This time the trip goes from Rethymno to the middle east of Crete. On the "New National Road" you drive past Panormo, Bali and Heraklion to the Stalis/Malia exit. Then in the direction of "Mochos/Lasithi" uphill on a well-developed serpentine road with great views of the "Cretan Sea" and its coastal region. After a short drive you reach Mochos, a small mountain village. In the center of the village, on the round village square with large plane trees, there are a few taverns that invite you to take a short rest. A visit to the small church, which was renovated a few years ago, is also recommended. The journey continues uphill. About 2 km away, on a side road (signposted), is the village of Krasi, which is known for its huge plane tree that stands in the village square. It is probably one of the largest plane trees in Europe, with a circumference of around 18 meters, but definitely the largest on Crete. And there is another spring nearby.
Then you go back to the main road and continue uphill. A little later on the right you will see the monastery called Kera, which is inhabited and managed by nuns. The monastery has an interesting history and can also be visited. After a short drive uphill you will reach the top of the Ambelos pass. Because of the almost constant wind, there were large windmills here for grinding grain. Today they are only ruins, but can be visited. From here you have your first view of the Lasithi plateau. There is also a large restaurant below the remains of the mill. The road winds downhill for a bit to the almost circular plain, which is about 800 meters above sea level.
There used to be several thousand wind turbines with white sails here, which irrigated the extremely fertile fields and formed the subject of expressive photos. These turbines are history, however. Today, motor-driven pumps take over this task. However, this leads to the groundwater level falling drastically and dramatically, because unlike wind turbines, the pumps can run day and night, whereas in the past people had to rely on the wind, which did not always blow. Now there are only rusty remains of former wind turbines everywhere. Only in front of a few taverns are there white-covered wind turbines. If you go around the plateau clockwise, you will quickly reach the main town in this area, called Tzermiadon. This small village has everything a tourist's heart could desire, so a short tour is worth taking. Then you continue on this "circular" road to the town of Psichro, where the main reason for most visitors can be found. Near the town is the Zeus Cave, where, according to legend, the father of the gods, Zeus, was born. You can visit the grotto and many visitors to Crete make use of this. This can be seen, among other things, in the large number of coaches and cars parked in the large car park. The cave can be reached on foot (between 10 and 15 minutes) or on the back of a mule.
The journey then continues clockwise through smaller towns to the junction of the road from or to the Ambelos Pass and then continues on the road after the top of the pass, steadily downhill to Chersonisos through small villages that lie along this route. In Chersonisos, take the "New National Road" towards Heraklion and then continue to Rethymno, the starting point of today's day trip.
