Five New Books about Crete - Apokoronas area

This morning I was delighted to hear about some new books celebrating our area of Apokoronas written by a good friend of mine. Lots of lovely photographs - and some walks too. They are available on Amazon and Apple iBookstore. I hope you enjoy them.

A message from the author:

"These all came about because I started to ask myself “why have I got so many nice photos on my computer where nobody can see them?” So last autumn I decided to compile a book. One thing led to another and before I knew it I had those  photo books finished, all related to the Apokoronas and the walks I do.

 The first book ‘Crete Walks’ is primarily aimed at tourists who come over here and leave without any knowledge of the nice countryside we have in the Apokoronas. As many people are now using eBooks that is why I have used that format for these new books." Geoff Needle.

Crete Walks

A selection of 25 country walks passing through different parts of the Apokoronas area of north-west Crete. The Apokoronas area has a diverse terrain that ranges from a rocky coastline with caves, coves and sandy beaches, large flat plains of citrus and olive groves, old villages, small churches, rivers and streams, and the high foothills of the White Mountains that are snow covered for up to six months each year. These walks take you to all those places. The walks would suit tourists that want to explore the quiet countryside away from their chosen resort or local people that have not had the opportunity to explore some of the nice countryside further afield from where they live. The walks pass through the nicest and quietest parts of the local countryside. The directions are fully detailed with their length and description of the terrain to be met along the way. An introduction gives more information about the Apokoronas area and various aspects of life in Crete.

For Amazon information please click here Crete Walks

Images of Crete - The Apokoronas Area

A collection of 30 photographs from different parts of the Apokoronas area of north west Crete. Each photograph has a description with additional information about the area or various aspects of life in Crete. Anyone visiting the Apokoronas area should get a good idea of the area from these images and their descriptions, learn of some of the interesting places to visit and what life is like living in the area.

For Amazon information please click here Images of Crete

Images of Crete- Wild Flowers

A personal collection of 60 photographs of wild flowers taken around the countryside tracks of the Apokoronas area of north-west Crete. They show the wide diversity of colours and shapes of the flora to be seen in the Cretan countryside that help to make walks and rambles along these tracks so pleasurable.

For amazon information please click here Images of Crete - Flowers

Images of Crete - Insects

A personal collection of 60 photographs of insects taken around the Apokoronas area of north-west Crete. They show the wide diversity of colours, shapes and sizes of the insects to be seen in the Cretan countryside. They represent only a minute sample of the estimated 950,000 different species of insect to be found around the world. While some types are considered pests to humans or crops there are many other types that have some behaviour or characteristic that makes them highly beneficial to have around. They are truly amazing and very important creatures.

For Amazon information please click here Images of Crete - Insects

Images of Crete - Loose Ends

A personal collection of 60 photographs from different parts of Crete. As there is no theme to this book it has been given the rather unusual title of Loose Ends. Each photograph has a story behind it which is explained. Many photographs provide an opportunity for a digression on some relevant aspect of photography based on the author’s experience.

For Amazon information please click here Images of Crete - Loose Ends

These are also available on the Apple i bookstore

"Chocolate Chunks From Crazy Crete"

After my blog about good Cretan reads I have been told about a new book due to be published. I have to read it yet, but, as it involves the area in which I live it is likely to be entertaining and I thought many of you would be interested too.

It is a collection of tales about some of the author's experiences. Some are true, or based on some degree of truth, whilst others are complete fiction.  Some are crazy, hence the title "Chocolate Chunks From Crazy Crete".

 Also included are 3 stories about local folk in Kalyves, who generously gave  their time and permission to use their names as well as some of their personal memories.

Much of the book is written 'tongue in cheek'. It is described as fun, thought provoking, and entertaining.

It is available for pre-order on Amazon with a launch date of the 14th of November in both the UK and the USA. At at 99p/ 99cents it seems a bargain for 22 stories.

