So I left Hania last Friday and took the bus to Heraklion, the capital and largest city in Crete. First of all, the bus ride from Hania to Heraklion was spectacular. One of my favorite things since I've been in Crete has been driving/riding around the island. I have always loved driving through mountain roads. I think it goes back to my childhood when I would meet my grandparents in Dillsboro, NC and we would drive through the Appalachian Mountains along I-40 on the way to their home in eastern Tennessee. Something about those sweeping mountain views just moves me in a profound way and makes me feel connected to the earth in a very spiritual sense. Anyways, I got to Heraklion Friday afternoon and after checking into my hotel, I checked out the city. It is a big city and on the surface it is not as aesthetically pleasing as Hania or Rethymno. However, there are still some cool sites and I have enjoyed my time here. For starters, I visited the gravesite of my favorite author, Nikos Kazantzakis. Kazantzakis (author of Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ, among numerous other works) was born in Heraklion and grew up in a village just outside of town. I first fell in love with his work when I was studying abroad in Athens and I read Zorba the Greek. I absolutely loved that novel and it has become my favorite book (I've read it at least 3 times). Since then, I have read most of his other novels and I am currently reading The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel, his sequel to Homer's Odyssey that picks up Odysseus' journeys after returning to Ithaca. I could go on and on about Kazantazakis, but I digress. His grave is on top of the old Venetian walls in Heraklion and it has gorgeous views of the city and surrounding countryside. It also looks down on the stadium of the minor league soccer team in Heraklion and I was able to catch part of a game while I was up there. There are also lots of beautiful churches in Heraklion and I have enjoyed checking out the icons and other artwork found in those places.
I have also taken a couple day trips into some mountain villages near Heraklion the last couple of days. First, I visited the village of Anoyia, about 1 hour southwest of Heraklion. My classmate at Via Lingua who was from Hania told me that Anoyia was a great example of a traditional Cretan mountain village so I made it a point to visit. Again, the journey to Anoyia through the mountains was spectacular, and the village was really cool. When I arrived, I just wandered through the streets and enjoyed the scenery (Picture #1). The village is divided into two parts, the lower village which is in a small valley, and the upper village which is essentially built into the side of a mountain (Picture #2). After exploring the village and taking in the beautiful mountain scenery, it started to rain, so I found a taverna recommended by my guide book and stopped in for lunch. The grilled lamb was spectacular and I tried some local wine as I waited for the weather to pass. It finally stopped raining so I continued my exploration and came across a really interesting WWII memorial. After the Battle of Crete in 1941, the Germans brutally occupied the island until 1944. However, there was widespread resistance to the occupation and Anoyia, due to its mountainous location, was a center of this resistance. Therefore, the Germans ordered the complete destruction of the village and executed all of the adult men. The monument had a statue with the name of those executed as well as the copy of the German order to destroy the village and it was a very interesting site. It started raining again so I found another local spot where some old Greek dudes were hanging out and drinking and joined them in the festivities. It was really funny as they kept trying to ask me questions and I did my best in my very limited Greek to converse with them. After about an hour, I had to catch the bus back to Heraklion but even with the rain, it was an enjoyable afternoon.
I also visited a village called Archanes located only 30 minutes south of Heraklion. Archanes is a wealthy farming village and is located in a lush, fertile valley that was extraordinarily beautiful(Picture #3) . After arriving in town, I hiked up a hill to an ancient Minoan site. Unfortunately, the site was closed for the day but the views were well worth the hike. On one side of the hill was a view of the valley and mountains, and on the other side was a view down to Heraklion and the sea. I walked through an olive grove and found a secluded spot that provided 360 degree views of the area (Picture #4). There was nobody else in sight and I just sat there for about half an hour enjoying the view and meditating on life. It was Sunday afternoon so I couldn't help but think about all the people back at First Pres getting to church and getting ready for the day. While I definitely miss everybody back at FPC, I couldn't help but think that I enjoyed my current setting more than FPC on a Sunday morning. Anyways, I slowly made my way back down to Archanes and explored the town. There were some cool little churches and lots of old houses and narrow streets to explore. I stopped at a local cafe for a coffee before catching the bus back to Heraklion. At least that was the plan. They told me the last bus back to Heraklion came at 6:00 pm so I was at the bus stop at 5:50. And I waited, and waited, and waited, but no bus. At about 7:00 I was getting a little worried and asked some locals what was going on. They seemed confused and assured me the bus would come. At 7:30 I thought I was screwed for sure and figured I would have to pay for a hotel room in Archanes, but a taxi showed up and offered a ride back to Heraklion for 10 euros. I jumped at this opportunity and was so thankful to make it back to the city. Even with that madness, it was a pleasant Sunday afternoon.
So that basically concluded my Cretan journey and this blog is about to take a very different turn. I take the ferry back to Athens tomorrow night and then I'm off to Africa. For those of you that don't know, I have accpeted a teaching job in Khartoum, Sudan. I will write one last blog entry tomorrow morning going into more detail about that. But for now, I'm signing off from Crete.
No comments:
Post a Comment