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CRETE

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Crete is believed to be unique, and those who keep visiting the island are the living proof of that. Crete is not simply another of the hundreds of Greek isles but a distinct place that has it all. If you"re looking for such a place -full of fun, warmth, hospitality, Greek culture, vitality and perfect infrastructure- then look no further than enticing Crete. Crete consists of 4 prefectures, the ones of Herakleion, Rethymno, Chania and Lassithi.

 

The largest of the Greek islands and the firth largest in the Mediterranean, Crete has an area of 8261 sq.km and a 1040 km - long coastline. It lies south of the Aegean Sea, thus enjoying a privileged geographical position between three continents: Asia, Africa and Europe. To the south is the Libyan Sea, to north the Sea of Crete, to the east is the Karpathion Sea and to the west the Myrtoon Sea. The coastline consists of both sandy beaches and rocky shores. Rich in natural beauty and with a long history and a proud, vigorous and hospitable people, it concentrates the preference of a high number of visitors from all walks of life. The geographical position of the island was definitive for its historical course through the ages. The island"s strategic position has always been the center of disputes amongst super powers and, in 69 BC, after a fierce battle, it was the Roman"s turn to occupy Crete. Soon afterwards, the island was introduced to Christianity by Apostle Paul, and by 395 AD it had developed into a powerful province of the Byzantine Empire. About five centuries later, in 824 AD, the island was invaded by the Saracens, who ruled Crete for a century. It was on Crete that the meaning of Europe as a separate continent was grasped for the very first time, as Greek mythology has it. In this south-easternmost section of the continent the name Europe was mentioned for the first time. She was the beautiful daughter of the Phoenician King, Kidnapped by Zeus, who was greatly in love with her, and taken to that one place where he felt most at home: the island of Crete. Here, Zeus and Europe were united in matrimony and later named one of their sons Minos. The first European and one of the largest civilizations in the history of mankind later adopted this name: the Minoan Civilization. Thus, it is only natural that Crete is the birthplace of world-acclaimed artists and writers with Domenicus Theotokopoulos, the famous painter El Greco, and the writer Nikos Kazantzakis being only few of them. The film " Zorba the Greek" based on Kazantzakis" work was shot just outside Agios Nikolaos, the capital of Lassithi. Mythology aside, people talking about the island of Crete often realize how difficult it is to adequately describe this unique place with its countless historical, cultural and natural attractions. Crete"s splendor cannot be fully portrayed by any novel of series of articles, and one is unable to perceive its total historical and cultural character unless they live and experience the island"s unique atmosphere firsthand.

 

History speaks about a place where all the people regard hospitality as an integral part of their life, culture and tradition. In fact, according to Greek mythology, Zeus, the supreme deity and patron of hospitality was born and raised on Crete. Four thousand years ago (2000 BC) a great civilization, the first in Europe, flourished on the island with large cities such as Zakros in the east, Malia, Knossos, Archanes, Gortyna and Phaistos in the centre. The great wealth and might of these cities is witnessed by all the archaeological and historical sites, scattered throughout the island, and in the many museums featuring unique collections of Crete"s glorious past. The Archaeological Museum in Herakleion is one of the most important museums in the world and the largest on the island.

 

Around the 15th century BC, at a time when the Aegean was being subjected to great natural disasters, the Palace of Knossos showed signs of a Hellenic dynasty. The glorious Minoan - Mycenaean civilization became extinct around 1100 BC by the Dorians - a warlike tribe with new and more effective weaponry. They surrendered to the Byzantine Emperor, Nikiforos Fokas, in 961 AD, when Christianity flourished again and the island regained its former glory. A Mediterranean super power, Venice, purchased the island from the Genovese and ruled it between 1204 and 1669. Under Venetian rule, Crete became once again the cultural center of the Greek civilization. After the Venetians, it was the Turks who held Crete captive for two hundred years (1669 - 1889), marking an era of bravery for the island"s inhabitants. The Cretans preserved their own distinct culture, ensuring the longevity of their traditional heritage by manifesting their opinion and feelings through poetry and folk music. Knossos is the most famous archaeological site on Crete. It contains the ruins of the largest and most luxurious Minoan palace, built in the middle of a large town. The first palace was built around 2000 BC and destroyed around 1700 BC. The second one was built immediately afterward, more magnificent than the first. This was also destroyed, around 1500 BC, most likely by the terrible eruption of the volcano on Santorini. The excavations were carried out in 1900 by the English archaeologist Arthur Evans who then reconstructed certain sections of the ruins. Phaistos should also be another destination of great archaeological interest. The Disc of Phaistos, which can be seen at the Archaeological Museum of Heraklio, was found there and the symbols that this finding bears have not been deciphered yet.