Here is the foreword from the author Rick Haynes and the links to find out more. Let me know how you get on! Is it one for our top ten?

FOREWORD

Writing a book about something you love is easy but putting all the pieces in the right place is much harder. Some of the tales have a degree of truth, but mostly they are products of my overheated imagination. Well, it is hot in Crete.

The people of Crete can be abrupt, shout loudly and gesticulate wildly but you simply need to look beyond their mannerisms, for you will find a race ready to oblige, are polite, honest and their excellent cooking is probably the most underrated in the world. 

The local grapes are used to make superb white wines, and with few additives it’s a little difficult to incur a nasty hangover the next morning, unless you imbibe a few too many glasses of the local fire - water, known as Raki. 

My observations have been based on everything from the unbelievable to the unimaginable, thus my crazy tales needed a crazy name. The alliteration in the title seemed apt for this collection, as it is indeed, a selection box of bite-sized treats. 

I have split the collection into two parts, entitled My Stories and Their Stories.

The first, deals, to a degree, with my own experiences.

The second, looks at the amazing characters that leap out from around every street corner, every taverna, and on every journey. Everyone has a tale to tell.

So sit back, put your feet up, open your box of chocolates and nibble away.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/CHOCOLATE-CHUNKS-CRAZY-CRETE-Haynes-ebook/dp/B01M7WRPSF/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1477988400&sr=8-3&keywords=rick+haynes

https://www.amazon.com/CHOCOLATE-CHUNKS-CRAZY-CRETE-Haynes-ebook/dp/B01M7WRPSF/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1477988382&sr=8-2&keywords=rick+haynes

Your favourite films set in Crete

Your favourite films set in Crete.

What did you choose? Have you seen them all? 

Here are  seven films, in order of popularity, all set on Crete. 

A couple of them, unfortunately were not filmed here. I have mentioned the places they were filmed so you can watch out for recognisable landmarks - and in the case of Zorba even people who were extras!

Links to Amazon for more information and one whole film on line!

Zorba the Greek 

(Hania, Stavros, Kokkino Horio)

The story of a boisterous Greek peasant with a lusty love of life who takes a young English writer under his wing; together they embark upon troublesome romances, sour business deals and more.

Ill Met by Moonlight 

(Not filmed in Crete)

A distinguished British cast, headed by 1950s heart-throb Dirk Bogarde, leads I'll Met By Moonlight--a Powell and Pressburger war film which is based on a true story. British agents conspire with local partisans to kidnap a prominent German General during the occupation of Crete in WWII. They decide to bring the officer to a beachhead, where he'll be transported to Egypt, but the Germans don't take this lying down and their method of revenge capture the Brits by surprise.

El Greco 2007 

(Heraklion)

The film tells the story of Domenicos Theotokopoulos, better known as El Greco, a great Greek artist of the 16th century with an uncompromising character, who sets off from his homeland Crete (Village of Fodele) and goes to Venice and finallyToledo, in search of freedom and love. There he is confronted by his greatest adversary, the Spanish Inquisition, but his creative consciousness and power make him stand out and overcome barbarity and ignorance.

Being imprisoned and awaiting execution by the Spanish Inquisition, Domenicos (Nick Ashdon) writes out his story, thus parts of his life play out in extended flashbacks. Born on the island of Crete, which was at the time part of the Republic of Venice, he falls in love with Francesca (Dimitra Matsouka), daughter of the Venetian governor of Crete. But his father is preparing a political rebellion and as a result Domenicos leaves the island and moves to Venice, away from the young woman. There he meets the famous painter Titian (Sotiris Moustakas) and the Spanish priest Fernando Niño de Guevara (Juan Diego Botto). Guevara immediately shows a confused interest in Domenicos, and, fighting personal demons - calls Domenicos before the Inquisition where he must defend himself against charges of heresy.

