Before I left for Crete on September 15, I spent a great deal of my time gardening. I had a greenhouse built last fall – a long time dream – and I filled it with plants, some from long-time friend Marianne, who started her tomatoes in February. Florian made me three new raised beds – two outside the protection of a fence, and one within our fenced in area. I did everything I knew to bring the fruits of my labor to ripeness before I left, but except for the odd tomato, pepper and eggplant, I had to leave the bounty to my family, friends, and neighbors.
Of course I knew that I would share in an abundance of vegetables and flowers available throughout Crete – but I still would have liked to have had eaten some of my own home grown. In Heraklion, the main fruit and vegetable market is a sight to behold. Such abundance! And, every mile or so along many of the roads, you will see a small outdoor vegetable stand all with local produce. Coming in the fall this year, we are enjoying pomegranates and quince, yours for the picking as you walk along the mountain roads. The olives have another couple of months before harvest, but they’ve gone from green to black in the month we’ve been here. There are huge bunches of grapes hanging from vines begging to be picked.
You see many of the same flowers in parts of the US as you see here – bougainvillia, roses, bottlebrush, poppies, morning glories, etc. Of course at 7,000 feet where I live in Colorado, these are not to be seen, but at my kids’ home in LA, they are abundant. One new flower I discovered this year was the Cowpea, a species of the black eye pea (Vigna). It’s actually a type of herb, non-invasive, non-toxic. It’s a legume that has been used as forage for animals. The flowers are kidney shaped and as intricate as an orchid. Beautiful.
When our neighbors Tina and Dave LeMaster approached us about a trip to a fishing lodge near Chaitain, Chile, we were intrigued, to say the least. Our fishing adventures had taken us many places in the US and even down to the Bahamas, but we didn’t think South America would enter into play. We took the bait and started making our plans for an epic journey to get there and 9 days of hard fishing, ending with a visit to Santiago and the surrounding wine country. I’m actually writing this 7 months after our trip because I didn’t have a computer with me and just got too busy to resurrect my blog until now.
The trip down included flights from Durango to Dallas, Dallas to Santiago, Santiago to Puerto Montt, Puerto Montt to Chaiten, and then a couple hour drive to the lodge! We did spend the night in Puerto Montt across the lake from a volcano before the last couple legs! We arrived to some rain, which is par for the course down there, something I didn’t know until after we returned. If you look on your weather app for Chaiten, it’s raining down there 90% of the time. However, for us – we had 9 days of great weather – totally lucked out.
The lodge is run by Marcel, a Dutchman, who has been there for years guiding this fishing operation. He loves his life there and has made quite a name for his place. We shared a cabin with the LeMasters and walked over to the lodge for their innovative meals and family-style dining. We were lucky to meet some really lovely couples included some great folks from the Vermont/New Hampshire area, who we’re hoping will come to visit us in SW Colorado.
There was so much water down there, it was unbelievable. Expansive rivers with lots of fish and no people. Rafting, mile after mile in dense forest and blue skies and glaciers in the background There wasn’t much biomass but the rivers haven’t been overfished, so we were able to catch more than our share and some really big rainbows and browns. I had oftentimes of people having a 40 or 50 fish day and wasn’t sure I believed that until I boastfully say, I had that kind of a day on the 8th day of fishing. Everyday was good but on this particular day, it was cast and catch successively for hours. I’ve always said this has never been about the fishing, but that was pretty impressive.
We were fished out after 9 days – never took a day off and shoulders and arms were ready for a rest. We left our friends and headed to Santiago where we stay in one of the nicest Marriots we’ve ever run across. It helps that Florian has lifetime platinum status which gets us some nice perks. The down side of that was how many nights he’s had to spend in their hotels on business over the years…
Santiago was interesting. It’s a poor city of over 7 million people, and we were told to hold tight to all our possessions in several parts of the city. We saw Pinochet’s old mansion and remembered the many people who disappeared when he was President. We took the funicular up to the top of one of the mountains to get a view of the rather polluted city. We drove to the outskirts and visited two very nice Chilean wineries where we purchased some wine from old reserves and ate delicious farm to table food. For a trip that we had never planned on taking, it was quite an experience. We decided that we probably won’t book another 9 day fishing trip – back to the standard 5 days. The 70’s are changing some things.
