Favorite Pics

This is my last blog posted on the Crete phase of my trip.

In this blog I am presenting some of my favourite pictures and or events with commentary. Thanks to all for the feedback.

According to my camera log I have taken just under 3500 pictures of which I have kept 1527.

These are the White Mountains (Lefkes Ores) and they have dominated the background of my world everyday.



This is my personal favourite picture  and is now my desk top photo.

I took this photo from Plaka looking west towards the villages of Almyrida and Kalyves.

If you click on any picture, it should expand for a better look.

I really had no idea what to expect coming to Greece and Crete. Many asked why? Isn't it unsettled there now? Yes it is. Many are concerned, and you would be too if your pension was being cut by half or you were unemployed as half the youth are. However, while I'm aware this is in the background of everyone's life, I have enjoyed nothing but civility, hospitality and lovely people. Yes, Greece is facing some challenges, but they are working their way through a difficult time as they have for millennia.  In Crete, the issues don't seem as extreme, although youth unemployment is high.  But Crete is particularly self sufficient and the crisis you see on TV seems mostly centered in Athens.

Chania has certainly been a highlight.

I was aware, in a foggy sort of way, that the Venetians played an important role in Mediterranean history, but now, having been here,  I understand far more about what a vital power it was and the crucial role they played in our own history.







The Old Town is a treasure. Simply walking around it is an experience.

It represents a time when life was so different yet so much the same. Every twist and turn is another unexpected vista. 










The colours, the architecture, the relaxing harbour front, the shops, the museums, and the history all combine to make this a magical place.

Chania is also growing. Ryan Air has decided to make Chania its hub for all southern Europe. Massive renovations are underway to accommodate all the jobs that will be created.

All good news for the people of Chania and Crete.  CNN has just listed Crete as one of the top ten destinations for 2013.  Hope grows.




The museums and archaeological sites have been another highlight. What was a surprise was how much of the commonly seen images of books are from Crete. I did not appreciate how central Crete has been to the past.

This floor mosaic from the Roman Republic is an example. It depicts Ariadne, after being left by Theseus on the shore of Naxos, being taken by Dionysius who comes to rescue her and take her as his wife.




The Minoans have long been a mystery and therefore the subject of great speculation. I remember studying this civilization as an undergrad. Never in my wildest imagination did I ever think I would actually walk the ruins of Phaistos or Knossus.

This Minoan Museum in Chania is exquisite, not only for the artifacts so well displayed, but the building itself features grand arches and old architecture.











Many posts in this blog mention the food and the colour. This ice cream store in Chania is an example. So far I have resisted!






The agriculture power of Crete can not be overlooked. I have largely been a vegetarian here without even noticing it. The food is so well prepared and presented. Everything is fresh.

These potatoes are not an extreme by any measure.

This is the way it is here.








The 'gift of the house' is a feature of hospitality.

Meals are not to be rushed such as we do.

Going out for supper is an evening event.

Last night I was in a hurry and after eating and wanting to get on my way the two owners were offended, pulled out the raki, and we talked for another 20 minutes at the counter, well they kept my cup full.








Souvlaki!

Souvlakia!

So, so very good!

I shall miss this street food!!!









An observation I made yesterday is that I do not believe I have seen a cow since I arrived although I have traveled 100s of kilometers of farm land. Sheep and goats are a different matter. Sheep are everywhere and goats are almost as common.













I came across these youngsters at the Triada Monastery.









The detail and interesting ways Cretans have learned to use small spaces is hard to capture of camera

Nothing is overlooked. It creates a charm we simply do not see often in North America.

The churches and chapels are always a treat to the eye. These worship centres are ornate beyond anything we see. The icons are still something I need to know more about.

This is a double vaulted sanctuary in a small mountain village.












The ocean of course is stunning everywhere. The colours of the sea are wonderful and almost always alive with fish, octopus, and more.







This is a local swimming hole for Plaka. There is a traverna on the beech of course.


I wish it had been warm enough to get me in for a swim but, as nice as it has been, its not warm enough to go in.











Crete is largely volcanic and rock protrusions offer great opportunities for an interesting shot.










This is a photographers paradise.

I caught this wave on the southern coast.

Note the way the trees are embedded in the sidewalk. These two shots are at the Marina in Chania

Here a fisherman tenderizes an octopus by throwing it repeatedly on the cement wharf.