The Two Faces of January 

(Hania, Heraklion, Knossos)

In 1962 wealthy married couple Chester and Colette MacFarland (Mortensen and Dunst) are in the Acropolis of Athens, Greece, when they meet shady tour guide Rydal (Isaac). Rydal is immediately taken with the beautiful Colette and doesn't hestitate when the couple invite him to dine with them. Later in the evening, however, he begins to realise that Chester is hiding a dark secret and soon finds himself embroiled in murder. Rydal helps the MacFarlands evade the authorities but his feelings for Colette cause tension between him and Chester, making the already precarious situation even more dangerous. The action then moves to Hania and Knossos.

Immortals (2011 film)

(Not filmed in Crete)

Eons after the Gods won their mythic struggle against the Titans, a new evil threatens the land. Mad with power, King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) has declared war against humanity. Amassing a bloodthirsty army of soldiers disfigured by his own hand, Hyperion has scorched Greece in search of the legendary Epirus Bow, a weapon of unimaginable power forged in the heavens by Ares. 

Only he who possesses this bow can unleash the Titans, who have been imprisoned deep within the walls of Mount Tartaros since the dawn of time and thirst for revenge. In the king’s hands, the bow would rain destruction upon mankind and annihilate the Gods. But ancient law dictates the Gods must not intervene in man’s conflict. They remain powerless to stop Hyperion…until a peasant named Theseus (Henry Cavill) comes forth as their only hope. 

Secretly chosen by Zeus, Theseus must save his people from Hyperion and his hordes. Rallying a band of fellow outsiders—including visionary priestess Phaedra (Freida Pinto) and cunning slave Stavros (Stephen Dorff)—one hero will lead the uprising, or watch his homeland fall into ruin and his Gods vanish into legend. 

Η νεράιδα και το παλικάρι

The fairy and the man

(Hania, Agios Nicholaos)

The daughter (Alice Vouyiouklaki) of Fourtounaki (Dionysis Papagiannopoulos) is forced to become engaged Skandalakis (Spyros Kalogerou). The return of Vrontaki (Dimitris Papamichail) from Athens and flirting with his girlfriend will lead to love, and both young people are unaware that they belong to rival families. Their love, however, will forever end the feud Vrontaki-Fourtounaki.

If you have any other suggestions for films set in Crete please let me know.

Visit to Karydi Monastery

Many of you will have seen either from a visit or a photo,  the arches in the old monastery at Karydi between Vrysses and Vamos, but did you know that the English poet, artist and travel writer Edward Lear visited the monastery in 1864 while Crete was still under Turkish occupation?

The church is dedicated to St George

The name Karydi comes from the many walnut trees in the area

The church and monastery was originally part of the larger monastery of Agia Triada

When Edward Lear visited in 1864 he was hoping to stay in guest rooms that were let out at the monastery for travellers.

Unfortunately he was not able to as the "Hgoumenos" - Abbot- was not there. It transpired that he was in prison accused with his brother of murdering a Turk. Edward Lear spent the night in Exopoli instead as noted in "Edward Lear The Cretan Journal" This book is not easy to get hold of these days, but pops up on Amazon from time to time. The date on this archway shows that is was erected one year before his visit.

Today Karydi is a place for quiet contemplation. No longer the rich monastery that is was it still owns a lot of land.

The olive mills

The priest in residence told me that they are hoping to put a roof on the old mill to preserve it.

Note the water courses on the walls all leading down to the sterna - collection tank.

You can still see the main building and a large chimney that I suspect must have been the bake house.

Winch for getting water from the sterna

Another water course that goes down the wall, through a step and out to a basin on the outside of the steps

Peaceful - just the sound of the cicadas

Steps worn by many years of feet treading up and down

Many arches

Quiet corners to sit and meditate

Photographs by Natasha Peters

A Good Read - your top ten Crete related books

Thank you for the great response to my request for your favorite books set on, or about Crete. I received more than 60 suggestions. There was a runaway winner however, and many surprises.
Here are your top ten, simply chosen by the number of you who sent the same titles in. I will write a separate article for all the others! There were several I haven't read - so that will be a pleasant task for the summer.

