A Wonderful Day in a Cretan Village | Elissos
Traditional Crete is what we love the most. We cherish exploring traditional Crete through its numerous unique authentic villages. Let us take you on a virtual journey to one of those beautiful and unique places in Crete!
One of the major characteristics of the island of Crete that we love the most is its traditional villages. There are so many beautiful little areas in Crete island which are dominated by old white plastered houses and stone-paved alleys. You admire the gardens full of colorful flowers and the smell of delicious fruits and vegetables in the air. The slowly cooked food coming from the windows as you walk by…
Local Architecture in Crete
One of our senses’ most favorite paradise is the village of Assites some 27 km from Heraklion. Let us take you on a virtual journey to this beautiful and unique place in central Crete!
In Assites village you feel as if time hasn’t passed. As if you are taking a long-lasting and rejuvenating trip in the old times. You walk down the pedestrian quiet narrow streets of the village lined by beautiful houses jumping up from different time periods. They are surrounded by flower gardens and plastered with beautiful colors. You see old stone-built traditional buildings, 19th century later houses, neoclassical and modern village architecture.
The Cretan „Philoxenia“
You can see the lady of the house sitting inside her living room with the door wide open, making lace or knitting, talking relaxingly to family members or simply cooking the family meal for the day. She says hello as she sees you walking by and asks with a big smile on her face where you come from and which “divine wind” brought you to her door.
Sheep and Goats Bells Making in Crete
Before you reach the village square you can pass by the sheep bells making workshop. People there are still occupied in ancient crafts and handicrafts preserving thus the old professions and traditions of Crete and making their living. The craftsmen stand in front of a workbench forging a sheet of iron which they transform into a bell. Then, they plunge it into the mud and bring it into the medal fire kiln. In the end, all bells look so shiny and you can surely tell and they are made with great care.
Byzantine Art in Crete
Reaching the central village square, the beautiful 16th-century Byzantine church of St. John captures your eye. It is there facing the stone-paved little courtyard where the locals meet under huge plane trees and by a water spring, a divine shelter for the hot summer days. Inside the church, you admire the old byzantine icons which decorate the reredos, the old imposing Latin-influenced arches, and the so well taken care of sacred space.
Traditional Basket Weaving in Crete
The next stop on your way through the village is the local basket weaving workshop.
Our lady artist has learned how to work with straw from her grandmother and has developed the technic with more ornamental motifs in her art. Big and smaller bread baskets, ornamented fruit baskets, miniature ones, and straw bracelets decorate her workshop and working space. It’s a whole process to harvest straw at the right time, sink it into the water and keep it moisturized before you start working with it, she explains. She also makes mosaics with beautiful stones she collects and several knitted items like bags and purses.
Leaving the basket weaving workshop one really wonders how many amazing old arts and crafts modern life has forgotten…
Cheese Making in Crete
Just around the corner stands the dairy and creamery of the village. The smell of fresh milk and freshly made cheese kills your nose and you have no other desire than to go in. The art of cheese making and his business inherited the owner of the dairy from his father, the best cheesemaker of central Crete, he tells us. Back then, and also still today, his creamery served all surrounding villages and almost every shepherd in the area would bring his milk to the dairy for turning it into delicious cheese. He shows us around, explaining the process from the moment he receives the milk all the way down to its pasteurization and preservation before it’s sold to the market. He treats us with fresh myzithra cheese and hot bread. My God, what a taste!
What about honey, one of us asks? Do you produce any honey in the region? We certainly do! He says and points out the house of the oldest beekeeper of the village.
Honey Making in Crete
A very warm and hospitable man welcomes us to his storehouse where he keeps his beehives in the winter and where he also brings the honeycombs from his hives in June/July when the time is right for the honey processing and production to start. He shows us his high-speed centrifuge that he uses to suspend honey from the honeycombs and treats us with tasteful honey right from the honeycombs! He knows so much about bees and their social structure we reasonably called him the bee-man!
Leaving the traditional village late in the afternoon our guests agreed on one fact: That was a really enjoyable day and they are certainly going back soon!!
Wishing to Experience a Day in Traditional parts of Crete? Don’t hesitate to reach us for our Best Suggestions!