Eastern Crete

Eastern Crete is the part of the island which includes the fertile Lassithi Plateau, and which we decided to visit having seen numerous photos of the windmills on the Lassithi Plateau.

The plateau is one of Crete's outstanding attractions. We took the old road to Iraklion and left the road at the market town of Neapoli. Neapoli was founded in the 16th century under the name of Neo Chorio (new village), then under Turkish rule it was changed from new villlage to new town; Neapolis.

We followed a winding road which climbs 19 miles into the mountains, passing through the villages of Vryses, Zenia and Exo Potami, then along a river valley lined with oaks and fruit trees to Mesa Potami and upwards to a pass at 3,830ft from where there are glorious vistas. The road then descends and spread out in front of us was a breathtaking scene; a huge intensely-farmed basin surrounded by some of the highest peaks of the Dhikti range. The average elevation is 2,882ft and the basin measures 8 miles east to west, and 4 miles north to south.

The Lassithi Plateau is the best known upland plain on the island. Impeccably cultivated tiny fields, laid out like a patchwork quilt, enclosed by bare flanks of mountains. The rich soil supports potatoes and cucumbers, grain crops, apples and pears and an abundance of almonds.

We had hoped to see the many windmills which were installed to irrigate the rich soil but, rare is the day when you get to see the unfurled white sails of any of the 10,000 windmills as many of the pumps have since rusted and collapsed.

New friends, new places...

A bonus for us when we have been travelling has been the number of lovely people we have met along the way. Crete has been no exception. There are quite a few English people who have decided to live here in Crete and we have met a few of them.

Our neighbours here are English and we have met a few English people whilst out walking with Millie. Everyone has been very friendly.

A good friend of Janet & Kev's (Millie's owners) is a chap called Roger - a very sweet man who came out to Crete some 2 years ago now and moved in to a villa up in the hills with fabulous views over the bay. Roger has been very kind to us during our stay and he has introduced us to some local tavernas that we might never have found had we been exploring on our own.

We had the pleasure of attending a traditional Greek dancing night, ate more Meze than we should at a beautiful little bouganville-draped taverna in the mountains, enjoyed the company of some of Roger's friends at a darts tournament at his house and, enjoyed lunch chez Roger on more than one Sunday. It has been great and we hope that we will remain in touch and stay good friends.

South to the Libyan Sea

Some 12kms southeast of Aghios Nikolas on the road to Sitia is a relatively new beach resort of Istro we passed through this spot on our way south to Ierapetra. Istro has 2 or 3 decent sandy coves and we were able to admire the sapphire-blue waters from here.

A further 4 miles along the main road and we arrived at the extensive remains of Gournia spread over a low ridge, this is the most completely preserved of all Minoan towns.

We continued our drive and took the turning to follow the road to Ierapetra on the south coast. This road is dominated to the east by the massive Thrypti range. This is Crete's "waist"; at this point the island is at its narrowest, a mere 9 miles of land separating the Sea of Crete to the north from the Libyan Sea to the south.

En route and to our left along the Ierapetra road, we saw the dramatic, wedge-shaped cleft in the Thrypti mountains which is the Monastiraki Gorge.

We spent the afternoon strolling around the town of Ierapetra, exploring the venetian fort and relaxing on the beach before making the return trip along the same road back to Aghios Nikolas.

"Our" cove, Elounda

We generally fall in to a routine of sorts once we are settled on a house and pet sit and here in Crete it has been no different.
Our morning "routine" though has been particularly lovely thanks to great weather and fabulous local surroundings.
We take Millie, the 10-year old labradoodle we are currently taking care of, out for a 1-2hr walk in the mornings - this takes us from the house down to the salt-pans where often we see kingfishers, wagtails, and herons fishing for their breakfast.

The waters in the bay are more often than not calm and almost mirror-like. We walk along a causeway which separates the bay from the seas of the Gulf of Mirabello which dependent on the breeze can be choppy with white horses galloping across the surface or, more frequently, like a lake - the waters are turquoise blue and when the local fishermen are out in their brightly coloured boats it is a sight to behold.

We follow the path which takes us up and across the island with far-reaching views of the Gulf and back to Spinalonga and Elounda.
We sometimes stop off at a little rocky cove where Millie has a swim or, we continue on up until the top where there is a small church and panoramic views of the sea and other small islands in the distance.

If we continue down the hill we arrive at a secluded little cove where there is a small beach surrounded by rocky outcrops and olive groves - it is extremely peaceful and we have taken ownership!!

Kritsa

Over the past few weeks we have enjoyed several trips out and about exploring the local surroundings. One of these trips took us 7 miles from Aghios Nikolaos, to the largest village in Crete, Kritsa, and which is claimed by the Greek National Tourist Office to be the most beautiful and with some justification. Kritsa hangs suspended on the mountainside 1000 ft above Aghios.

















On the narrow whitewashed streets of Kritsa, the women, dressed in black, conduct the business of the village and that is largely selling the leather goods, embroidery and elaborately woven rugs for which Kritsa is renowned.

The views especially at the far end of the village, over the valley to the Gulf of Mirabello are superb. The red soil is covered with well-tended groves of thousands of olive trees.

