 Balos and Gramvousa Island are two places I visited during my summer 2022 vacation in Crete with my sister. We were based at a resort in Rethymno and from there we took several tours, including this one. Even better than Elafonisi, Balos was a vast natural lagoon with turquoise waters and fine sand, but this place was even more pristine because it was actually very difficult to reach. Even among the group staying at the resort, Balos was the most popular destination, despite requiring a very lengthy journey to visit. The Balos lagoon lay at the foot of a rocky mountain, and there was neither an official path leading down to it, nor was there a port for boats at the lower end. Balos was a wild place, and this immediately excited me because I thought it wasn't a tourist destination but only for the brave ones. The resort staff, in fact, spoke of Balos as a conquest, a beautiful place but difficult to reach. The head of staff had told us that he had visited it by using a quad bike to reach the mountain and then walked to the beach. It was obvious that reaching Balos this way also involved climbing the mountain on the way back, so the staff advised against this method of visiting Balos. However, there was an alternative: the resort organized excursions to Balos by sea; it was still a long journey but less demanding than the mountain route. I knew Balos didn't have a port, and when they proposed the tour, I wondered where the boat would dock. This detail hadn't been mentioned, but the staff urged us not to worry because that was the best solution if we wanted to see the place. Visiting Balos by sea involved several stages: the bus ride to the port of Kissamos, which lasted almost two hours, and then a ferry that would take about an hour to get to Balos. Finally, after our time at the bay, the ferry would pick us up and take us to the island of Gramvousa, a short cruise from Balos, and after spending some time there, it would take us back to the port of Kissamos. This alternative way was also not simple, but rather quite complex. It goes without saying that for my sister and I, Balos was one of the main destinations we wanted to visit in Crete, so we booked the tour without any hesitation. Balos To reach Balos, as with Elafonisi, we moved west from the center of the island. The journey from Rethymno to the port of Kissamos took about an hour and a half, where, as on previous trips, I took yet another photo of a shipwreck near the coast. In Kissamos, the bus dropped us off in a large area, and to my surprise, I noticed many other buses as large as ours presumably making the same journey. Our guide, after gathering us, moved us to an area closer to the port and then began giving us an endless stream of information and recommendations for our tour. He would accompany us on the journey to Balos, but he wouldn't be with us; instead, he would pick us up again for the return bus ride to Rethymno. I immediately knew that the guide wouldn't be with us, given his thoughtfulness and all the recommendations he'd given earlier. We boarded a fairly large vessel, primarily intended for transporting vehicles. I say primarily because, despite the ship's size, as were its exterior decks, the common areas were still only adequate for the approximate number of people who could fit in a vehicle. In other words, a vessel for vehicles like the Gramvousa we boarded, if used only for passengers, paradoxically became undersized. When we boarded, all the exterior benches and seats were occupied, and especially all the common areas were overcrowded. Fortunately, the sea was fairly calm that day, and I personally looked out over one side of the vessel to take some photos. It goes without saying that, as someone who works in the shipping industry, I have some experience to understand that we were traveling in complete uncertainty. Fortunately, the route was clear of other vessels, the day was beautiful and sunny, and the sea was generally calm; any collisions were unlikely, even though we were traveling close to the coast. To reach Balos from Kissamos, the ship had to circumnavigate a pointed stretch of land that extended northward. Once around it, the journey continued southward, where Balos was located. The stretch of coast we left behind was rocky and yellow in color. Depending on the angle, the rock often looked like animal faces. In one stretch, however, there was a beautiful, very tall rock that dropped sheer perpendicularly from the seaward side, while on the inland side it formed a stunning valley. This was the only positive aspect of the voyage, because otherwise, the atmosphere on board was completely suffocating. There was nowhere to sit, there was constant chatter, and the ship's bar was undersized for the number of people on board. The journey lasted just over an hour, and I must say it was not pleasant, as it was uncomfortable and lacked adequate safety measures. But when I thought I'd seen it all, I was wrong, because the best part was the maneuvers for docking and the subsequent disembarkation of us passengers. After several loud noises, the ship managed to position itself for disembarkation, and then the long line to disembark began. When I reached the tailgate, I couldn't believe my eyes. I don't know whether I should have congratulated the captain or insulted the entire shipping company. The ship had managed to dock by placing the tailgate on a flat-looking rock that was much narrower than the tailgate itself. Furthermore, the entire area beyond the docking area consisted of a long expanse of jagged, irregular rock that required a certain amount of balance to cross while walking very carefully. Fortunately, someone had installed bollards in the ground, albeit in an obviously irregular manner, so the ship had been anchored with several lines during the disembarkation phase. The originality of the slipway for the ship's tailgate was directly proportional to its danger, yet it was the most natural and "green" I'd ever seen; very dangerous but original. We arrived in Balos after 11 AM and the guide had given us very clear instructions: we were free to do whatever we wanted, but by 2:30 PM we all had to be back at the point where the ship had dropped us off. We had enough time to explore and enjoy some sun and sea in that unique place. To be honest, the spot where we disembarked wasn't the most beautiful or safe, but you could sense the grandeur of the place, where even the mountain above the beach seemed small. The way to the beach consisted of small paths of both sand and rock, which immediately prompted me to take off my flip-flops and continue on foot. The beautiful thing about the paths were the small turquoise lagoons that formed naturally, creating a truly unique scenery. The beaches in Balos were diverse and all natural; probably the most beautiful were those that connected the mountain to the opposite island. Unfortunately, these stretches of beach were completely crowded, so my sister and I opted for the beach below the mountain, a bit steep but still with fine sand. While it wasn't the most convenient, that part of the beach was the best for taking in the entire Balos area at a glance: in front, the