



After driving aimlessly for a little while, we stopped at a local tavern with several Greek old men drinking raki, and asked for directions. They knew only a couple of words in English, but directions we got! LOL

It’s a miracle, but we found our way!



However, we lost a lot of time, so we decided not to go all the way to Elafonisi, but stop halfway, in the mountains. In a small town called Limni, we ran into a beautiful bed and breakfast with adjacent tavern. The experience was so unique and authentic! We were the only guests and the owner opened the restaurant and cooked a complete meal just for us! At the end of the dinner, as usual, we got a small pitcher of raki on the house. Our lullaby that night was made up of distant “baaaaa” of the sheep and conversations of shepherds downstairs, who returned home and poured a shot of raki for themselves.

The morning greeted us with energizing mountain coolness, so we continued our trip.

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6) Check out the pink sand of Elafonisi Beach

I can tell you with all confidence – it is truly pink! Coral pieces, which with time turned into sand particles, make it look like this, especially right by the water. The beach offers chairs and umbrellas, but we wanted a wilder, more private experience, so we choose a place a bit further away. For those who really desire some privacy, it is possible to cross a shallow lagoon and walk behind rocks to the open sea. The water has a completely unbelievable color and you will not regret visiting this wondrous miracle of nature.

7) Learn how olive oil is made at a real olive oil factory

Olive oil is probably the most important food on the Greek table. Not just because it is incredibly tasty (especially here, in Crete!), but it is also one of the healthiest additions to one’s diet, and Greek even use olive oil to regulate their digestion: add a little more if you are constipated, add a little less… well, you get it.

Interesting: Olive trees are very special to Greeks, they are even worshiped as something that came directly from the gods. In the old myth, Poseidon and Athena were competing for the newly-founded city of Attica, and each one offered something for the people: Poseidon gave a gift of sea water, and Athena presented an olive branch. The citizens chose the gift of Athena and she became a patron of the city that bears her name.

The unique tour of the olive oil factory was provided by one of the coolest tour companies in Rethymno, Eco Events. They offer individually tailored tours to explore Crete from “the inside”: eco tours, gastro tours (local bakeries, wineries, etc), walking tours, sailing and diving tours, tours to learn about everyday activities of the Cretans and communicate with locals.

Hara Manoliadi, our guide for the day, took us to Kanakis Olive Mill and its co-owner Adonis (don’t you love all these handsome Greek names!!) gave us a complete tour of the facility.

May is usually a low season, since olives are not yet ripe, so a lot was left to our imagination. Even then, it was really cool to see all the machines and learn about all different kinds and qualities of olive oil. Even though it was quiet, you could realize that during the season it’s rocking and rolling! Adonis described it with one word: “panic!” After the tour we had a tasting and the product is absolutely heavenly! (I think I have eaten my yearly dose of olive oil!). The unique thing about Kanakis Olive Mill: right outside the doors grows one of the oldest olive trees in Crete. The locals believe it is over 3000 years old!

8) Explore “hippie” caves in Matala

I can only imagine how they did it in the 60’s. A sleepy fishing village and an empty beach, no tourists yet. And spacious caves with cool air – perfect for throwing your sleeping bag in and join the hippy craziness.. A campfire and a bunch of American “flower children” singing songs and playing guitars. Maybe smoking something good 😜… Joni Mitchell, Janice Joplin, Bob Dylan… They discovered these caves, possibly made by the Romans or the early Christians, and stayed for a while, inspired by Matala Beach, living in these caves, right here in Crete, and writing songs. What a party it must have been! Nowadays, the town hosts its own Matala Beach Festival, featuring local and international musicians.





The night is a starry dome…And they’re playin’ that scratchy rock and roll beneath the Matala Moon – wrote Joni Mitchell in her song “Carey”.

Now you cannot sleep in those caves anymore, as they became a protected area, but you can still climb and explore them. Afterwards, having lunch in one of the local restaurants, you may accidentally run into someone who actually met all the musicians and even hung out with them in the 60s!

9) Go to a wine tasting at a local winery

This trip was also organized by Eco Events, after my parents had left back to Russia. I was so sad, so I needed to drink something! Not only did we want to have Hara as our tour guide, we needed a designated driver! Dourakis Winery opened their doors to us that day.

We had a tour of the cellars and learned about the process of making not only wine, but also champagne! It is made with the traditional champagne method. First sugar and yeast are added to the wine. Yeast eats sugar and produces CO2 that becomes bubbles. But what to do with all this yeast later? The winemakers turn the bottles upside down (see photos below) and rotate them every day until the yeast is all in the neck. Then they freeze the neck with liquid nitrogen. When they open the bottle, they just take it out as a piece of ice! Then they close the bottle with champagne cork, wire cage and voilà!





Later we got comfy in a beautiful courtyard and tasted a variety of wines. The wines turned out to be very affordable, so we couldn’t resist buying a couple of bottles for later.

10) Explore the Minoan Palace of Knossos

Apparently, not much is known about the ancient Minoan civilization (that walked this region long before the Greeks!). Their earlier writing (Linear A) is not yet deciphered, scientists can only understand Linear B (later language). Some even believe their civilization was what they later called Atlantis. It was the world, where gods lived with people (and had children with them!) and historical facts and persons intertwine so closely with mythological characters. You don’t know anymore where actual history ends and fantasy begins. Perhaps it was all true! So, to learn more about this ancient civilization, to dig deeper into the stories of Ariadne, Minotaur, King Minos and other interesting characters of those times, visit the archaeological site of Knossos and see for yourself!





11) Find Phaistos disk in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion

The quest of exploring the ancient Minoan civilization would not be complete without visiting the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. The Museum is full of exhibits, covering history of Crete from the ancient to modern times. It is not unusual to spend the whole day roaming the halls.

The most interesting artifact is, no doubt, the Phaistos Disk. Found in a Minoan palace of Phaistos, it is about 4000 years old. No one knows what it says. The language has nothing in common with Minoan, Greek, Egyptian, Sumerian or any other language, dead or alive, known to men. Many scientists pulled their hair out trying to decipher it, but no one could go beyond the “pregnant mother goddess” phrase.

The writing is not inscribed by hand with a sharp object (like Sumerian tablets), but stamped into clay. It means, whoever made this disc, had symbol stamps built for it (kind of like a typewriter). It also means that it was easy to”write” with this language and the stamps would’t be built for just one disk. But where are the other disks or objects with this writing? Nothing else has been found. Maybe if there is enough funding one day to excavate territories around the four Minoan palaces, they will find more answers? It is not allowed to build there for this very reason. Right now, there are only questions… And what do you think about this mystical disk?

READ MORE ABOUT THE PHAISTOS DISK

12) Take a day trip to Santorini

In our trip we came to Crete from Santorini, using the elaborate systems of ferries between the islands. However, for those, who came only to Crete, there is an opportunity to take a trip to Santorini with departure in the morning and return the same evening. The company that can take you to Santorini in just 2.5 – 3 hours is called Sea Jets and you can book your tickets here. They are not cheap, about $60 each way, but the experience is worth every penny!

13) Visit the cave where Zeus was born

Photo by Ingo Wolbern, Public Domain

The Dikteon cave, or Psychro cave, as it is also known, is believed to be the birthplace of the Greek god Zeus. It is also considered one of the sacred places, most worshiped by ancient Minoans.

And where else have you been in Crete? Share in the comments!

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