So "Pop pickers" here are your top ten Cretan reads in reverse order!
With précis from Amazon.com and links to the books for author and publisher details. Just click on the title.

10.
Tails Are Wagging on Crete.

Many of us know the follow up story to this and perhaps she will write it one day!


"When author Freida Olivia Richards follows her desire to move to the historic island of Crete, she never imagines the obstacles ahead of her. With her husband and a plethora of animals, Richards is on her way. The hardships they face when arriving in Crete may seem insurmountable to most, but this retired nurse and social worker hammers through all of them. The Richards family soon realizes their journey has just begun when these animal lovers discover the plight of the many abandoned and abused dogs on the island. Knowing this can not be ignored, they start an animal sanctuary through which hundreds of dogs are re-homed, with the help of three German organizations. Tails Are Wagging on Crete not only chronicles the troubles of the many animals that have been rescued, it also provides the history of Crete and the Cretan people. This unique combination of history and animal plight awareness is a pure informative treat. All proceeds from the sale of this book will go to Animal Welfare on Crete in Greece. Author Bio: Freida Olivia Richards lives in an isolated area near the small town of Kalives with her husband and animals."

9.
House of Dust and Dreams

A young British diplomat and his wife have been posted to Athens. Hugh loves the life there but his spirited and unconventional wife, Evadne, finds it hard to fit in with the whirl of endless parties and socialising.

When Hugh is sent to Crete to sort out a problem, they stay in a rundown house owned by his family. His wife falls in love with the place and the people, and stays on when Hugh returns to his duties. As she tries to rebuild the ramshackle home, Evadne - known as Heavenly by the locals - makes firm friends with Anthi, a young woman from the village and Christo, the handsome and charismatic young builder.

But the dark clouds of war are gathering and the island will become a crucible of violence and bloodshed in the days to come. For Heavenly, her friends and family, it will be the greatest test they have ever known.

8.

Ill Met By Moonlight

Ill Met By Moonlight is the gripping account of the audacious World War II abduction of a German general from the island of Crete. British special forces officers W. Stanley Moss and Patrick Leigh Fermor, together with a small band of Cretan partisans, kidnapped the general, then evaded numerous German checkpoints and patrols for nearly three weeks as they maneuvered across the mountainous island to a rendezvous with the boat that finally whisked them away to Allied headquarters in Cairo.

"It was a mad adventure, and it came off. Moss recorded the whole escapade in a diary, which survives as a thrilling account of one of the most reckless and dramatic actions of the war."—Patrick Leigh Fermor

7

Who pays the Ferryman?

Based on Michael J Bird's BBC TV serial. It was 35 years since Alan Haldane had been in Crete, fighting with the partisans, lauded as a hero. Thirty-five years since he'd seen Melina or had word of her. Now he was going back, trying to rediscover in Crete what he had lacked in England: a sense of place, of peace. He couldn't find Melina, and he couldn't forget her, but he discovered that she had borne him a daughter, who was as blind to his existence as he had been to hers. He could not acknowledge her, could not let the past disrupt the present. Yet when he met Annika, and knew he could love her, he could not dispel the shadow cast between them by the ghosts of the war years. He was caught between fear and longing, in a trap that he had laid years before. He was not the only one who remembered. His presence on the island slowly rekindled a vendetta, a blood feud that could end his agony of indecision so simply -- by death.

6.

The Island

The Petrakis family lives in the small Greek seaside village of Plaka. Just off the coast is the tiny island of Spinalonga, where the nation's leper colony once was located—a place that has haunted four generations of Petrakis women. There's Eleni, ripped from her husband and two young daughters and sent to Spinalonga in 1939, and her daughters Maria, finding joy in the everyday as she dutifully cares for her father, and Anna, a wild child hungry for passion and a life anywhere but Plaka. And finally there's Alexis, Eleni's great-granddaughter, visiting modern-day Greece to unlock her family's past.

