ΚΡΕΤΑ

Crete, two weeks of rocks, thyme, shards, copious amounts of wine, honey, and feta.

There is so much to discover on that little plot of land suspended half way between Europe, Asia and Africa. It’s one of the corners of the world, like Egypt or the Ganges valley, where civilization started early and then went dormant to remain in that wistful state of forgotten glory for centuries. Much has been unearthed but there are still secrets that lurk under the surface for some eager, sweaty archeologist to poke around in.

And yet, Crete is developing fast. A coastal highway now snakes along the Aegean to connect the four major cities. Sprawl mars the face of Venetian ports and gas stations have sprouted up everywhere like smallpox. But, then, that is happening almost everywhere. It’s part of our civilization.

But when traveling in the ‘hinterland,’ one still finds expansive areas, where the traces of modern civilization are less visible. Little mountain villages cling to the sides of rocky slopes, and where women and men, dressed in black, populate the streets, and the popular Tavli (backgammon) is played on the shady terraces of the town taverna.

Cretans, the ones who haven’t ever left the island, are a people unto themselves. Fiercely independent, they have fought off invaders, including Turks, Venetians and Nazis, for centuries and to this day they keep their rifles handy, just in case. But it seems that they are not too worried about the more recent invasion that is sweeping across their land. Granted, it’s of a more gradual and gentler kind but it is an invasion none the less: tourism.

What one will find when visiting this island is a society divided between new-comers, the ones who have returned after making their fortune abroad to build their ostentatious dream house, and those who are set in their traditional ways, with the occasional family feud, week-long weddings, and the inevitability of bow-legged old age on the town platia.

But that side is vanishing. Crete, just like other developing regions around the globe, has become a place for gold diggers. Land speculation is on the rise and private property is slowly taking over public space. But still beautiful beaches lie hidden away in rocky coves and mountain goats graze between thyme and sage bushes, undisturbed by the bustle of the 21st century.

Go see it now!