EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Over Rodopos Peninsula

Rodopos Peninsula, Crete, Greece

Explanation:  Below us slides by the historic and mythic island of Crete, Greece.  And the large finger projecting into the southern Aegean Sea is the Rodopos Peninsula, located on the northwest corner of the island.  Accessible only by a dirt road, the peninsula is home to a few small villages scattered among the steep coastal cliffs.

At the very tip of the peninsula is Cape Spathi, and the nearby Menies beach ... and the ruins of an ancient temple now preserved as the Diktynna Sanctuary.  Apparently, the sanctuary was founded to honor the Minoan goddess Diktynna who, by some accounts, enjoyed nature and hunting and was worshipped as the patron of hunting and fishing.  

In this photo, the next, more rounded, peninsula in the distance is more currently occupied, holding a monastery, villages, and Chania International Airport.