A Canuck in Crete

It is wonderful to be back in Crete. This is an enchanted place and continues to be every bit as alluring and surprising as on my first visit in last winter. For this visit we have rented a small Cretan cottage in the village of Perivolia, an agricultural community, south of Chania and up against the White Mountains.

This is a great location from which to study and travel. We are quite private in this quiet little corner of the village yet we can be in the Old Town of Chania in 15 minutes.

Our cottage is an old farm house complete with stable door and traditional architecture and furnishings but a large modern bathroom and kitchen makes for very comfortable living quarters.  Our landlady, Sally, is lovely to deal with and we have the added bonus of our neighbour Nikos, the gregarious and very friendly taverna owner, just on the other side of our gate.  We have merely to lift the garden gate latch and stroll into his excellent taverna for a late night meal.







The village appears to be quite prosperous with many modern homes dominating the area yet it is dotted with older buildings that point to the way it was. Perivolia is known for it's produce. The village has good water and plenty of it making it  ideal for the orchards. 

Dotted around the village are remains of older buildings fallen down. These make for great pictures and insight into how these were constructed.

Resurrecting older homes in Crete is often not difficult. Once the debris is removed the old walls, being of stone construction, can simply be rebuilt or added to blending old and new in interesting combinations.  In these tough economic times, however, money is always the issue.

This is the path down to our cottage where we pass a newer home on the left and older buildings on the right. The community dogs welcome us loudly each time we pass but they seem to be getting more used to us and thus a little less standoffish and less noisy at our passing. Perhaps some dog treats will help.

 Everywhere the colours of the foliage and plants augment the sites. This is our front gate opening into the courtyard where we spend time writing and relaxing in the warm evenings. The weather here is still in the high 20s all the time and today will be over 30 again so maybe it will be a beach day as we explore the Gramvousa Peninsula on the west coast, about 45 minutes away. The beach at Phalasarna is well known and I am looking forward to exploring it.  At every turn on our daily exploration drives are fascinating churches, often dating back to the 11th century and decorated with exquisite frescoes and mosaics.

Here is something interesting to note. A cut piece of olive wood [above] has been interwoven in this fence and it has grown there surrounding the wire. I'll have to learn more about this wood as it has nothing but its internal resources to grow with.

Someone found this piece of olive wood. It is all one piece and forms the strikingly good outline of the kri kri, the native and increasingly rare wild mountain goat.

We went to Elafonisi on the southwest side of the island one particularly hot day. It is not an easy place to get to as both roads, either the cross country mountain road or the scenic coastal road involve negotiating difficult terrain and breathtakingly tight mountain switchbacks and thus slow travel. When you can peel your eyes from the roads, the views more than compensate for the lengthy journey. Here is the view of the Libyan Sea from a high mountain taverna. 

Elafonisi beach is a pink sand beach with gin clear water and panoramic views of mountain and sea. This picture above right shows the area from the mountain pass while the shore picture tries to capture the alluring pink colour that is subtle but ever present.

Snorkelling one of the reefs I found myself in a large school of barracuda type fish, although these were only about 10 inches long. This school of many hundreds of fish swam in a slow circle around me completely engulfing me in a world of their silvery glow.

Chania remains a favourite place for me. The Old  City, Venetian in origin, is wonderful at anytime, but has a special magic at night. This is the shoulder season so everything is open but without the pressing crowds of summer and also without the oppressive heat of summer that can often exceed 40C. 

Cool evenings and a late supper in a beautiful outdoor setting makes a nice end to another wonderful day on Crete.

Below, the harbour of Chania's Old Town at night

Blog Resumed, Sept 2013, Naxos

Being back in Greece it is time to resume the blog of my exploration of the Greek world. This time we are on the beautiful island of Naxos, the largest of the Cyclades Islands.

This is the view of the Aegean from our bedroom window at the Studios Adriani. 

It is like living in a travel brochure. The ocean breezes and swoosh of the waves wake us each morning. Breakfast on the balcony in the shade is a daily treat. Amazing sunsets, refreshing breezes, 80 degree ocean water, its perfect! Our landlady often brings small gifts of food, maybe a melon from her family farm in her mountain village, maybe a sweet honey pound cake from her kitchen - or a dish of hot moussaka straight from her oven. Always a delightful surprise! She speaks no English but wears a gigantic smile. Greek hospitality is awesome!

The Cyclades are a grouping of islands in the central Aegean that appear to loosely be arranged in a circle.

Naxos, the largest of the Cyclades, is home to the ancient gods Apollo and Dionysius. Naxos is an agricultural island and, when necessary in times past, could exist independent from all. The mountain villages still preserve some of the ancient ways while the coastal communities are more modern.

