Crete

CRETE is with its 8,336 km² the largest Greek island and the 5th largest island in the Mediterranean. Its population is 650.000 inhabitants. It lies at the Southern Aegean Sea and at the crossroads of three continents Europe, Asia and Africa. The capital of Crete is Heraklion with 137.711 inhabitants.

The climate on Crete is temperate. The winters are fairly mild, whereas summers are hot and dry. In June the average temperature is 24.4°C and in January 12.3°C. Snowfall is only common in the mountains between November and May.

Crete is a mountainous island and the island's history, as well as the personality of its inhabitants was greatly affected by these mountains. In the west there are White Mountains (Lefka Ori) 2453m high. In the centre there is Mount Psiloritis (Idi), which is 2456m and in the east there is Mt Dikti (2148m). Cretan mountains form a continuous chain from one end of the island to the other and they make the island look much larger than it really is.

Cretan History starts at 6000 BC, when the island was first inhabited. The best known period is the Bronze Age (2600-1100 BC), the period of the Minoan Civilization. During that period Cretans colonised Cyclades Islands . At that time the palaces of Knossos, Festos and Zakros were also built. Other attractions include the Minoan sites of Knossos with legend of Minotaur and the palace of Phaistos, the Roman capital of Gortys, the Venetian castle Rethymno and the Smaria Gorge. While Egyptians were afraid of the "Big Blue", Minoan ships used to travel and trade all around Mediterranean Sea. The cultural influence of the various nations Cretans came in contact with, gave birth to this civilsation that we still admire and which is considered to be the first high-level civilisation in Europe.

There are two international airports operating in the island in Heraklion (Nikos Kazanztzakis) and in Chania (Ioannis Daskalogiannis) while a smaller one located in Sitia (East Crete) will soon be operational. The island is connected with most of the airports in Greece, Cyprus and many other European countries, with regular or charter flights. There are also several ferry and ship connections with the mainland Greece and other countries.

Cretan cuisine as well as the Greek as a whole has been very strongly influenced by Turkish and Middle Eastern. Local specialties are the graviera cheese (a kind of gruyere) and myzithra, creamy white cheese often served instead of feta in the common Greek salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and onions. There is nothing delicate or precious about the cooking. Fish is usually baked or grilled with nothing more elaborate than a sauce of oil and lemon, the meat - traditionally lamb or goat - is grilled or cooked as a stew. Spices are minimal: maybe a little pepper and some local herbs. The main attributes of the local cuisine are year-round fresh fruit and vegetables, seafood, olive oil and other ingredients.