious.

We must admit that we don’t know how to spend a long time on the beach with taste, even on one as beautiful as Elafonissi. We went for a swim. We took photos of the pink sand and purple bushes against the backdrop of the mountains. We strolled along the shore. We swam again. And now we're ready to head back. 

On the way back, we buy several packets of tea made from local Cretan herbs for ourselves and our friends at a small roadside stall overlooking the gorge. As a bonus, we get a jar of magnolia-scented body balm. 

Our next stop is in the highland village of Topolia, at a shop selling olive wood carvings. Gnarled old trunks lie near the entrance, and inside lies a veritable kingdom of wooden artifacts. There's so much here! I chose a stylized tree—a jewelry stand; Denis had his eye on two wine glasses. But here's the problem: we only have enough cash for one thing. It's a shame there's no ATM in the village. The owner of the workshop, a colorful bearded man, puts on quite a show. It's fascinating to watch him. He cuts open the colorful bags with jokes and gags, wraps up the purchase, throws in handfuls of candy, cuts out monograms, and finally hands it all over to us. 

As we exit the store, we realize it's time for a little refreshment. A small restaurant with an outdoor terrace is right next door, offering the opportunity to indulge in Greek pastries while admiring the mountain views. Somehow, this combination of pleasures never gets boring. It's even better than the pink sand beach, Denis thinks. My husband didn't like the beach. "Too crowded," he says. And I wonder if he didn't like it because we never made it to the nudist section? Huh, Denis? ;)

 I liked everything: the ancient plane tree, the pink sand, the olive kingdom, the spanakopita with orange juice, and the view from the restaurant. 

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