All things natural....

We have been so fortunate to visit some wonderful places and see marvellous things - our adventures have been both big and small.

Of all the many, many truly beautiful scenes and sights we have experienced along the way, it is always the beauty of Mother Nature that leaves us speechless, moves us spiritually and leaves us with some of our more lasting memories - it may be a dramatic mountain range, it may be the bright colours of petals on local flora, a new and interesting animal, the sun rising, the moon high in a clear and star-lit sky - there are no words to adequately describe nature's beauty. We have, as you would imagine, amassed hundreds of photos from our travels so far and we hope that they capture at least some of the magnificent sights we have been so privileged to enjoy.

Here in Crete, the landscape is diverse - the weather conditions have been settled with little change since our arrival - clear blue skies and plenty of pleasantly warm sunshine - however, the light levels are high here and the light changes daily,this has given us the opportunity to capture some lovely images of our surroundings. The mountains are silhouetted in the early morning and yet, of an evening you can clearly make out the ridges and contours of the range - the calm, turqoise waters of the Gulf of Mirabello seem almost mirror-like on some days as do the salt-pans and the bay in Elounda.

We have been surprised and impressed at the colourful plants on display here, and, the local birdlife we have seen has been an unexpected bonus.

Olive trees are obviously abundant here and at the moment the branches are heavy with olives - geraniums, oleander, mimosa trees and jasmine blossom and fill the air with their unique scent.

In the mountains shrubby maquis vegetation abounds and herbs are plentiful including wild sage, thyme, rosemary and basil.

It is a truly special place and one that we will be sorry to leave when the time comes.

.....and drink

Wine, ouzo and raki....Crete boasts a long tradition of wine making - today 20% of all Greek wine is produced in Crete yet only about one-third of the one million hectares on the island that are devoted to grapes go to the making of "krasi" (wine). The remainder are made into sultanas for which Crete is renowned.

Every village, indeed virtually every farm, produces its own wine called "hima". This is the house wine that you are offered in tavernas.

Retsina is a resinated white wine that is more popular on the mainland.

Although "ouzo", the national aperitif of Greece, is drunk in the towns of Crete, in the countryside it is considered a drink for wimps(!) and is replaced by "raki". This firewater drink is made by distillation of the must (the remains of grapes whose juice has been made into wine) to which aromatic herbs have been added.

"Raki" is drunk from tiny glasses and, unline the aniseed favoured "ouzo", is not diluted with water. It is often served in tavernas as a complimentary drink at the end of a meal.

Brandy may also be offered at the end of a meal - Metaxa (the brand name), and is available in three degrees of smoothness 3-, 5- or 7-star.

The local beer is "Mythos" and, it's not too bad - we try one most nights just to see if we really do like it!!

Food.....

It is possible, in the tourist areas here in Crete to find any food you want. Over the past few weeks we have taken the trouble to try local specialities and we have not been disappointed! As vegetarians, we have found it simple to eat here - when it comes to fruit and vegetables Crete is a cornucopia.

Thanks to the ubiquitous use of greens, grains and olive oil, Cretan cuisine is, apparently, the healthiest in the world!

Exemplifying this cuisine is "dhakos", the Cretan national dish, which is barley rusks soaked in olive oil and smothered with tomato pulp, eaten as a starter: the equal of the best "bruschetta".

For the most part, the dishes we have eaten in tavernas here are the same as those served throughout Greece. The diner is often invited to enter the kitchen and inspect what is on offer. More often than not, the dishes will be served luke-warm as the general opinion is that tepid food is better for the digestion than hot!! Food without olive oil is unimaginable to the Greeks (and to us!). The Greeks believe that it aids digestion and that it is a laxative.

Carnivores can enjoy mutton, lamb, goat, kid or rabbit. These are actually prepared as "stifadho" (a stew) cooked with onions, tomatoes, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves. Whilst we have not sampled this dish during our visit we visited Cyprus some years back (in our meat-eating days!), and can vouch for it's tenderness and tastiness.

Disappointingly for us, fish is much rarer than you might expect. The Med appears to be "fished out". When it has been available, some of the most popular fish are mullet (we enjoyed some very nice red mullet), swordfish, tuna, white bream and common sea bream. But, best of all is "sargos" or parrot fish, known as the "cow of the sea", it is a tasty white meaty fish.
Octopus is also invariably available with grilled octopus being served as a starter. Octopus and tomatoes stewed with red wine is a popular dish but not one we have tried. An expensive and unusual starter is sea-urchin salad, which is made from the ovaries of these spiny creatures - needless to say, we have avoided this one!

One thing that surprised us was that snails from Crete are much prized and are even exported to France!

As vegetarians we have had great pleasure in the "horta" - these are wild greens which are collected in the mountains, especially in spring and autumn. They are boiled and served luke-warm or cold after being lavishly dressed with oil and vinegar or lemon.
The fields are also rich with herbs: dittany (also known as stone mint), which is indigenous to Crete, and more familiar herbs such as dill, oregano, thyme and sage.

Desserts other than fruit or yoghurt are rarely served in tavernas.

A little info...

