The chef, Mrs Tonya Karandinou, runs an internationally acclaimed restaurant called The Balcony, near the harbour in Sitia, eastern Crete. She has travelled to London specially, to prepare our lunch, bringing with her high quality, organic, local produce from Crete. On the menu are dishes based on fresh fruit and vegetables, grains, legumes, cheese and extra virgin olive oil: all ingredients of the Cretan Mediterranean diet, which is acknowledged to give a long and healthy life.

Tonya leaves the kitchen several times to talk to us at our tables and find out what we think of our lunch. Her passion for food and cooking is obvious, so what’s her secret? “ Love”, is her reply. Everyone around the table is impressed with the food.

I visited Crete last year. As different dishes are served, memories of enjoyable meals in places like Chania, Rethymnon and Heraklion come flooding back. My travels did not take me as far east as Sitia, where some of the best Cretan extra virgin olive oil is produced. The nearest I got was Agios Nikolaos.

Grassy green-gold, fruity olive oil is waiting for us to dip our rusks in as we sit down to our meal, with a choice of wines from the Sitia Union Winery. The red is a ripe, soft and fruity Sitia 2008 and the concentrated, dry white wine, Sitia of Crete 2008, is made from the native vilana and thrapsathiri grape varieties.

Mezedes or starters include fava, or split-pea purée, and Cretan dakos, tomatoes and cheese on barley rusks. There is also dolmades, vine leaves stuffed with rice and minced meat, served with tzatziki, a yoghurt, cucumber and garlic dip.

Next come four different main course dishes. Oven-cooked lamb is served on a bed of potatoes with artichoke hearts and Cretan wild herbs. The cuttlefish dish, dressed in a wine sauce with spinach and herbs, is unbelievably tender. How does Tonya achieve this soft, melting consistency? “I cook it for just ten minutes.” she says.

Xerotigana and kalitsounia pastries are served for dessert, with delicious Cretan yoghurt and honey, sprinkled with chopped pistachios.

When I visited the island, I asked why meals are made up of so many different courses, and why eating takes up so much time. “Well, meals are not just for eating. They are for enjoying with family and friends, and for discussions.” I was told. “Besides, you might feel hungry again and need to eat some more”.

Mrs Tonya Karandinou and lady wearing traditional Cretan dress

We take our time to savour today’s traditional Cretan lunch, enlivened by a performance of traditional dances, shared in stimulating company and spiced with lively discussion.

The Sitia wines can be ordered through Mr. Sotiris Meredidis, Director of Sitia Limited
Fax: +44 (0)208 907 2902 Mob: +44 (0)793 048 4424

Extra virgin olive oil and other Greek foods can be ordered from – www.odysea.com

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Things are quiet in the old Venetian harbour in Chania. It’s a sunny Sunday morning after the Saturday night before and the lively restaurants and tavernas lining the harbour have not quite woken up. The sea is clean and clear, with a surprising number of fish swimming around moored boats. Large shoals of tiny sprats flow as if carried on currents; a few flip sideways suddenly, flashing silver sides. Long narrow fish with sharp pointed noses ripple by like ribbons. Fish jump out of, and splash back into, the sea.

I walk towards the Blue Adventures Diving boat  to enjoy a morning of swimming, snorkelling, scuba-diving and sun-bathing, out in the Aegean Sea. As the boat gets ready to leave, two barbouniaki or red mullet, cruise into view, side fin to side fin, looking like a pair of flirtatious twins dressed in their pink Sunday best.

On board, our PADI instructors tell us to watch out for fireworms, while in the water. They carry stings in their filaments and pain from the burns can last for 24 hours. Luckily, we have no problems with these while swimming and diving, and see sea urchins, an octopus and many more fish.

A cormorant swoops down, close to where the boat is anchored near Macherida Beach. Paddling in a straight line, like a battery-operated toy, it mechanically plunges its beak into the water at regular intervals. Finally, up it comes with a fish, throws its head back, and swallows its catch in one neat gulp.

CretAquarium, part of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, is the place to get up close to the sea creatures in these waters. All the marine world of the Mediterranean is on show here, at the old American base in Gournes, near Heraklion.

Number one on my ‘to see’ list is the Caretta caretta or Loggerhead sea turtle. “It was swimming around with the divers who maintain the tanks earlier,” says marine biologist, Dr Aspasia Sterioti. Now the turtle is very well camouflaged and in hiding. Everything else is moving and swimming around in full view, including sharks, moray eels, groupers and sea anemones. Like a prima ballerina, an octopus puts on a show of extremely graceful pirouettes. Jellyfish propelling themselves in slow – motion, in a nearby tank, could be a corps de ballet dressed in white tutus.