Dionysius was the god of the grape and this island certainly features delicious wine. Did wine originate here? Why not accredit to this place. It had to have originated somewhere!

These islands have been occupied since the late neolithic- or circa 5000 BCE, and became the home of a rich culture notable especially for their simple, distinctive and compellingly profound art. 

These people remain a mystery. The keystone place they occupied in the  origins of Greek mythology is obvious, as Apollo originates from here, but they are obscured from view by time as they pre-dated writing. 

Are these images of Gods? Are they worshippers? Are they the dead? Almost all are undoubtedly female- so, are they fertility cult figures?

Note the figure in the bottom left- it depicts a pregnant female.

Our studio apartment is on the edge of Naxos Town 

in the Grotta and overlooks the Portara- about 500 meters away.

The island in the distance is Paros. In 376 BCE the renewed Athenian navy defeated the Sparta navy. The battle of Naxos was one of the great naval battles of the ancient world. 40 years later the Cyclades came under the rule of Alexander the Great [333 BCE].

The Portara is an iconic marker for Naxos standing on an outcrop of land just above where the neolithic village had been located. This feature is the result of an unfinished temple to the Delian Apollo from the 6th century BCE and is quite unusual as it is not constructed on the normal common east west axis, but rather faces Delos, the most sacred of the Cyclades islands, to the north.

Why did construction stop? Was there a patron who died or ran out money? Did something political happen? Another mystery.

Apollo is one of the more complex of the Olympian gods associated with the sun, light, truth, prophecy, healing, music, poetry and more.  

In Roman times he would be associated with the emperor and thus many of the attributes rubbed off unto Jesus as the debate raged over who was the real Son of God. Much of it begins with Apollo

I snorkelled around the whole of this site the other day and was mesmerized by the thousands of colourful fish, the ancient Neolithic roads and foundations as well as the remains of a Bronze Age village, the remains of both are now below the water's surface since the cataclysmic volcanic explosion of Santorini, circa 1600 BCE, dropped the whole of the Aegean islands several meters further into the sea. Naxos itself was tilted 5 degrees. It's a force we can hardly imagine yet witnessed from a distance when the Christmas Tsunami wrecked havoc in South East Asia

So these are our digs for the first part of our trip. We are in the Grotto - the most ancient part of the town - named for the caves on the sea cliff.

I am also blessed with two lovely travelling companions, one an archaeologist and the other a professor of anthropology.

Life is good!

It is a short walk into the town and the Bourgo [the labyrinth] that leads up to the Kastro [Venetian castle] that dates from 1207, just 4 years after the end of the last [4th] Crusade. Above is a view of the busy harbour taken from the Kastro. Note the Church of Mirtidiotissa on the tiny island. I have no idea how one gets there other then by boat- none of which appear to be available for this purpose. One of the regular high speed ferries is arriving from another island. These ferries ranging from high speed, to fast to regular speed, arrive continually throughout the day linking the intricate life and economies of the islands. 

The Bourgo - an ancient  Greek area- was designed as a labyrinth of streets, allies, stairs; all for defensive purposes. Tiny spaces allowed for easier defence and the intertwining allies gave the defenders advantage over the confused attackers who would be disoriented.

In several places these walkways are hardly wide enough for two people to pass. However, regardless of where one is- it is almost impossible to take a bad picture.

If you wish simply click on a picture and it should enlarge.

Today the pathways offer ever changing vistas and quaint secluded cafes, tavernas, restaurants, homes and shops. 

Shopping is superb, vendors are friendly and informative. With many jewellers, artists, potters, glass blowers and clothing stores featuring their wears at every turn, nick and corner everyone finds something of interest. It is refreshing to go to a shopping area that does not offer more of the same, as we commonly experience in our cities. Here the small entrepreneur is still the most common business person. 

At many places, the houses above span the lanes so when we walk under a tunnel there may be a living room or bedroom above. When one buys a 'house' here you buy a part of a structure but not he land. Imagine the kinds of paperwork that requires! - but such is Naxos!

The Bourgo is mostly from the Greek period while the upper Kastro is located on the acropolis and dates from the Venetian rule. 

Naxos was the seat of power for Venetian Rule of the Aegean for many centuries and the Kastro was the home of the Venetian ruler- usually called the ambassador. 

 Below is the main entrance to the Kastro. The door is original dating from 1207. Lower class people who wanted to visit the ruling family would sit and wait amongst the guards in this space, sometimes for days, in hope of being granted an audience. Imagine coming day after day for many days and simply waiting for an opportunity to deliver your message or make your "Ask".

Below is the dungeon of the Kastro now converted into an art gallery. You can still see the timbers from which prisoners would be hung in nets, or by their arms, or in tight iron cages. The small black door on the bottom centre of the far wall opens into a "pit" where serious prisoners where shut in for 40 days. If after 40 days they were alive and disease free they were deemed innocent and realized. One can only imagine the horrors and terrors of this space. 

