03. Gardenos - Halikounas

Today we only have to cross a small ridge (with nice views) to the next beach - the rest of the day is beach-hiking. It's very nice to walk on the hard sand along the waterline, where the waves wash over our feet with every step. Plus we can go swimming whenever we like (or whenever there's fresh water available to clean off the salt). After a few kilometers of sand, we shortly have to cross a rocky passage just before we reach the quite touristy town Agios Georgios. Here we have lunch at a nice taverna just above a small beach, and we can stock up on food and water (and lemonade) again.
In the afternoon we continue to the northern end of the town and keep walking along the beach. Quite a lot of people here, but they don't really seem to be bothered by us walking by with our huge backpacks. A short section of dunes has to be crossed to reach Lake Korission, a lagoon known for its teeming wildlife (note the blurry flamingos in one of the photos). This part is obviously very hot in the afternoon and requires a lot of water and short rests in every shadow we can find. However, we can motivate ourselves to reach the "spider forest" (where we meet a tourist family pushing their bikes through the deep sand). A short while later we cross the inlet connecting the sea and the lagoon and set up our tents in the first dunes of Halikounas beach.