England through the eyes and the pen of Nikos Kazantzakis One name: Nikos Kazantzakis. One date: 1927. One book: Travelling. According to scholars of our literature this is the starting point of Greek travel literature; the moment, the fact, the book by which the travelling impression was consciously trans-mutated into…
The history of Cretan Raki If you’ve ever been to Crete, you probably have had at least one shot of the spirit called Raki. In other parts of Greece, it’s known as Tsikoudia or Tsipouro. Cretans are eager to send travelers home with their homemade Raki. They put it in…
The Minoan Palace of Phaistos in Crete The Minoan Palace of Phaistos, is located in the Messara Plain in south-central Crete, 55 kilometres south of Heraklion and it is one of the most important archaeological sites in Crete. The Minoan palace of Phaistos and the area surrounding it was a…
Gortys or Gortyn or Gortyna Gortys, also known as Gortyn or Gortyna, is one of the most important cities in Crete with a history of 6,000 years. It is also one of the most extensive archaeological sites in Greece. It lies in south central Crete in the fertile Mesara plain,…
Samaria Gorge The Samaria Gorge is in west Crete, in the White Mountains. It is one of the main sights of Crete, it is the longest gorge in Europe, with a length of 18 kilometres. The gorge starts at Xyloskalo (1227 m. above sea level) on the Omalos Plateau…
The Palace of Knossos Knossos, the famous Minoan Palace, is 5 kilometres southeast of Heraklion. In the valley of the river Kairatos, which rises in Archanes, runs through Knossos and reaches the sea at Katsabas, the Minoan harbour of Knossos, the river flowed in Minoan Times all year round and…
Heraklion port The port of Heraklion is inside the city, north of the city, and it is the biggest port of East Mediterranean. It has been the transit point for merchandise since the years of the Minoan Civilization, a pylon of the Europe-Asia connection and relation. After all, Zeus, transformed…