The Bourgo is dotted with lovely gardens such as this bougainvillaea overhanging the wall and stairway.

This shop has 5 ancient pillars [Ionic columns] relocated [ or re-purposed] from other places around the island. Stones and marbles from temples and other buildings are often salvaged and relocated. These stones are commonly seen in door ways and gates.

Such is Naxos, a jewel of an island in the middle of the Aegean Sea.

It is a wonderful place to visit and study!

Naval Museum Chania

The Chania Naval Museum is a collection of scale models wonderfully crafted. While I was there I found my way into the back workshop where two men were making yet another model from scratch. 


Human beings are known to have been building boats since the Metholithic [middle stone age] Period, about 13,000 years ago.

Circa 6000 BCE we begin to see advanced ships capable of real sea travel, the exercise of power and trade.

This is an example of one such design. Note the fish on the bow.

This is what an early Minoan trading ship is believed to have looked like.

Little archaeological evidence has been found of these early ships dating back 5000 years or more.

Much is conjecture from the evidence that does exist





The cutaway views are what really help us understand the nature and structure of these vessels.

Note the cargo hold and how large the capacity of these ships may have been. 

The Minoans pioneered real ship design and built the first sophisticated ships in the world.

China was also building great seafaring ships about the same time. Was there communication or a sharing of technology in the distant past? Recent evidence is suggesting windows of trade and travel opened and closed at various times in the distant past, especially in the bronze age when the Minoans reached their peak.





The advances in technology over a 1500 years are evident.

The use of human power [slaves?] speaks to the evolution of civilization.

This would have been a combat vessel with the early ram intended to 'spear' an opponent and provide a ramp for soldiers to board supported by others on the raised rampart.

This is a Greek warship that would have been built in the time of the Athenian Empire [500 BCE] which controlled the Aegean Sea and exercised power as far away as Italy.

It was these ships that held the Persian Empire at bay until Alexander the Great [300 BCE] invaded and destroyed them as a political power.







As an aside, the Jewish people of the Persian Empire gladly supported Persian rule as Persia protected their relative freedom, especially in terms of freedom of faith.

It was Cyrus who allowed the Jewish Exiles to return home in the year 539 BCE and rebuild the temple. This is when Judaism as we know it began



This is a Roman Trieme -so named because of its three banks of rowers. It was the Carthaginians that appear to have master the naval fighting ship and the Romans adopted their superior design.

It is estimated these ships could get up to 20 knots of ramming speed, for a brief time and under the right conditions.

These are the ships Augustus, Anthony and Cleopatra used at the decisive battle of Achtion that ended the Roman Civil War and began the Republic a couple of decades before Jesus was born.



This is the design of a Venetian ship circa 1200 CE. 

Can you imagine to work and patience that goes into building one of these models.

All the pieces are fashioned from scratch by these talented modelers.

The quality of the work is wonderful. Hundreds of hours go into each model.









 If I understood the one man who spoke some English in the workshop of the Museum, there are seven of them on the team who work away on various projects, some collectively and some independently.

The Museum features 6000 years of naval architecture researched from many sources and archaeological evidence.

Chania was a Venetian Port City beginning about 1200 CE.

This large model [about 8'X8'] shows how the city looked at that time.

Many of the old structures presented earlier in this blog can be located on this model.

The Museum also features more recent history.

This frigate represents some to the incredible quality of the ships as human beings approached the end of the age of sail.

If you have never visited a tall ship, it is well worth the visit to appreciate the technology of these vessels and the skill of teamwork required to work one.







At the turn of the 19th century the first sophisticated steel ships were being made into weapons platforms.

This is an example of one of these early 20th century ships






By the time of WW2, 40 years later, human beings had mastered the skill of killing one another at sea.

This is a six foot long model of a US battleship.

These capital ships came at the end of the age of battleships, as air power during WW2 revealed their vulnerability to air attack. 

The Museum has walk in displays such as this replica bridge structure of a small WW2 destroyer
















There is little here designed for comfort!










These are the mechanical parts of a German WW2 torpedo.

Again we are reminded that 80% of all the research that goes on in the world is first of a military nature.

Imagine if we could find the will to turn that number on its head and use 80% of our energy for the greater human good?




When I get to Athens next week I'm planning on visiting the naval museum in Pireaus.

On that site is the only surviving real dreadnaught in the world. These great WW1 battleships changed naval warfare.

However, if you are ever in Chania- this museum will be well worth the visit as this is just a taste of what it offers.  It is wonderfully laid out, well explained in English as well as Greek, and the old building itself is a treat with its arches, old windows and great architecture.