This is a mystery cache in the beautiful landscape between the rivers Megalopotamos and Kissamos, the awesome Kourtaliotiko (Κουρταλιώτικο φαράγγι) and Preveli gorge as well as between the old and new Preveli monastery. It should be no problem to park your car and get some food or a Frappé at the near taverna before starting your investigations.
Almost certainly you reach this place coming through the impressiv Kourtaliotiko gorge, but there are also some other ways which are not so frequented. The river which flows southwards across this gorge is the Megalopotamos (Μεγαλοπόταμος) and as you are at the starting position of this cache you should be at the 'old bridge' which crosses the Megalopotamos river. On its way to the Libyan Sea it will flow together with the Kissamos river in the lagoon of Preveli.
Now to the cache and what you have to do to get it:
The above given coordinates are not the coordinates where you will find the cache but the place where to park your car. Nearby you will easily find the 'old bridge' (παλαία γέφυρα) which really looks like an example for venetian architecture ... but... ...This is not true, the bridge was build in the years 1850 to 1852 as you can also read on one of the two stone plates. Nevertheless this bridge is a really nice example for the art of arch bridges with their unique static construction. This bridge is one of the largest stone bridges on Crete. At it's highest point it measures 7.6 meters and the width of the arch measures about 13.3 meters.
Start your investigations here and search for 'the keyword' to this area which you will find between other words carved into stone.
At the time when you found this keyword use the values of each letter (position in the alphabet) to calculate the final coordinates as shown below. It will be an advantage to have some knowledge about the greek script. It is not necessary to read or write the greek language fluently but you should know the greek alphabet. A simple language guide or dictionary should be sufficent.
A = number of letters of the keyword
B = add up the values of the first two letters (result consists of 2 digits)
C = add up the values of the last two letters (result consists of 2 digits)
D = the value of the letter repeated most often in the keyword
Final coordinates:
N 35° 10.B*D*(A-D)-2*D
E 024° (B-D).B*(A+2)-C-A
To check your result you may calculate the iterated checksum of the north coordinate as well as of the east coordinate. Add them both and calculate the iterated checksum one last time. The result should be '5' if your calculation is correct.
The cachebox your are looking for holds a small logbook and can carry small items.
Nevertheless the cache is hidden and you have to remove 'something' to get it – please do this carefully! We recommend to be very careful grabing into holes or other unclear areas – especially if you are searching together with kids. You should know that there are some kinds of animals which could harm you more or less. It is not very likely to encounter these animals while you are on your cache tour. But it is better to know about any possible risks!
Many thanks to WIND&WATER for supporting our cache in case maintenance is needed!
We wish you happy hunting!
wisamobi
Please be so kind and ...
try to log this cache in English so that as many as possible fellow cachers are able to understand the log entries.
Many thanks!
Thanks to 'VESPUCCI' and 'RenPet' for some really helpful hints to improve the quality of the listing!