Photos Courtesy Emmanuel Velivasakis
Walkers at the top of Mount Psiloritis, near the church of Timios Stavros.
Onto the Peak of Psiloritis
MANOLIS VELIVASAKIS
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n Sunday, August 17, at the invitation of a good friend
and local TV personality, George Vittoros, Kostas Travayiakis and I had the opportunity to join the annual festivities organized by the “Syllogos of Apantahou Livadioton” at the Mygero plateau of mountain Psiloritis called,
“H STRATA TOU PSILOREITI,” high above the village of
Livadia in Milopotamos, Crete. A wonderful gathering of
more than 2000 people from all walks of life make the annual pilgrimage to the top of the ancient mountain. Very
early in the morning, before sunrise, the braver souls take
the steep uphill path for a three-hour climb to the 2456
meter peak of Timios Stavros. A few lucky souls were
spared this treacherous climb, as we were offered a helicopter ride from the plateau to the peak.
Once at the peak, one has this exhilarating feeling
that you are indeed on top of the world. The view is simply spectacular! Braving the strong wind gusts, in front of
you stretches the entire Rethymno prefecture to the left
and Heraklio to the right, as well as the Cretan Sea, like a
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blue carpet extending as far as the eye can see. Turning to
the south, one can view the Amari valley on one side with
its beautiful small villages dotting the mountainous landscape, and of course the Libyan Sea extending far deep
onto the shores of Africa.
The small ruble-stone church of Timios Stavros is situated at the very top of the peak. That particular morning
we were blessed with the presence of His Eminence Metropolitan Evgenios, who together with several local priests,
performed the Divine Liturgy and offered communion to
the hundreds of climber-pilgrims. And since there cannot
be a festival without music, the lyra and laouto musicians
were on hand to play and sing the traditional mountain
songs of the shepherds and dance the Pentozali. Hats off
to all those brave young Cretans who performed their
jumps and twists high up in the air, even though the wind
was blowing so strong that it endangered their landing on
the uneven gravelly pavement of the peak.
After having soaked in the cool mountain air and an