My Greece

In mid-August to early September 1978, M and I went for a holiday in Greece, the birthplace of democracy, the Olympics, Kazantzakis... We flew from London to Athina (Athens) with our backpacks and travelled around in this capital city and the island of Crete using public transport.

When in Athens, the Parthenon on the Acropolis is no doubt the main attraction. So we spent some time admiring the crumbling ancient structures amidst scaffolding to preserve and conserve them.

Me and a wonder of the world - the Parthenon (MB 1978)

The Parthenon which once served as church & mosque (CNB 1978)

We wandered around at the Plaka and Monastraki Square to mingle with the summer tourist crowd and observe the Greeks at work and play. There were shoeshine men on the pavements, and plenty of tavernas with alfresco dining. We loved the food - moussaka (mince meat, aubergine & potato dish), avgolemono (egg & lemon broth), souvlaki (meat on skewers), spanakopita (spinach pie), baklava (dessert of phylo pastry,  & nuts), etc. All too soon we had to leave Athens for the island of Crete, from the port of Piraeus.

Kriti (Crete), is the biggest island in Greece. It is the island where Nikos Kazantzakis of the Zorba the Greek fame came from. We arrived in Iraklion, the capital, and immediately felt the fiery Cretan zeal for life. We also felt the summer heat in this bustling port city.

Gazing at the Venetian fort at Iraklion (MB 1978)

The next day we were at Hersonissos, a fishing port. We dined alfresco at the Kafeneon, where the locals were friendly and conversation was a lot of smiling and gesticulating. Alfresco was the way to go in Greece. We usually had light food and the Greek meze was good. From Hersonissos, we went to Malia where we stayed for a few days.

Fishing boats at Hersonissos (CNB 1978)

In Malia we stayed at a pension where our beds were on the rooftop! Okay... we were sleeping under the stars. There was no locker/cupboard of any kind, but the landlady Aspasia, assured us, "No klepsi, klepsi in Kriti". There were no crimes nor prisons in Crete! Malia beach was long and its waters pristine. (Crete has hundreds of excellent beaches and this is one of them).We also biked around the Malia countryside, among the olive groves and vineyards and visited the less well-known archaelogical site of the Malia Palace. 

M and bike at the Malia main street (CNB 1978)

Donkey, goat and olive trees, Malia (CNB 1978)

Biking around the Malia countryside (MB 1978)

Restored urn at the Malia Palace (CNB 1978)

From Malia we went to Agios Nikolaos, which was pretty crowded with tourists. This port city, situated at the Gulf of Mirabello, has two harbours. One, a fishing harbour, and the other an inner harbour (a lake) with many open air cafes all round. The godess Athina was supposed to have bathed in this lake. No one could  resist swimming in the turquoise blue waters of the Aegean at every turn.

From Agios Nikolaos we travelled to Kritsa Village, where we stayed overnight. This mountain village also has its fair share of tourists. There were shops selling very Greek souvenirs - shawls, sweaters, sling bags, rugs, etc., all made of wool. We met farmers and their trusty donkeys and old women in black sitting on the doorsteps of their houses. But another village, Exo Potami, was very quiet, and we seemed to be the only foreigners around there.

A farmer and his trusty donkey, Kritsa (CNB 1978)

The Panagia Kera church near Kritsa (CNB 1978)

The next day we trekked to Psychro, 2,500 ft above sea level. At the very fertile Lasithi Plateau, there were many, many simple windmills (reputedly in the thousands). Before trudging up to the cave of Zeus, we met a farmer who kindly gave us apples from his orchard. But we only peered at the entrance of the cave and never went into it. The reason? I forgot to bring our extra money, and there was a charge for cave entry. What the ...!

M and apple farmer at Psychro (CNB 1978)

We left the Lasithi Plateau and went back to Agios Nikolaos from where we made a trip to Vai Beach at the easternmost tip of Crete. Along the way we stopped at Sitia for fresh fruits (especially yummy peaches) at the market. At Vai Beach there were quite a number of topless sunbathers (Note: Topless sunbathing is not illegal in Greece). From Vai we travelled to Ierapetra, where we spent a few days. This town had a nice seafront and a Turkish quarter.

To enable us to visit the important ancient site of Minoan civilisation at Knossos, we went back to Iraklion, stopping by Ano Viannos just to look around. At Iraklion, we walked around town, just savouring the local produce at the market and shops.

M at the Morosini Fountain, Iraklion (CNB 1978)

With our pension landlady at Iraklion (MB 1978)

Knossos was very impressive, to say the least. The remains of the vast Royal Minoan Palace there are the major tourist attraction of Crete. The reconstruction of Knossos was done by the British archaelogist, Sir Arthur Evans. The lustral basin was for bathing in company. The restored storage jars/urns contained grains that fed the king and his family. These and the replicas of the frescos of the water carriers, and the Prince of Lilies (among others) afforded a glimpse of ancient palace life. 

With the Prince of the Lilies at Knossos (MB 1978)

After visiting Knossos we went on to Matala. The beach at Matala was pristine and the caves there quite a sight to behold. From Matala we went on the Agia Galini, stopping by the Mires Saturday market along the way. Agia Galini on the south coast was a pretty resort town.

At the Caves of Matala (MB 1987)

From Agia Galini we went to Rethymnon, staying here for a couple of days. This town also has a Venetian fortress and a Turkish Quarter. The fortress was built in the 1570s. It is said to be the biggest Venetian fortress to be built. Inside are remains of a church (St Catherine) and a mosque (Sultan Ibrahim), among other buildings.

Remains of the Sultan Ibrahim mosque mimbar  (CNB 1978)

From Rethymnon, we travelled back to Iraklion where we left for Piraeus, and Athens, before flying back to England. We truly enjoyed our Cretan sojourn in the summer of 1978.