Yipee

Eastern Crete- Back Again After 12 Years

And it is still as special as ever - the least touristy of any place we have been and somehow it has escaped excessive overdevelopment.  

Sitia - maybe not the postcard image you might have of Crete but it is beautiful to me.

 

 

The rendezvous with the family flying in from Toronto went off perfectly. In fact nothing short of a miracle.  With only 50 minutes to make a connection in Athens they deplaned, went through customs, then got one of those transfer buses to get to the domestic airport, cleared security and made the once a day flight to Sitia with seconds to spare.  Before you know it we're having lunch at a local taverna. 

 

Sitia stairs - can't count the number of times I walked up and down these stairs over the years.  The Pensione I worked at in '73/74 was just around the corner .

Headed 20 minutes out of Sitia to the nearby village of Agathia and settled into Elia Studios which we will call home for 10 days. The travellers get gold stars for dealing with jet lag.   Still crash time did hit them all at some point.  Bridget found her spot here....

A few hours later and we're ready for another taverna - the days are consumed with the talk of where will we eat next.  The taverna we loved on our previous visit is still the best.  The father has passed it on to his daughter and son-in-law and they maintain his standard of wonderful Cretan hospitality and excellent food. Plus the tradition of bringing a round of the local firewater - raki - after the bill is paid is easy to take.   If you like grappa you'll like this drink as well.  

But hey, it isn't all about eating and tasting local drink.  This area is also known for great gorge hikes which are part of the E4 trail that begins in Portugal.  The Gorge of the Dead ends in Kato Zakros which is also the site of a small Minoan Palace.  And several good tavernas.  The hard core hikers do the 2 - 3 hour return trip by 'feet' as the Greeks say but we opted for a relaxing lunch on the beach and a taxi ride back to the cars. And Brian and Alaina spent time exploring the Minoan Palace. 

Gorge Flora and Fauna

 

It is a rugged hike and up in the hills are many caves where the Minoans buried their dead.  Hence the name of the Gorge of the Dead.  

The End

Enough exercise - beach time was in order later in the week.  The sea is still on the refreshing side of things but the lure of being in those crystal clear blue waters didn't stop most of us taking a dip.   Then hanging out under the palm trees of Vai Beach.  In the height of tourist season this place would be chock a block but it's very mellow this day. 

 

May 1st 

Not only is it International Labour Day across the EU but here they have a tradition of adorning their doors with wildflowers.  The custom around Greece on May 1, is to decorate the doors of houses with flower wreaths, as a way of welcoming the power of nature and upcoming summer into the home. The wreath is made from various flowers, handpicked and knitted together. The wreaths adorn the doors of houses until the day of St. John the Harvester (June 24) when all the wreaths of the neighbourhood are gathered and burnt in a big fire, the fire of the saint. 

We lucked out getting a table at a community event that included music and  spontaneous Greek dancing by young and old - we were the only touristas there so felt very fortunate to take this in.   We stayed for about 3 hours but know the party carried on till 2 AM.  

What we saw on the walk to the party.  

 Now we are down to six  - said adeeO to Alaina and Martin who had to head home to work.  

Hiona Beach is a 10 minute meander from Elia Studios through olive groves and past the small Minoan Palace of Paleokastro.  Swim, lounge, and a taverna lunch in a dreamy location.  Rough life but we are up to the task. And each day the sea gets a tiny bit warmer.  

 

Walking to Vahios' Taverna one night this sweet lady who we'd been saying 'kalispera' to most days handed all the ladies beautiful roses.   

 

This is our last day in Agathia and not one of us wants to leave.  I think we will be back sometime and hopefully it won't be 12 years before we return.  There are olive groves as far as the eye can see. My happy place.  

View from our studios.