Although staying in the sweet mountain town of Pendamodi all month is a great option, there are many places to see on Crete, which stretches 160 miles in length, but only 45 miles in some places in width. The topography is as varied as my home state of Colorado – fields, mountains, streams, desert, but all beautiful in their own right. One of our side trips this summer was to Ierapetra on the southeast shore of the island. We were surprised to find a city with over 20,000 people. And the views, of course are spectacular.
manyconquerors. The Fortress of Kales, built in the early years of Venetian rule, was built to protect the harbor, and is a remnant of this period. Later, when the Ottomans occupied the island, a mosque was built and remains in the old town section.
We visited a small museum, which was formerly a school for Muslim children. An interesting number of finds from Ierapetra’s past can be found in the Museum of Antiquities. The exhibition’s centerpiece is a well-preserved statue of Persephone and some pottery dating back to the Minoan period.
Ierapetra is driven by agriculture in the winter and tourism in the summer. Olive oil has been produced there since Minoan times but presently, large quantities of fruit and vegetables have also been exported. Greenhouses surround the city and as you drive by, all you see are plants overtaking their space. It’s quite impressive. This part of Greece definitely requires another visit.
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“Let Food be Thy Medicine and Medicine be Thy Food” said Hippocrates. Whether you lived 2700 years ago in the time of Hippocrates, or today in the time of James Beard, who said “Food is our common ground, a universal experience,” food is certainly one of the basic needs in life, and also can be one of the most enjoyable. There is no better place than Crete to experience the joy and healthfulness of eating!
one of the pillars of their heritage. The Greek culinary art has many nutritious legumes, really nutrient-rich dairy products like feta yogurt and cheese, plant type-organic products like honey, fresh vegetables, extra virgin olive oil as well as olives, fresh fish and meat.
One of the most remarkable things about the Greek cuisine is the fact that they produce such a variety of dishes with just a few basic items: olives and olive oil, bread, cheese (especially feta), tomatoes, garlic, nuts, honey, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, zucchini, and fish and either goat or lamb. Of course there are some additions here and there but these are the staples that they combine in the most creative of ways. I have shared some photos of some of the elegant of presentations of these healthful, delicious foods.
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and wines, to great hikes that highlight the beauty of the island, we are truly spoiled.
Last year we met a local Cretan named Georgio who works as a body shop mechanic by day, and a poet by night! We exchanged emails throughout the winter, and I shared a copy of my book, 52 Rivers. At the end of our stay last year, he took us out for gyros in a nearby taverna. This year, he invited us to his house for a barbecue. It was wonderful to go to a local home and experience real life here on the island. His wife, son and son’s girlfriend all greeted us with a meal that never stopped. Talk about My Big Fat Greek Wedding! How about my Big Fat Greek Barbecue!
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It is one of Crete’s most popular tourist spots. The day we went, it was difficult to get a couple of lounge chairs with their fake palm tree umbrella overhead, but we did for $20. The lines for food were long and the food was expensive. After hanging out at our home in the small mountain town of Pendamodi, we felt very out of place there. Instead we headed back to the southern shore town of Paleochora, where we grabbed a couple of lounge chairs and were served drinks and food with about a dozen people on the whole beach.
One highlight of the trip to Elafonisi was a stop at a local beekeeper/ olive stand. The gentleman knew a fair amount of English, and we were taken by his dozens of bee hives and honey operation. Cretan honey is wonderful – I suppose as good as our local Bayfield honey in Colorado. But, it seems really special, and that’s what matters! And the olives were truly delicious. They were wrinkly and salty with an allure that made it difficult to stop eating them.