I stare hard at a school of large sea bream. They look exactly the same as the fish that delivered the kiss of death: in my first encounter with Cretan sea life.

Words and pictures by by Myrisa Luke

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“The most luxurious thing we have here is nature”, says Tassos Gourgouras, welcoming our group to Milia (www.milia.gr/english.html).  This restored mountain settlement is an international eco-tourism award-winner.  Once derelict, these traditional stone farmhouses near the village of Vlatos in western Crete, are now comfortable, rustic eco-apartments, decorated with local furniture and powered by solar energy.

All year round, people come here for alternative holidays, close to nature and away from the crowds.  On the balcony outside the warm and welcoming taverna, we inhale fresh, clean mountain air, sipping infusions of mountain tea sweetened with local honey.  As we admire the scenery, visitors can be seen trekking along the mountainside across the valley.

Organic produce, including wine from the settlement’s farm, is served in the taverna.  Guests can get involved in the agricultural and farming activities. Appetising aromas emerge from the kitchen, where lunch is being prepared, including boureki (courgette, potato and mizithra cheese pie), vlita (wild greens) and salads.

Loaves of bread made from three different types of flour are ready for baking.   We discover why helping in the kitchen is so popular and have great fun manouvering loaves of bread into the wood-fired oven, with a long-handled wooden board.

Afterwards, we walk down to the farm, via the amphitheatre, across a small bridge over a stream, up to terraces planted with olive and carob trees, brushing against pungent wild oregano on the way.

Milia is the Greek word for apple tree; we pick apples to feed to the cows.  Free-range chickens squawk nearby, next to the calves being weaned from their mothers.  A griffin vulture glides overhead, before swiftly vanishing into the blue sky.

Back in the kitchen, the bread is ready to remove from the oven.  Before sitting down in the taverna for our Cretan meal, we chat with some Canadians who are spending a week here, and a Danish couple, here for lunch because they heard how tasty the food is.  Our freshly baked bread disappears as soon as it is put on the table.

As we leave, we turn and look back.  The eco-friendly buildings of local stone and wild chestnut from the surrounding woods blend naturally, almost imperceptibly, into the landscape.

It is a 45-minute drive, past Topolia gorge, to Elafonissi on the southwest coast, one of the most beautiful beaches on the island.  Small particles of crushed pink shells are washed up onto the long, wide beach, turning the sand pink. By the time we arrive in the late afternoon, many day-trippers have already left.

The beach feels very safe because the clear, turquoise sea is so shallow near the shore.  We swim before walking across to an islet, through thigh-high water.  After enjoying the natural beauty of the sea and the surrounding landscape, we leave just after 6.00 pm, when other people are packing up and leaving too.

We return to the calm and peaceful Cavo Spada Luxury Resort and Spa (www.cavospada.gr) on a tranquil beach 18 km west of Chania, where we are staying.  Our day ends here, on a moonlit terrace overlooking the pool and the sea, after a very enjoyable evening meal.

Milia is in the governing district of Chania, about 60 km from Chania town centre.
Our group was driven round the island in comfort by Solmar Tours (www.solmar.gr)

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The biggest and main area in Crete is Heraklion. It is home to about 275,000 inhabitants and is the largest city on the Island and considered its capital. Tourism is the main industry of Crete. Its economy is mainly driven by the arrival of tourists on its shores. That is why it considers its visitors with care and tries to ensure that the tourists would have a wonderful time in the island. After all, it is tourists that pump blood into the economy of the island.

Crete was once considered the centre of the ancient Minoan civilization. The island provides evidences of the achievements, knowledge and power of this ancient Bronze Age culture through the various palaces, tombs and other sacred sites found throughout the area. This provides a historical backdrop that would guide tourists of what to look for while in Crete.

The main language used in Crete is Greek. And because the island is a main tourist destination, many of the inhabitants can understand and speak English. Even those located in the small villages on the island can speak and understand English, making communication with foreigners not that much of a problem on the island.

Getting into the island can be made through various means. By plane, Crete can be reachable through the three significant airports located in the island. There’s the Nikos Kazantzakis airport that is located at Heraklion, named after its famous author that produced various works ‘Zorba the Greek’ being one. There is also the Daskalogiannis military airport available in Chania where tourists can land on Crete. A new public airport is also located in Sitia where visitors can also make use of to get into Crete. There are several flights available for Crete that usually departs from the main island of Greece.

The island can also be reached by ferry. There are various ferry services located in mainland Greece as well as the other islands that service Crete. The trip usually takes 2.5 hours from the mainland. Going around Crete can be done through an inland bus service that operates around the island. The bus schedules are fairly frequent and serve many parts of the island. Some buses even divert trips from their usual route in order to bring tourists to small villages if asked. Public transportation is by far the most convenient and affordable means of going around Crete.

