You may or may not have seen I have been away from ciao for a little while. For the last week I have been enjoying the Greek sunshine away from the cold and misty British Isles on the Mediterranean island of Crete. Well you may not have missed me that much, but here is the first in a series of opinions of my great holiday on Crete in general.
Background **********
The island of Crete or Kriti in the local language lies 100 miles south of mainland Greece in the Mediterranean Sea. It is the fifth largest in the sea after Corsica, Sardinia, Cyprus and Sicily. It measures approximately 150 miles across and 50 miles wide making it the largest Greek island, but still retains all the features of the Med. Clear and warm blue seas, golden beaches and of course the great weather. Crete is very much part of Greece and proud of it. As Greece are in the 12 countries that adopted the single European currency this year, so the Euro replaces the Drachma as the currency on the island. Greek is the only official language on the island, though the island has a dialect of this that can make it a bit harder. Not only does the Greek language have a new language but a new alphabet, using the Cyrillic like Russian and other parts of Eastern Europe. Crete is an island, surrounded by seas full of fish and other life. On the land the terrain is very mountainous with large hills and peaks close to 1,000m. It makes spectacular scenes, very dramatic hills. The vegetation is typically
Mediterranean with olive trees and rough bushes on hard ground. Much of Crete is hilly, but there is still a large amount of agriculture.
The Capital of Crete is Irakleio or Heraklion depending on which spelling you use. This is on the north coast about central on the island. Heraklion is the fifth largest city in Greece, though this is not too hard as much of the population lives in Athens. 180,000 people live in Heraklion, and don’t ask me to name the other cities. The islands economy is very much tourist based, but has plenty of other things going for it. It is a large exporter through the capitals sea port of lots of fruit such as oranges bananas and other things such as olive oils and wine. Heraklion also has banking and other financial services. Crete can be split into the north and south with a large line of mountains separating this. The north is the most developed for tourists with the south relatively untouched provides a taste of old life and some quiet peaceful destinations. Agios Nikolaos and Chenia are the other two large settlements, Chenia is in the western part of Crete and Agnic as it is called by tourists is one of the large club centers on the island along with Malia. The island does provide a popular destination for young people with clubs in the sun, but it also provides a great relaxing and quiet place for a holiday. It is up to personal tastes what you do and where you go. All types of accommodation are provided. From luxury five star hotels to middle of the range and self-cateringapartments and campsites. The weather on Crete is standard with summer from May to September high temperatures and low rainfall, a short autumn and winter brings snow to the hills. Spring is less heat with flowers and still great weather at the time I went. Winter tourism is attempted to be brought to Crete, the high peaks provide snow good enough for a bit of skiing and walking with breath taking scenes then on the coasts which still have mild temperatures and sun. Tourism is the largest part of the Cretan economy and is very season, so could be a great step if it catches on.
History *******
Like Greece Crete has a fine history going back several thousands of years, and have left the island scattered with historical sites and finds. The Greeks have a huge history that need no introduction with warriors and genius coming from their as well as legends and myths. Crete was home to the Minoan civilization; basically a person living on Crete was a Minoan. They were around two thousand years before the birth of Christ, a hugely long time. Crete was a lot like it is today, the Minoans were fine sailors and traded with Egypt and other nations as well as being feared. The Minoans were around for several thousands of years before an earthquake wiped them out and left their cities in ruin. There are several sites on Crete to look at these ruins, you can feel the history at times. Crete has struggled throughout its history as it was ruled by foreign powers. The Minoans were displaced by the Mycenaean around 1500 BC, and Crete has been ruled by the Byzantines, Arabs, Venicetian, Turks and Greece. Crete is part of Greece now.
Crete was also a stronghold during the Second World War, so much so that the Germans took it upon themselves to invade it. During several bombing raids, an invasion force was landed. Paratroopers landed on the island and allied forces stationed them made a hasty retreat, helped by the Cretans living there and the Greek army who later fought a guerilla war against the Germans. As a result the civilians on the island suffered terrible acts of reprisals against them. There were a lot of German tourists there when I was in Crete, interesting given the older population would have suffered under them.
