Amazing Crete

Crete has it all–mountains, gorges, beaches, lovely Venetian towns, bronze age Minoan cities, classical Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman sites, fabulous food, villages and it’s own very distinct music, dancing, culture and color. It is the biggest island in Greece–I have been three times, a total of 30 days approximately and I have only seen a fraction. During the summer, the northern part of the island–with the picturesque towns of Venetian influence: the capital, Herakleion, Rethymno and Chania to the west, Sitia and Agios Nikolaos to the east and lovely beaches situated all along in between–  is easily accessible with great roads, thus causing it to be quite touristy and crowded. Crete has a large permanent population and major universities in Herakleion and Chania, so whenever one visits, it is always lively –and in my opinion, the best time to visit northern Crete is anytime but summer. Here is a lovely video of Crete

However, southern Crete is completely different.  There is no coastal road connecting villages in the south (except for a small section of south eastern Crete) because there are so many mountains and gorges in the center of the island that building a straight road from town to town is impossible and one must go through the mountains in the north to get to the next town in the south. Thus in summer, southern Crete is very much off the beaten track and perfect for those who want to enjoy swimming, hiking, delicious food and beautiful and quiet destinations at extremely reasonable prices. There is a ferry connecting the south western towns, so one does not need to drive up and down mountains to get from one place to the other. And (Ta) Sfakia or Hora Sfakion–where this recipe originates, is probably the most famous town in Southern Crete. It is well know for its fierce population (towards invaders–not tourists!). Sfakia and the Mani region of the Peloponnese are two regions that were never completely occupied because the inhabitants fought so viciously that it wasn’t worth the trouble. In fact, there is speculation that the name derives from the verb, sfazo –to slay. Of course, nowadays they are only slaying fresh fish and perhaps wild boar in the winter! Here is a video of Sfakia in the summer