 

The island"s climate is characterized by a nine-month-long summer and a mild winter, making it the ideal holiday destination for everyone. Crowded and deserted beaches, mountains, plateaus and plains, valleys, scenic hamlets, biting towns, gorges, islets, vineyards, orange and olive groves, markets and gardens with wild and specially cultivated flowers depict the ever-changing scenery of rural and modern Crete. As for its inhabitants, apart from sharing a number of admirable features such as hospitality and bravery, Cretans are said to live longer on average. In addition, the population of Crete produces the lowest percentages of deaths caused by heart attacks or various forms of cancer as far as the whole Europe is concerned. Their balanced life based on traditional ingredients found on the island seems to be the reason. Thus, visitors are welcome to find out more than they could imagine about the unique Cretan way of life which is woven with its splendid culture and natural beauties.

The larger towns of Chania, Rethymnon, Herakleion, Aghios Nikolaos and Sitia are situated on the northern coast, featuring large deluxe hotels, modern holiday resorts, villages, camping sites and a vast selection of seafood restaurants and taverns, scattered in-between fringing picturesque bays and long sandy beaches. Crete features the ideal holiday and business combination to suit every taste and wallet. The southern part of the island features a tropical climate, more in league with the African continent, with less towns, deserted beaches, and a slower pace creating the ideal conditions for peace and relaxation.

 

The island features an excellent public transportation network, linking cities to towns and villages, and giving visitors the chance to explore it from one end to the other. Highly specialized and fully organized travel agencies offer daily excursions across the island, while a wide range of car rental companies let tourists make their own itineraries. Another intriguing way for the visitor to explore Crete is by sea as yachting facilities provided on the island are of high quality. Crete has two of the most important ports of the East Mediterranean Sea, the port of Herakleion and the port of Chania (Souda). The island is connected with mainland Greece and quite a few of the Aegean islands, Europe and the rest of the world with a large number of ferries. There are two international airports, one in Herakleion and one in Chania. The island is connected with most of the airports in Greece, many European countries and Cyprus, with regular or charter flights. The island offers an unlimited array of choices from regular excursions and sight-seeing trips, to adventurous trekking holidays and mountaineering expeditions, designed to fulfill everyone"s desires and expectations, with steep rugged terrain, deep gorges, vast plateaus, thick oak forests, sheltered and secluded monasteries, and mountain villages seemingly forgotten in the past.

 

Natural attractions are Crete"s strong-point and a visit to the White Mountains in Chania, Psiloritis in Rethymnon and Herakleion, Asterousia in Messara, the Dictys Massif, and the mountains in Sitia are enough to convince anyone, not to mention the celebrated Samaria Gorge. Crete boasts around 3.500 caves, many of which were used as places of worship in ancient times. Adventurous tourists are advised to explore the Ideon Cave on the Psiloritis range, the Dicteon Cave in the east, and the caves of Camares, Gerani, Milatos, Scotinos, Cournas (by the island"s only lake),  Hellinospilio in Chania, the" Labyrinth" in Cortys - known in Greek mythology as the maze constructed by Deadalus for King Minos and used to confine the Minotaur - or any one of the hundreds of caves scattered throughout the island. Nature lovers might be interested to know that Crete has over 2,000 species of wild flowers and hundreds of different grebes, many of which feature in native remedies for a number of ailments. 

 

Crete is also the island of churches: in the hundreds, they range from chapels to monasteries and are all built and decorated in a style that dates back to Byzantium. Tourists may visit the monasteries and convents of Chryssoskalitsa, Gonia, Gouverneto and Aghia Triada in Chania, Arkadi and Preveli in Rethymnon, Vrontisi, Odigitria, Paliani, Aghia Irini and Kera in Herakleion, and Arete, Toplou, Kroustalenia and Faneromeni in Lassithi, which are of particular interest for their history, architecture and natural surroundings. Crete boasts clear blue skies and sunshine for over 300 days a year, and offers the unique opportunity for entertainment, recreation and relaxation, which create the ideal conditions for an unforgettable holiday, incentive of business trip. It has been designed to operate as a pole of attraction for conferences, seminars, symposia and summits of every kind, thanks to its vast conference and tourist infrastructure.

 

The University of Crete Research Center is also working on that and has in fact established relations and associations with a very wide range of universities and research centers worldwide, and has made highly significant steps in a number of different fields, including Medicine and Biology. Additionally, the island offers a unique opportunity for research into Minoan, Byzantine and modern civilizations. Incentives, congresses and any kind of event can be held on the island, as its modern hotels and luxurious resorts provide fully equipped conference halls with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities that practically guarantee absolute success. Crete has been the favorite destination for many international companies and organizations, with business and pleasure being ideally combined there, which only comes to add to the appreciation this Mediterranean island enjoys worldwide.

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