DEEP IN CRETE

CRETE - SEPTEMBER 2007



"AGIA TRIADA - The 1632 monastery of Agia Triada (Holy Trinity), located 16 km from Chania, in the Akrotiri peninsula, was built on top of a pre-existing church. With three domes, the main church is dedicated to the Agia Triada and the two side chapels to Agios Ioannis Prodromos and to Zoodocho Pighi (Source of Life). The façade of the church has columns of Ionic style and a bell tower was added to the monastery in 1864"



"ICONOSTASIS AND ALTAR - The interior of the church is stunning. The Beautiful Gate (or Holy Door) occupies the centre of the «templon»"



"GOUVERNETOU MONASTERY, dating back to around 1537, looks like a fortress. During the Greek Revolution of 1821 the Turkish troops sacked the monastery, and during World War II the German forces established a guardhouse there. The main church is dedicated to the Presentation of the Virgin"



"STAVROS BEACH - For those that were around already in 1964, Stavros beach was made famous by the movie «Zorba, the Greek», based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis and with the title character played by Anthony Quinn. There was a dance theme, «Sirtaki» that became popular as a song and as a dance. The famous scene, in which Quinn dances the Sirtaki, was shot on the beach at Stavros"


"IMBROS GORGE - Starting at an altitude of 1250m and getting down to the shores of the Libyan sea, Samaria Gorge is the most famous gorge in Crete. However, if you want to avoid the crowds, it would be better to try the smaller, easier, but also beautiful, Imbros Gorge"



"CHORA SFAKION - Located at the Libyan sea, in the southwest part of Crete, it has the fantastic «White Mountains», dominated by mount Pachnes (2453 metres high), in the background. With about 300 inhabitants, Chora Sfakion, where locals outnumber tourists, is named the place «where the mountains meet the sea»!"


"LIBYAN SEA - This designation was used by ancient geographers to name the portion of the Mediterranean Sea situated southerly of Crete and north of Libya"


"FRANGOKASTELLO BEACH - The road out of Chora Sfakion leading east along the coast gets through several typical villages (Comitades, Vouvas, Agios Nektarious, etc.). 12km far from Sfakion, turning to the right after Agios Nektarios, you get to Frangokastello. Located on a flat, windy plain that was not inhabited until very recently, it has nice beaches"



"FRANGOKASTELLO is famous for its castle, built by the Venetians in 1371-74 as a garrison to impose order on the rebellious Sfakia region, to deter pirates, and to protect Venetian nobles and their properties. The lion of St. Mark can still be seen above the portals"


"HEROES - In 1770, the Cretan rebel Ioannis Daskalogiannis was captured at Frangokastello by Turkish forces. He was later executed at Heraklion. On May 17th, 1828, a battle between Cretan soldiers and Turkish forces ended in the deaths of lots of locals. On each anniversary, it is said that ghostly apparitions of the dead men — nicknamed «Drosoulites», or dew shadows - take place. They have been explained as a meteorological phenomenon..."