I want to thank the local council for putting on a fantastic event which made perfect sense and was heavily supported and attended by local people.
It was the tenth organized walk to promote health and, in particular, looking after your heart.
Greece is becoming a nation of fatties and the benefits of healthy eating, not smoking and regular exercise are all too often either not understood or simply ignored. So anything that promotes the opposite is welcome. Doubly so when it is the local authority throwing it's weight behind it (if you forgive the pun).
We made our way to Kandanos where we were ferried by free buses to the start of the walk. It was an interesting route which followed what used to be the old road to Hania. In fact the first part of the walk was the same route as one of the Explore articles by Bob Tait on The Paleochora Site.
We passed the point where the townsfolk of Kandanos held off the German motorcycle division in 1941 triggering awful reprisals on the town. Eventually after a 7 kilometre gentle hike, we were back down in Kandanos where there was quite a party atmosphere. Free 'Fruit Souvlakis' were being handed out and certificates to say that we had survived the (gentle) walk. We were then treated to some live aerobics with many of the youngsters joining in on the town square.
The weather was perfect, the atmosphere was perfect, the walk was perfect. I, for one, can't wait until next year.
