The Spirit of Crete
The island is small with a gargantuan history and culture, and has contributed more to the rest of the world than any other place its size.
It has endured centuries of invasions and so been injected with extraordinary influences such as Byzantine, Venetian and Turkish to name a few.
It lies at the heart of the Mediterranean diet and is known as the cradle of western civilization, thanks to the ingenuity of the Minoans.
It is the island of Crete…
Lying at the junction of the Ionian, Aegean, Mediterranean and Libyan Seas, it is an Island of extreme juxtaposition.
It’s where year-long, snow-capped mountains smile over sun-kissed beaches…
Where mythology, archaeology, architecture, history and religion live in harmony within each other’s shadows,
Where the scent of crushed wild oregano, thyme and sage peppers the air so thick,
you can savour her sweet perfume miles out to sea…
Where impossibly untameable mountains tumble steeply into pristine azure bays only accessible by boat…
Where the taste of a Greek salad grown in the island’s rich volcanic soil will leave you wanting for ever more…
And where blue-eyed Cretans still live off the land and the sea as they have for centuries…
And who will welcome you with open arms and a meal…
…language never a barrier.
For once you have set foot on the island of Crete,
You will be forever trapped by fragments of memories…
Of an indelible assault on your senses
Which will leave you yearning for more and more and more.
Forever bitten by her beauty.
Her mystery.
Her history.
Her people.
Perhaps we are all old souls
who have been lucky enough to again visit,
That which was once our first home.
Who knows?
PS For more information on this extraordinary island,
I recommend the excellent website: Crete Travel and Crete-Notebook by Richard Clark.
©2016 FRANCESCAMUIR
