Description: Traveling Classroom Foundation
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A road trip with friends took us to the south coast of Crete and a monastery famous for much more than religious activities. We left our village and traveled west on highway E75 toward the port city of Rethymnon.
At Rethymnon we turned south towards Spili, climbed into the White Mountains, and then descended into Kourtaliótiko gorge. This pass was cut through the mountains by many streams that combine to create Megalos Potamos ( big river ). As we descended the road narrowed. At one point the rock wall was only a few feet from the right side of our vehicle, while northbound travelers were close to a cliff that plunged into the river far below.
The bottom of the gorge opened into a rich alluvial plain deposited by the river over thousands of years. Here the river irrigates productive farmland, green pastures, and wooded areas. We turned eastward, crossing the river at an ancient bridge and climbing into the hills, until we came to the Kato ( lower ) Preveli Monastery of St. John the Baptist. It was founded during the late 10th or early 11th century.