Car rentals are also available if you wish a more private and more personal adventure on your visit to Crete. But tourists may need to bring along their drivers license for this and make sure that the car insurance covers them to the places that would be visited. Petrol stations also close early, usually around 7pm.

It might be important for private car tourists to fill up beforehand so as not to let an empty gas tank on an isolated part of the island spoil your Greece vacation.

KTEL Bus Service http://bus-service-crete-ktel.com/

Travel Bus Services http://www.cretetravel.com/Bus_schedules/

Flight connections to Crete http://www.crete-connections.com/Travel.htm

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Something that particularly caught my eye there, was a fragment from a fresco, showing a Minoan woman with a beautifully made-up face, red-painted lips and long, wavy hair.  She is a priestess from a fresco at the Palace of Knossos, dated 15th century B.C; to me she looks like a princess.  The fresco was found when the Minoan capital of Knossos (which is a fascinating place to visit) was excavated in the early 20^th century.  She was nicknamed “La Parisienne” because of her sophisticated, chic good looks.

La Parisienne

The restaurant’s setting is very romantic, surrounded by palm-fringed gardens, with the sea in the distance.  It is beside a pool, shaped like a small lake, with part of the restaurant as an ‘island’ in the lake.  A silken-voiced musician provided live music.  It was obvious how much he enjoyed performing.

Our taste buds discovered the secrets of fine Cretan cuisine.  The food was excellent, so was the wine.  The conversation flowed, in between five different courses.  All during the meal, I couldn’t help thinking of the fresco and marvelling at the striking resemblance, sitting across the table from me.

Finally, at the end of the meal, I leaned forward and plucked up the courage to tell her, Valia, how much she looks like a Minoan princess.  “I know what you mean,” she said, “It’s my hair,” pointing to her long hair falling in large, loose waves, “and my nose”, turning to show her profile.

It was more than that.  It was also the eyes, the eyebrows, and perhaps even her earrings.  There seemed to be no distance in time between that portrait painted 3,500 years ago, and the present.  Valia exuded the aura of a Minoan princess and could so easily be “La Parisienne’s” daughter.

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My first day in the tiny town of Makrigialos – three hours by crowded bus from the noisy capital of Heraklion. The slow pace comes as a refreshing change. Somewhat of a tourist draw, this small village manages to retain its quaint charm despite the influx of shops hawking screen-printed beach towels and inflatable water toys. As I meander down the dusty main street, a local grocery catches my eye. I wander in, quite frankly not knowing what to expect, since as I’ve found in Greece, things can be a bit chaotic. I’m rewarded with rows upon rows of fresh produce grown nearby the village. After paying, I soon enjoy my lusciously sweet peaches as I retreat to Villea Village, my resort for the duration.

Built right across the street from the beach, the little resort complex of Villea Village on the edge of Makrigalos retains a sophisticated yet relaxed atmosphere – such a hallmark that in fact, the resort displays numerous hotel-association plaques naming it number one in customer service several years running. Terracotta tiles, white-washed walls and blue and green glazed room numbers lend smart details to the tranquil setting. And my quasi-apartment stays in keeping with that attention to detail. A marble floor, bright yellow curtains and French doors look out onto a secluded balcony.

As I step out and sit on my balcony, the scent of pine, sea breeze and oleander waft over me in the starry twilight. The whine of motorcycles and chirp of crickets intermingle with a low hum of people’s voices murmuring over a late (11 p.m.) dinner. Occasionally, Greek melodies also drift up from the shop across the street but become partly obscured by the traffic noise and the crickets. Warmth radiates from the white tiles beneath my feet, the heat left over from the sun’s persistent rays during the day. It’s so peaceful here it’s like a drug — the tranquility seems to seep into the blood, resulting in a beautiful level of serenity and calm. Everything has an idyllic quality.

The sense of pure and simple ‘rightness’ washes over me just as the soft breeze brushes against my skin. Blue shutters on the French doors stand open to let the only light besides my computer screen illuminate my table and chair as I type.

I’m really here. Sitting on Crete! To be precise, I’m sitting on my little balcony overlooking a grove of olive and pine trees surrounded by mountains in the background and the Aegean Sea behind me. It’s dark out now — the best time to be outside in Greece in the summertime, actually, I’ve found, because it’s pleasantly cool with a nice breeze. I absolutely love this balcony and could sit out here for hours! It’s so peaceful, picturesque and gorgeous. And the sea — wow. It’s amazing! Such a beautiful bluish-green. It’s gloriously surreal!

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