Notice the black 'ink' on his hands

The houses, like this villa, are always interesting to look at. The Cretans live outdoors most of the year so patios are on all houses and more than one so there is always a side out of direct sun.












Note the old grind stone incorporated into this wall.

This is a mountain village street, Keflas I think.

It is going to be hard to let go of my little car. Its going to be harder going home and obeying traffic laws again.  All traffic laws in Crete are suggestions. Little is ever enforced.












Travernas are everywhere and such great places to stop for a leisurely lunch. This is the village of Veryses.

YASOU!

War Memorial Cemeteries Visit

I visited the graves of 5 young Canadians killed in the Battle of Crete in 1941 today. The bottom of this marker says "missing but never forgotten".  He was 20


They are buried in the Commonwealth War Cemetery located at the end of Souda Bay.











They were all airmen, mostly pilots, serving with the British Air Force.

In this case these two men, one Canadian and the other British,  crewed together, died together and thus are buried together. He was 21 and from Trail BC. When I lived in the interior of BC before moving to NB, I lived just up the hill from his home.


This is another mixed crew, British and New Zealand airmen similarly, having served together, buried together. 

The Souda Bay Cemetery is the final resting place for the remains of 1527 soldiers, mostly from Britain, New Zealand and Australia.

I walked every row of this cemetery twice searching for the monuments to our five Canadians here. I found three. There is no guide book in this cemetery, as often found in others, to aid in finding a specific grave.

What gave me pause as I began my search, is that well over half of the makers indicate this is a "soldier known unto God"

Note the inscription on the top of this stone, "Believed to be..."








Every time I visit one of these cemeteries the incredible waste of life confronts me.

The Battle for Crete is one we Canadians know little about. It came towards the end of that long struggle at the beginning of WW2 when the allies were having a hard time stopping the Germans anywhere.

The Allies lost this battle. 12,000 were captured. 18,000 were evacuated by the British Navy and about 2000 died, many of whom were never found. 




This is the gorge the Allies fought their retreat through. It is steep, harsh, rugged. It is unimaginable to me what it might have been like.

This map depicts the naval battle for Crete. Each white marker is a British ship sunk. The British desperately wanted to keep the island in order to limit German ability to exert power, but after heavy loss of ships and damage to many more, England simply could not afford the cost to keep Crete. The main war effort to stop the Germans then moved to North Africa and the Battle of El Alamain.

Last Saturday I visited the German Cemetery on the western part of the island at Maleme, one of the main paratroop landing fields. Many young Germans were slaughtered in the first phase of the land battle. 

Over 4000 Germans soldiers are buried in this site on a ridge overlooking the main drop zones and the sea. This was the first time in history a large paratrooper attack was ever attempted.

Hitler was so horrified by the heavy losses that he ordered the paratroop divisions disbanded and never to be used again.

Here is a marker to German unknown soldiers. In this cemetery, each flat stone has two names on it.

This is a Cretan wedding dress made from the silk parachute lines from German parachutes retrieved after the battle. I came across this dress in the Naval Museum in Chania.

The Cretans have various ways to acknowledging their victory over oppression. This is one such gesture we may find hard to understand, but neither are we a people oppressed for centuries by one power or another.

Another example are the head coverings worn by Cretan mountain men in the villages. Each tassel symbolizes a man this man killed. Most would be German.

The British, Canadian and Americans took notice of this parachute attack and concluded this, although very risky and extremely costly in lives, could have enormous benefits. Thus the paratroop regiments and divisions were born that would be so successful later in the war.



On the same day I went to Maleme, I visited this lonely mountain top memorial overlooking the sea and the German drop zones. It is dedicated to the youth of Crete who also joined in the battle to protect their homes from the Germans.

Note the ancient Greek shield on the right of the top monument






On another hill I came across this memorial site that appears to honour soldiers and freedom fighters who fought for their island dating back into the 1800's.

This memorial stands beside the harbour in Chania and is dedicated to the 267 Jewish men, women and children who died when a British submarine torpedoed the ship they were on. It sank just outside the harbour. No one survived. They were on their way to northern Europe to be killed in the extermination camps.

It all serves to remind us that when someone offers a war...

... everyone dies.