Crete | Greece
Crete is a magic place where sand beaches, snow topped mountains, and deep gorges all exist on a balmy island that you can drive across in four hours.
I’d speed through arid plains and fertile valleys, not passing another car for miles. We’d get to a beach or creek or hiking path and maybe pass one or two other people. The beauty and solitude of the place is like nowhere I've been; floating alone in the vast sea, standing in silence in a huge cave cavern, you can see why its believed to be Zeus’ birth place.
We decided to travel to Greece during a lucky break when we both received offers for new jobs and convinced our future employers to give us the same start dates a few months out. Through the luck of the internet, we found a yoga studio in the heart of Crete that was willing to give us a discounted rate for lodging and practice if we worked a few hours a week. For a month, we lived in a little studio, practicing yoga and cooking breakfast for guests in the morning and exploring the island in the afternoons . Five years later, we still plan how to move back permanently.
Stay
We stayed in Rythemno, a town on the Northern coast with carless streets and a medieval feel, including a large castle that defended the people against invaders hundreds of years ago. While the town is filled with hotels, we loved staying at an affordable little efficiency at Makri Steno, making salads of cucumber, feta, and tomato in the tiny studio and enjoying them on the roof top terrace with a cold glass of wine.
Eat
We’d also enjoy lunch at one of the many street side cafes, taking in the warm air and watching people pass. We really loved the small plates of fresh cheese, grilled vegetables, and glasses of wine at Avli or Raki ba Raki.
Every evening after dinner, we’d wind through the narrow streets to buy a single slice of baklava from the 80 year old couple who runs the Handmade Traditional Philo Workshop. You’d never find it if you didn’t know it was there, and walking into the large space, filled with flour and huge tables to roll the impossibly thin dough, you are reminded of why the dessert is considered a delicacy.
Explore
Every morning was with Kristina. At 5 am, we would wake up, down a quick cup of coffee, and walk through the quiet streets to Kristina’s Yoga where she would guide us through the primary postures of Ashtanga.
In the afternoons we explored the island, driving our little rental over mountains and down valleys to the south side of the island. We’d end up on a red dirt road and then an expansive beach. The hardest decision of the day was figuring out which one we wanted to go to: Triopetra with its long sandy beach or Amoudi with its little harbor and sea washed pebbles.
Within 30 minutes of the beaches are rolling hills and mountains. When we got tired of the heat of the beach, we’d escape to Kourtaliotiko Gorge. Parking on the side of a winding highway, we’d walk down hundreds of stairs to a little creek. We’d then turn north, walking a bit off path, past a little pumping station to find a deep clear pool of freezing spring water and the opening of a partially enclosed cave, filled with bright green moss, little waterfalls, and light streaming in. It reminded me of a place you would find in a fairytale and we would spend hours there basking in the sun and plunging into the freezing waters.
We also loved Lake Kournas, a clear blue lake at the base of a mountain just a few minutes from Rythemno. We’d find a shady spot under the trees to enjoy a picnic of feta and cucumber and tomatoes and goat’s milk yogurt. The rest of the afternoon would be lazy wading in the lake and naps under the dappled shade.
If we were really looking for a cooler climate, we’d drive up to Mount Ida. One of my favorite places is Ideon Cave, as much for the drive as for the mythological history that it is Zeus’ birthplace. Its located on a huge plateau, making you wonder if there is any geographical feature that Crete doesn’t have. The land is windswept and still, and usually deserted (even the ticketing office). We parked and let ourselves through the gate, hiking along the desolate landscape to a wide, open mouth in the mountain that is Ideon Cave. Being there, its no wonder the Greeks believe it to be the birthplace of a god.
