Traveling around Crete

Crete is the hometown of my grandmother. It is also where I spent my very first vacations at the age of 2,5 years old. This is why I am attached to this island in a very special way. It is the biggest island of Greece, famous for its beaches and sea, as well as its landscapes, weather and food. Let me say a few things about the island as a whole, but then I will focus on my own two villages.

So, Crete´s capital is Heraklion. It is quite a large city and you don´t feel like there´s anything missing compared to life in the penninsula. Many people live there and it is noteable that in this city there are many universities, some of which are among the best of the country-mostly those that focus on Maths and Science. In fact, some of their researches and projects are known all over Europe. I have been in the city of Heraklion several times, since I get the ferry-boat from Peiraeus to Heraklion Port. It also has its own airport, which is called “Kazantzakis” in memory of one of the best greek authors, who was actually from Crete. Its a small, but decent airport and it can help someone travel from Athens (or other places) to Crete. If you book your ticket on time, it can cost even less than the boat ticket. I normally wasn't planning my trips that much in advance, so I've only been to Heraklion Airport just once, but I can't complain at all about its funcioning. Visiting Heraklion, many want to see the castles of Knossos, which are known world-wide and especially those who are passionate about the remains of the ancient culture will appreciate it a lot. As happens everywhere in Crete, Heraklion also offers amazing food. My best memory of a meal there, was the “thrakopsomo”. It is like greek souvlaki, but instead of the pita-bread, they take “regular” bread, empty it and fill it with the meat. Then, they bake the bread in a special type of oven.

Another big city of Crete, is called Chania. I like it more than Heraklion, because even though it is a city, it also maintains its character as part of an island. Chania does have an airport too, but I never happened to travel there. About the ports: there are two of them. One that is somewhat outside of the city, where the ferry-boats stop and another one, right in the heart of the city, where smaller, fishing boats stop. It is great that there are two ports, because one of the best sights of Chania is its port, right in the centre, after the cafes and bars. This image of the sea and the little boats would somewhat be ruined, had there been the large ferry-boats and the people coming in and out of them all the time. Chania is a city which is incredibly popular to young people. It is where many students choose to go for their first holidays alone as adolescents and, thanks to its Universities, there are also young people all year long and not only in summer. I was in Chania just for an afternoon, waiting a couple of hours in order to catch my boat to Athens, once I was in Rethemnon. However, I do recommend it for a trip and I look forward to going back there myself to spend a little more time!

Rethemnon is a more underrated city than the previous too. I, however, enjoyed my time there. Although I hadn't been there for holidays, I had just gone in order to attend a conference, but I did “steal” some time to explore the city. Rethemnon also has a University, but it isn't as famous for its nightlife as the previous two cities. Probably, because you should try and explore the nice places to be -they aren't obvious or spoken for this much, but they exist. The best “counsellor” would be a local person or a student of Rethemnon University. What I most enjoyed was the arquitecture which is really different than in other parts of Crete -it seemd to me that Rethemnon had its own traits. Some parts of the city are higher and you can see clearly the rest of the city in a panoramic way.

My villages are in another part of Crete, which is called Lasithi. The biggest towns in this part of Crete are probably Saint Nicholas, Sitia and Ierapetra. My grandma's family was from a village called Lastros and they spent the summers in a another village called Mochlos. Let's start from Lastros: It is situated among mountains and it has an incredible landscape of greenery. You can see trees and flowers all around you, as you walk on the short, narrow roads. There are very few places to hang out and I don't think that there are any guest-houses there -the only way that a non-local person, without origins or relatives there can stay in Lastros, is if they are invited there by friends who host them, or maybe they are renting a whole house, for example for a summer! The Lastrian people like to keep it simple: even the local cafe is simply decorated and traditionally run -everyone knows everyone and there is no need for unnecessary decorations or fancy wallpapers etc. The owners warm the place with their own presence. I remember my summers there as a kid -taking walks, hanging out in the chuch's front yard and enjoying the summer in surroundings that reminded me of spring -trees and flowers weren't dead by summertime. On the contrary, they were there to cool the atmosphere and give the impression that the village was hidden from the rest of Crete and probably the rest of the world as well! People are extremely friendly and eager to open their houses in order to offer you a coffee and some sweets -the well-known hospitality of Crete!

And, finally, Mochlos. Mochlos is is a village near the sea. It is really small, but it has anything you might need for your holidays: the sea is right next to you, no matter where you're staying -because it is actually all around you! There are some hotels and many rooms to rent, so every summer there are many foreigners who visit Mochlos and spend their holidays there. Usually, French and Germans are the ones who prefer my village for their holidays -but, occasionally, you might run into people from other nationalities too. Of course, greek tourists also visit Mochlos, usually in other parts of Crete, but also from any part of Greece. The first metres of the village are a long, wide road, with houses on the one side and cafes, restaurants and even clubs on the other side. There are flowers, stone floors and this characteristic summer breeze. There is a beach with sand and another one with stone -there are right next to each other. I like going to the one with the stone, because the water is crystal clear. Sometimes, though, the wind doesn't let you get in easily through this beach, because its “shape” and location bring the wind directly to it and there are also rocks, so it becomes a bit dangerous get in from there, unless you have the physical strength to not let the waves lead you. On days like this, it's easier to choose the sandy beach, so that you won't worry about approaching the rocks, due to the wind! There are also a couple of other beaches in the backside of the village. They are situated in an area called “Limenaria” where there are no houses, only nature. Some hills on the left side and those little beaches on the right side. Throughout the day, you can hang out in the cafes or pastry shops and later have lunch or dinner in one of the restaurants. As strange as it may seem since it is a small island, Mochlos also has a nightlife. There are bars with music and special events or parties. The most popular bar amongst the youngsters of the village is a pool bar right in the beginning of Mochlos. It starts as your everyday bar and ends up as a club where the music plays loud and the party doesn't stop until the sun comes up in the morning. One of the most positive things about holidays in Mochlos is that everything is very cheap and you can easily stay there one or two weeks and spend the money you'd spend for just a weekend or five days in any other part of Greece -I'm sure that there are also other parts of Greece where there are good offers in prices, but I'm giving this tip thanks to my own personal experience.

A big part of Crete is its cuisine. I always like mentioning food regarding every country or city I've been to, because I consider it a very big part of the country's culture. Crete's land has very fine ingredients, since there is a developped agriculture, animal raising and fishing. Also, families of Crete have a tradition in cooking and they have many famous recipees.

• For example, ntakos is a traditional bread (that is sliced and roasted until it's become like a too baked toast, but with “normal” bread) which is covered in olive-oil, tomato pieces and feta cheese.

• There are also some traditional salads, like greek salad with ingredients from their land or vlita (a green salad, which is boiled).

• Apart from that, there is a traditional rice with beef, called “gamopilafo” which means “the wedding's rice”. It has this name because it was usually prepared for weddings, but also for other special occasions. It is supposed to be a festive dish that you cook when you want to take care of your guests.

• One dish that I personally don't like at all is “hohli”, which means ...snails. I can't even try snails, because just the idea creeps me out, but the truth is that it is a widely popular meal and it is cooked in various ways: either fried with oil, as a treat, or boiled with red sauce and potatoes.

• Restaurants in Crete also serve rabbit or bunny stu -which I don't like either, but it is supposed to be a meal ordered by many.

Crete is without a doubt amongst the best destinations in Greece -it combines sea and mountain, city and village, calmness and party. I have spent most summers of my life there and I cannot wait to go back as soon as possible!