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We left our little village and headed west towards Mount Psiloritis. Also known as Mount Ida, it is the highest mountain on the island of Crete, with an elevation of 8,057 feet. It has the highest topographic prominence of any mountain in Greece. At one point they started building a ski resort on the mountain, but it was never completed.
We drove through a natural park, which includes Mount Ida. It is a member of UNESCO’s Global Geoparks Network. Boy, is it rugged! Our little Toyota Aygo – and I do mean little – did a great job of four wheeling on washed out roads where we found company only in the form of goats. It’s a vast area with unbelievably steep hills and truly perfect for goats. They were decked out with their long hair of vastly different colors, all with bells around their necks and quite shy. I’m very grateful for their delicious cheese.
We ended up in Anogeia (think “annoy-a”), a town we also visited last year, and one of our favorites. The family that owns the taverna where we lunched has been there for generations. They roast a side of lamb in their outdoor barbecue daily and serve a full menu of greek dishes. I had my favorite Briam and cheese pies filled with a sweet, steaming hot misithra cheese along with my Freddo Cappuccino (steamed milk).
There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to come back for a month after our stay here last year during the month of June. Of course I didn’t expect it to be the same, and it certainly is not. Not only is the weather different, but how I am relating to my time here is different. I have adapted to the slower pace of life by not feeling as driven to see every historical site and quaint town on the island and instead staying put and enjoying our special place. It’s hard to believe we’ve been gone a week already and I’m just getting my first blog posted. Back in the days of my 52 rivers trip, I was posting something every day!
I am still participating in some of my favorite things to do – go to the Greek market, walk in the grape and olive tree fields, eat amazing olives and feta, and study Greek. Who would have thought I would be learning Greek as a senior member of society. I love pushing my mind to stay as sharp as I can.
As I sit on our balcony drinking a cup of tea with honey from our local apiarist (ha! beekeeper), eating local 
yogurt with ripe strawberries and mulberries from the tree in our yard, I am more grateful than ever for the joys that life can bring.
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sampled tacos with guac and grasshoppers!
We were able to do some “deep” sea fishing and caught enough Yellowtails to have a dinner of fish made at the bistro that consisted of ceviche and three presentations with the fish. DEElicious! Fishing was a bit unusual in that the guides did all the catching and we were only allowed to reel them in. Not exactly my idea of fishing but fun nevertheless.
We enjoyed such great weather that we extended our stay by 5 days just because we’re retired and can do it. How spoiled is that?!
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Tavernas date back to the time of Aristotle – as far back as the 4th Century! They were and remain a meeting place or a community hub in Greece. Tavernas are most lively in the evening although they’re usually open by midday. In the evening, they involve entertainment, dancing, and alcoholic beverages, such as local wine. They are like an American restaurant but they offer more than food – they offer a good time! In fact, the more a taverna resembles a restaurant, the more likely it is to be less authentic and more touristy. There are several unique attributes to a taverna including the following:2. At our local taverna in Pendamodi, you are served the meal of the day. That is not to say that there
are some alternatives, but we don’t see a menu – the proprietor is the menu! This is not true of all tavernas, but the most local operate like this.3. When you order something, it comes in quantities that make it communal. If it’s stuffed grape leaves, you get a plate of a dozen, which you share.
4. When you order fish, expect to get the whole thing – head, tail, and all. And, it’s always fresh within a couple of days – never frozen. (I bought two sea bass at the farmers market for 5 euros!)
5. You get free fruit at the end of the meal – whatever is fresh that day. Sometimes it’s melon, sometimes apricots, or cherries or something unknown to you!
6. An after dinner shot should be expected as well – raki, tsipouro, mastica, tentura.
7. If you’re lucky enough to go on a night of music, be prepared to dance and get free lessons!