A richly enchanting novel of lives and loves unfolding against the backdrop of the Mediterranean during World War II, The Island is an enthralling story of dreams and desires, of secrets desperately hidden, and of leprosy's touch on an unforgettable family.

5.
The Golden Step

For Somerville this was a kind of pilgrimage, a journey unlike any he had undertaken in 20 years of travel-writing. It was an expedition where he traded the usual comforts and certainties for a real physical and mental challenge, with no mobile phone or other technological aids. The only plan for his journey was to begin in the East at Easter and finish at Whitsun in the extreme West, at the Monastery of the Golden Step, whose gold step, legend says, can only be seen by those who have purged themselves into purity. During his 300-mile walk, he tackled four mountain ranges, high slopes and the numerous gorges of the West. Speaking only basic Greek and trying to follow a poorly way-marked path, he had to rely on his own instincts when climbing mountain passes and crossing high plateaux, farming and shepherding country, where villages are scarce and each night's accommodation was uncertain. He saw a Crete few ever encounter.

4.

The Winds of Crete

The story of a couple who moved to Georgioupolis in the '60s and then moved to Plaka. -

3.
Letters From Crete

"HARRIET BRISKROTAYIOS STEPHANOS - CRETE TO: SIR ARTHUR MARTINET-COLDSHOWERTHE FORTRESSUPPER LIPSTIFF.YORKS. ENGLAND.

Dear uncle Arthur, it is now three months since I retired as headmistress of St Agatha's and came to take up residence here in Crete, and now I am getting settled it is high time to write to tell you my news. 

This little house which Daddy left me in his will is really delightful. A typical stone built Cretan house, it has a large veranda with wonderful views across a most beautiful valley. Such a surprise in so many ways. Of course Daddy was always dashing about the world  but we had no idea that he owned such a delightful hideaway. Sadly, there are very few moments of dear Daddy here, some clothes and a box of his favourite cigars, that's all. There are a few items that show that a lady has been here, and of course they are not dear Mummy's because, as I say, we had no idea about this house in Crete. The other slightly strange thing is that people keep telling me that I don't look much like my mother - as if they had seen Mummy - which of course they couldn't possibly have done…... 

2.

The Cretan Runner

George Psychoundakis was a young shepherd boy who knew the island of Crete intimately when the Nazis invaded by air in 1941. He immediately joined the resistance and took on the crucial job of war-time runner. It was not only the toughest but the most dangerous job of all. It involved immense journeys carrying vital messages, smuggling arms and explosives and guiding Allied soldiers, agents and commandos through heavily garrisoned territory. And George did not escape capture and torture on his many forays. This brilliant account of George's activities across mountainous terrain, come blazing summer or freezing winter, is a gripping story of bravery against impossible odds.

…And now for the runaway winner of your top ten Cretan reads:

1.

The Girl under the Olive Tree

May1941 and the island of Crete is invaded by paratroopers from the air. After a lengthy fight, thousands of British and Commonwealth soldiers are forced to take to the hills or become escaping PoWs, sheltered by the Cretan villagers. 

Sixty years later, Lois West and her young son, Alex, invite feisty Great Aunt Pen to a special eighty-fifth birthday celebration on Crete, knowing she has not been back there since the war. 

Penelope George - formerly Giorgidiou - is reluctant to go but is persuaded by the fact it is the 60th anniversary of the Battle. It is time for her to return and make the journey she never thought she'd dare to. On the outward voyage from Athens, she relives her experiences in the city from her early years as a trainee nurse to those last dark days stranded on the island, the last female foreigner. 

When word spreads of her visit, and old Cretan friends and family come to greet her, Lois and Alex are caught up in her epic pilgrimage and the journey which leads her to a reunion with the friend she thought she had lost forever - and the truth behind a secret buried deep in the past...