DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9840#0210
VIII.]
ARRIVAL AT GONIES.
159
north side of a valley bounded by lofty mountains, for
nearly two miles, and then turn to our left and cross the
ridge. A descent of about twenty minutes brings us to a
river : we follow its southern bank nearly a mile, and then
cross it and again begin to ascend. As sunset approaches,
and we mount higher and higher above the level of
the sea, we find the cold become very piercing. We
soon see snow scattered in patches over all the moun-
tains about us: at length we reach the lofty level at
which the village where we mean to rest for the night
is situated. For about a mile our path traverses vine-
yards, all of which are partially covered with snow.
Just before sunset we arrived, almost frozen, at the
village of Gonies, and were soon provided with an ex-
tremely wretched lodging in the hut of the Proestds.
Gonies is the first place which I have seen in Crete,
that can almost be said to possess no olive-trees: there
are only about 150 roots of them in its whole district.
As in a village which has no vineyards, we hardly ever
obtain wine, so there was actually no oil to be found in
this miserable hamlet.
Snow was lying in patches on the ground at Gonies45,
and some women were greatly surprised at seeing us
come " to the snow11, as they called it4fi. Aware that
snow is almost unknown near the coasts and in the plains
of Crete, the only distant regions with which they have
any acquaintance, they were quite astonished to learn
that I was familiar with it in my native land, and that
I had often seen it there, even without going up " into
the mountains.11
The extreme cold, which penetrated through the hut
of the Proestds, could only be kept off by a wood-fire;
45 The cold which prevails in the mountains of Crete is dwelt on by
Theodosius Diaconus, Acroasis iv. 4.
H-eificovi ttoWw Kal Kpvp.o~is dvev&OTOis—
irX^yevre^ opfiy Kal (3o\rj t?7 tou Kpvovs—
en twv opoiiv wpp.r\<jav.
48 'HXdctTC OTTO X'OVi-
ARRIVAL AT GONIES.
159
north side of a valley bounded by lofty mountains, for
nearly two miles, and then turn to our left and cross the
ridge. A descent of about twenty minutes brings us to a
river : we follow its southern bank nearly a mile, and then
cross it and again begin to ascend. As sunset approaches,
and we mount higher and higher above the level of
the sea, we find the cold become very piercing. We
soon see snow scattered in patches over all the moun-
tains about us: at length we reach the lofty level at
which the village where we mean to rest for the night
is situated. For about a mile our path traverses vine-
yards, all of which are partially covered with snow.
Just before sunset we arrived, almost frozen, at the
village of Gonies, and were soon provided with an ex-
tremely wretched lodging in the hut of the Proestds.
Gonies is the first place which I have seen in Crete,
that can almost be said to possess no olive-trees: there
are only about 150 roots of them in its whole district.
As in a village which has no vineyards, we hardly ever
obtain wine, so there was actually no oil to be found in
this miserable hamlet.
Snow was lying in patches on the ground at Gonies45,
and some women were greatly surprised at seeing us
come " to the snow11, as they called it4fi. Aware that
snow is almost unknown near the coasts and in the plains
of Crete, the only distant regions with which they have
any acquaintance, they were quite astonished to learn
that I was familiar with it in my native land, and that
I had often seen it there, even without going up " into
the mountains.11
The extreme cold, which penetrated through the hut
of the Proestds, could only be kept off by a wood-fire;
45 The cold which prevails in the mountains of Crete is dwelt on by
Theodosius Diaconus, Acroasis iv. 4.
H-eificovi ttoWw Kal Kpvp.o~is dvev&OTOis—
irX^yevre^ opfiy Kal (3o\rj t?7 tou Kpvovs—
en twv opoiiv wpp.r\<jav.
48 'HXdctTC OTTO X'OVi-