I love the island of Crete - more a country in its own right than just a Greek island. I especially like the western side and the shores south of the Lefka Ori Mountains. Many times I have visited this region I have used Chania - Crete's second largest city - as my starting point. The picture - from about 1985 - shows a rather eccentric catamaran (with a beautifully eccentric owner) which was berthed for some time in the Venetian Harbour. The photo was taken with a borrowed, but expensive, camera that I had the bad luck to get sand into when being rather careless on the beach there. It was imperative that it be fixed before I dared show my face at home again! A trip to a pharmacy and some rather halting Greek and English exchanges finally led me to a cousin of a cousin of the pharmacist who ran a car repair outfit in a back alley. There, the oil besmirched cousin who's black shirt showed even blacker where large sweat stains had accumulated through his hot and busy day's toil 'listened' to my tale - expressed mostly in sign language - took a brief look at the camera, and nonchalantly tossed it onto a shelf. "Avrio" (tomorrow) and "Endaxi" (ok) were all the words I understood. A sleepless night later I arrived back at the agreed time to find him just finishing airbrushing the sand from the mirror assembly with the finesse and skill of a brain surgeon. His delight at seeing me seemed to surpass mine at seeing the camera restored to its pristine condition. I dug deep into my pocket and produced wads of drachma. I would gladly have mortgaged my soul for the safe return of that infernal camera. The look of disdain I received was enough to realise the error of my gesture, a look that melted into a huge and genuine smile as he handed over the camera. "For a friend - free!" he exclaimed, turned on his heels, and re-entered the gloom of his workshop. I love this place!
For more traipsing around this lovely island check out my travelogue at
<a href="http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/.73965/article/163/3/">Impressions of Crete</a>
Reviews (9)
Easter
Things to Do
(7)
Poor Judas - every Easter the Greeks burn him, shoot him, drown him, blow him up and invent even more thorough and... more travel advice
Gournia
Things to Do
(7)
The last time I was here I made the mistake of joining a guided tour of the site and spent an unhappy hour torn between... more travel advice
The Imbros Gorge
Things to Do
(7)
I know I'm waxing lyrical about gorges a bit much here but this one deserves a special mention of its own. It's a very... more travel advice
Maybe it's because I had...
Tourist Traps
(1)
Maybe it's because I had already been to most of the rest of the island before I ever got there, but for me I must admit... more travel advice
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- Replied to bronas's Travel Crete Island Forum Forum Question "Crete in March"
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Comments (25)
Great page about Crete. Greetings.
we drove past the samarian gorge in our rental car, intent on arriving in matala for the sunset. what gorgeous island.
I love Crete.
I like your Crete page.I have been there some years ago. Have been to Santorini,if not ,manage to make a cruise there ,it's a fantastic island.
Happy Birthday. Beautiful page, with lots of info and great pics. One of my favorite places in the world. (Just back from a visit there)
A beautiful pic. A pity people can't just enjoy the beauty of a place like this. After italy this is next dream holiday.
Amazing info, and amazing photos on this great place!!!
Greek Easter is a celebration to behold, indeed. Sounds like Crete is still bursting with the 'juice of life' a la Zorba and Friends!
Wonderful tips on Crete. This is VT at its best. Friends of mine visit the rural west and have super tales similar to yours. Great job.
what wonderful tips you write....absolutely crammed with information
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