If you can see the island of Crete on a world map you will see that it's shape is a bit like a gnarled branch or maybe even a snail.

Crete is the largest of Greece's islands and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea. From west to east, the island is over 160 miles long, and in between 9-38 miles wide.

Crete lies between the 34th and 35th degrees of latitude, on a plane with Tunisia and Syria and, with more than 300 days of sunshine a year, it's the most pleasant of all the Mediterranean islands.

It is also the most significant historically for here, more than 4,000 years ago, European culture first blossomed with the Minoan civilisation.

There are so many different aspects to modern Crete that there is something here for everyone. The northern coast is the tourist area, with wonderful beaches and bustling resorts, while the southern coast is still relatively deserted and undeveloped.

There is beautiful scenery wherever you look, but it's not of the soft and gentle kind. It is a rugged place.

There are many different species of plants unique to the island and plenty of caves. Then there's the Samaria Gorge (11miles long), which makes it the second largest in Europe (after the Gorge du Verdon in Provence), and many shorter gorges, no less spectacular.

Religious values and the church here in Crete may not be as influential as it once was, but there are still occasions for religious fervour and devout celebration. Almost all Cretans are, at least nominally, adherents of the Greek Orthodox Church, which has always played a special role on the island. Nowadays though, the influence of religion is waning.

Morning Routine

We have got into a little routine with Milly the Dog now.

We get up early, sometimes before the sun has risen above the mountains. As we walk along pass the salt flats the sun rises and sends a path of light across the water. We walk along the causeway and over the little bridge with the fishing boats below in the canal. Pass the old windmills and up along the track following the sea.

Milly checks to see if we are going down to a little cove so that she can have a swim and fetch sticks that Tracy throws for her. There are usually a couple of fishermen along the rocks, and we think Milly helps push the fish in their direction.

After a swim we carry on along the coastal path which gently rises to provide a lovely view of the bay behind us and the sea in front. There is a small Church on the brow of the hill. The path meanders on along the coast but we usually turn around here and head back for breakfast.

The sun is warm on our backs and we cast shadows of the three of us walking along. At the bottom of the hill we meet the bay and follow the waters edge around, back over the bridge of the causeway and past the salt flats. We say hello to the three goats, Billy, Nanny and Getmy. This walk usually takes about 1.5 hours.

We all then have our breakfast....... Our little 'Taverna' in the back garden is very quiet and in the morning and evening there is a heady scent of the lemon tree blossom. It has produced a fine selection of lemons. This is how we start our day, life is good.

Island of Spinalonga

We can see the island from Elounda and took a boat ride over to see it close up.

We are both reading 'The Island' by Victoria Hislop, which is a story based on Spinalonga and the villages of Elounda and Plaka.

The boat trip took about 20 minutes and the bay was like glass. The water was a turquoise blue.

The Island has a fortress on it, which can be seen from the mainland. This was built by the Venetians in 1579 to protect the inlet. In 1903 it became the site of Greece's leper colony. It remained a leper colony, Europe's last one, until it closed in 1957, when word finally reached Crete that leprosy was not contagious.

When you land on the island, you go through a tunnel which leads to the town. a lot of the houses and shop fronts are in disrepair, but there is an ongoing renovation project to restore the buildings to their former state. There are a couple of churches, a cemetery, as well as the hospital where the patients were treated. The views from the top of the island are lovely.

We spent just over an hour having a look around and then after having an ice cream and an iced tea in a shady taverna, we caught the boat back to Elounda.

Elounda, Crete

We are staying in a small town East of Hiraklion, called Elounda. It is a small beach resort full of tavernas and apartments, looking out to sea, and backed by high mountains. There is a centre square over looking the sea, a harbour with brightly coloured fishing boats and the Island of Spinalonga out in the bay. The water is very calm here, almost like a lake, as there in an island just offshore, which almost joins up to the mainland at one end, linking the mainland with a causeway, the other end of the island has a narrow opening with Spinalonga in the middle. This made Spinalonga a good place to build a fortress to protect the inlet beyond.

We have been introduced to a few of the English 'locals', who own tavernas and bars in the town. Everyone is very friendly and keen to offer us advice on where to go and what to see.

On our first walk into the town, we sat on the harbour wall, and saw a loggerhead turtle swim by in the clear blue water! Two kingfishers flew past and sat on the ropes of a fishing boat and then a sea snake swam in from the sea and into the harbour wall. This was all in the space of about 10 minutes.
We are looking forward to exploring this island.

Stigny, France

We stayed in a quiet village called stingy. The village was in a small valley surrounded by fields on all sides. Ancy-le-Franc with its big chateau was the nearest town with a Poste and boulangerie and supermarket.

We had a look around the grounds of the Chateau which was still lived in. The Stable blocks still had the original stalls and hay racks for the horses, on cobbled floors.

The were areas of ground in other chateaux with a carpet of crocus. The scent was so strong.

We visited a selection of medieval villages with their turreted roofs. The architecture is very different to where we have visited before.

We Celebrated our Anniversary in Flavingny Sur Ozerain, a very pretty town where they make aniseed sweets and it was the location for the film 'Chocolat'. We could see Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp sitting in the square taking a Coffee!