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Village life in Crete
The daily life in the village goes on
at a quiet and relaxed pace you can get very close to the local
population and understand how they go about their daily routine.
The Cretans are very hospitable, and
particularly away from the tourist resorts the tourist is looked upon
as a guest rather than as a customer, therefore, it is not unusual
that you are invited to special events such as a wedding or a baptism
going on locally, very often you are invited into their homes for a
coffee or even a taste of raki (nicknamed fire water).
Every village has at least one taverna and one kafenion, the latter is
a kind of coffee- or rakihouse, at the kafenion the men of the village
usually meet and discuss politics and news over a cup of coffee, a
beer or any other type of refreshment, here also a lot of gossiping
goes on especially when there are women present.
At the local taverna freshly prepared
´horiatikó fagitó, meaning village type food is served daily as a
dish of the day together with fresh seasonal vegetables that are grown
in the village. In the larger villages the taverna offers a richly
varying menu to cater for any passing trade. Fresh fruit and local
cheeses are always available, should you require something different
from the menu, usually you can order it in advance.
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The charm of the
city-life.
The 3 largest cities of Crete, i.e.
Heraklion, Rethymnon and Chania, are all situated on the north coast,
particularly Rethymnon and Chania are very popular and charming
holiday resorts. Here you can experience city and night life and be
virtually next to the sea with all it's beaches.
The distinctive buildings in the cities
portray the Venetian occupation firstly followed by the Turkish
lasting centuries. These towns all have their own fortresses
descending to narrow and crooked streets towards their centres.
Taking a stroll through the old parts
of the town will give you a pleasant experience as you explore the
well restored buildings, small enclosed gardens and lots of colourful
flowers, there also is an abundance of shops, restaurants, bars and
souvlaki stalls. The music and dancing goes on till the early morning
hours.
Rethimnon boasts a 2 kilometre long
sandy beach to its front shoreline, which is very popular with the
sunbathing tourists and also the locals all during the summer months.
In the old harbour-district you will
find innumerable, small and charming restaurants serving daily caught fish and
other seafood.
Definitely worth a stay, and very
attractive if you go for colours and festivities.
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Coastal
beauty
Beaches here tend to vary from place to
place. Along the north coast which accommodates more tourists, have
long stretches of sand and some shingle and rock, in fact the north
east of the island, sees thousands of youngsters crowding the beaches
and bars along it, the theme changes as you start moving westward,
roughly 20 kms, before
you arrive in Rethimnon and some 30 kms there after.
After Rethimnon and still traveling
west towards Chania, you will find that the beaches are sandy and
wide.
Just out of Chania and for many more
kilometers. You will find sandy beaches and some secluded coves. The
south of the island has a different land line, the beaches seem to be
quieter and you can find isolated beaches to enjoy without the
maddening crowds, here the water of the Libyan sea is crystal clear,
there is a mixture of sandy and rocky beaches. In fact in some places
the mountains and their rock formations extend well into the sea,
which makes a good place for diving "not for the feint
hearted".
The south side of the island is termed
as the wild and wonderful with breathtaking scenery. The far northwest
side has the beach of Falasarna where the sand tends to be pinkish in
colour, whereas the far southwest has the island of Ellafonisi, where
you can cross to by foot through the shallow waters which are ankle
deep, on this little island you find a lot of birds, butterflies and
migrating birds that use it as a resting place on their journey.
If it's a beach holiday
that you are interested in, you will not find better.
Villas - Hotels - Apartments in Crete
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