bay with the islet behind it, and on the right, the other beach swarming with people who literally looked like beings walking on water. Behind us was the mountain, and it was strange to see the people slowly making their way down to the beach; they were the ones who had chosen to reach the place from the mountain. The most beautiful thing about the view from there, however, were the colors: the turquoise sea with its various hues and a sky that that day had decided to be an extremely intense blue. It was a view that never tired me, and the more I looked at it and photographed it, the more I loved it because it gave me positive energy. Personally, I climbed even higher until I reached a point where the view was so large I could even see the island of Gramvousa. From there, I took some truly postcard-perfect photos. After settling in with our stuff, we alternated between sunbathing and exploring. We went back down to the beach and, wading in the shallow water, found several spots where we took photos of each other—truly original ones. Essentially, once we had a reference point, we always circled a limited area that, for me, was the most beautiful, visually speaking. We had lunch there with sandwiches they'd given us at the resort and then continued to enjoy that natural spectacle. I must admit that despite being difficult to reach, the place was still very crowded. There was no feeling of suffocation because the area was truly immense, but in my opinion, there were too many people. This was certainly due to the sea transport, which was the easiest and allowed the area to quickly and unexpectedly fill up. From what I've read, they recently banned ships from docking at Balos, an operation that was completely illegal. As I said before, I didn't get the feeling of overcrowding just because the place was large, but in my opinion, access to Balos should only be from the mountain, perhaps with a well-maintained path built with environmentally friendly materials. The area would undoubtedly be on a whole new level if it were completely free of people or populated only by a few brave explorers. Probably is possible to see Balos like this in the less summery months, and it will certainly be an even more unique experience, but at the same time, it's perhaps more boring to visit Crete during those months. Overall, my time in Balos was special because it was a truly unique place that should be seen once in a lifetime. Although it was a touristy place despite being difficulty of reaching it, the experience there was very inspiring and truly something new. On the way back, I enjoyed taking candid photos of the girls who deserved it most, who generously showed off their perfectly shaped backsides. Those were the last beauties I caught of Balos before taking the ship back which was docked at the most dangerous “pier” I have ever seen.                Gramvousa     GramvousaThe ship we arrived on returned punctually to the rock where it had cleverly placed the tailgate that allowed us to get on and off the boat. I don't remember exactly what time we left, but the journey was short, with most of the time wasted waiting for another ship to leave and make room for us. At Gramvousa, the ship also placed the tailgate on a rock, and we set foot on land at about 3:20, giving us a total time of an hour. At Gramvousa, in addition to another pristine beach, there was also a fort located directly above the area where we had disembarked. The guide had explained to us that given the time we had available, it was better to go to the beach rather than climb the fort, however, anyone who wanted to do so had to respect the return appointment, otherwise they risked being stranded on the island. My sister and I decided to go and relax further on the beach, but indeed, looking at the plateau where the fort was located, it was full of people exploring it, despite the challenging path to reach it. Like Balos, Gramvousa was quite rocky, and before starting the path to the beach, I climbed onto some rocks beneath the fort. After my sister took me some photos under the fort, we continued on, which meant I'd still captured some photos of the fort without actually visiting it. The path to the beach was a bit challenging because it was small, crowded, and bumpy. It also sloped slightly because it was higher than the beach. From there, however, there was a beautiful view of the bay, with its turquoise sea, a few boats, and then a completely rusty shipwreck that was honestly out of place in that kind of sea. Probably because it was smaller and more concentrated, at Gramvousa I saw many more beautiful girls flaunting their asses in thongs, and I must say that when that happens, I always have to capture them. On that section of the trail, I had to be very careful not to fall while taking photos, but the subjects were worthy. Despite it being very crowded, we still managed to find a spot to lay down our towels, although there wasn't the sense of freedom and privacy one would expect from a beach like that. From our position, however, in addition to the view of the bay, the landscape opened up to the right toward the fort, giving us a completely different perspective than the one from the docking site. Largely due to the limited time we had, the activities we were able to do on Gramvousa were limited to sunbathing, swimming, and taking photos in that very unique setting. Despite the short time, however, I must say that I personally managed to relax and never felt anxious about it; I have only positive memories of Gramvousa. In the end, we managed to be on time, even though the return journey was even more crowded and therefore slower and more dangerous. We departed Gramvousa at around 4:30 PM, feeling relaxed after a busy but rewarding day, especially after having seen and enjoyed a unique and rare place. Aside from the crowded ship, I have few memories of the return trip, probably because my mind was already busy processing and organizing the memories of that wonderful day. While I expected Balos to be a wilder itinerary, with only a few brave souls, the large crowds due to the boat trip didn't discourage me or put me off. The place was so large that there was room for everyone, and let's just say that in the context of the holiday, I preferred being surrounded by someone rather than being alone. The popular atmosphere and the variety of people, combined with their experiences, somehow set the tone of the trip and indirectly and pleasantly engage those around them. Personally, I preferred to adopt this approach so as not to be disappointed by my rationality, which saw a pristine place like Balos as overcrowded with tourists. As I said before, probably the best time to visit Balos and enjoy it from a wild perspective is to visit it out of season, before or after summer. To make it more adventurous doing it by taking the route from the mountain and perhaps reaching it by quad bike, as one of our head stuff from the Rethymno resort did, an adventurous-looking character who, with the long hair typical of the 1990s, reminded me of a character from a South American telenovelas.           A.M.
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