Getting Around *************
Crete had no tarmac roads until the 1970s, a sign of lack of investment from their rulers such as the Turks to weaken the islands infrastructure. The first place most people will see of Crete is Heraklion airport, a few miles out of the capital. Chenia does have an airport and you may go by sea to Crete. The airport itself is not excellent, small with few services but good enough. Many tourists to the island hire a car to get around the island, there are several braches of car hire firms at the airport and others at large towns and hotels can get you one. A car is pretty much needed unless you want to stay in one place and the island is small enough to easily navigate. Car hire and especially petrol is relatively cheap. If you don’t hire a car then buses run from large towns stopping locally, again cheap though not exactly luxury or for that matter on time. Heralkion has a sea port that runs ferrys to Athens mainly for people wanting to drive a long way and take their own cars, though boats also move between other settlements on Crete. Taxis are also cheap and used for long and short trips and are usually good if you don’t have a car. The roads and more importantly the drivers on Crete may put some people off hiring a car. Not as bad as some continental drivers it is still pretty hairy at times. There is a lot of construction work around and new roads are being built still improving. The roads are interesting as well with one main lane on all roads then an extended hard shoulder which is not quite a full lane. Drivers are expected to pull into this when some one wants to overtake, and there are some people that insist on driving at several hundred kilometers and hour. All road measurements are in kilometers and road signs are often translated into the roman alphabet so are easier to recognize place names.
Sites to See **********
One of the most famous sites on Crete is the palace of Knossos. This is one of the many archeological sites on the island from the Minoan period. This was the place where the labyrinth from Greek legends with the Minator. Located just a few kilometers away from the capital Heraklion it is well worth a visit. There are loads of other sites such Gournia and Lato that have Minoan ruin, but Knossos is the largest and most famous of the lot. All that remains of most of the sites are rocks of the foundations, so you have to imagine the rest of it, and if you bring the kids along they may get a bit bored. In all cases you are able to walk all over the ruins and you can feel the history.
There are many great beaches on Crete and the sea is wonderful as well. The sea is very safe with no tides or any roughness at all so is great for families. Water sports available include windsurfing, diving, water skiing and others less active snorkeling swimming and cruises. No surfing though. There are plenty of sandy beaches, but also little coves and rocky bays. The sand is good and especially on the north and south coast just away from Heraklion. A real Mediterranean climate and coast line, both spectacular and beautiful.
The capital Heraklion is not great beauty. If you are going to the airport them you don’t go into the city and you may not want to. It is basically a lot like any other city though it feels much more dirty and suffocating in the heat. It has all sorts of facilities including banks, hospitals and police and other things you may need. The other main towns have shops and all things for self-catering. The big clubs centers are on the smaller towns like Agois Nikolos, Malia and Neapoli. Some people may be totally put off by these sort of things, others think they are great. It is one of the best surroundings for a clubs, great weather, nice beaches, sun and relatively cheap. Crete has some nice clubs, a real nightlife and is a great place for a good time. A place to go back to for me as I was on a family holiday, I would go back again in both holidays.
Conclusion **********
Well that was a long opinion, hopefully there was some information in there and it was of interest. Crete is a wonderful place, spectacular views with the mountains and the sea, beautiful beaches, warm water and warm weather and great people. The clubs and nightlife is great if that is what you are going for you will not be disappointed, great surroundings and there is just as much for any other holiday for kids, relaxing and sports. Well worth a look.
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Advantages: Mesmerisingly beautiful beaches, awe-inspiring mountains, friendly people, great fruit and veg produce. Disadvantages: Cannot flush toilet paper down the toilet due to their old plumbing system. You get used to it.
Ebele 05.06.2001 (05.06.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Crete (Greece)
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