blauboy’s posthaven

Back on Crete for a short break from our seven-month-long Covid-19-curfew. We picked fresh mulberries from the trees, climbed up the hill of Stavros to watch sunset from Lera cave, found a dead sea turtle, strolled through Chania's old town and swam in the turquose water of the hidden beach Seitan Limani.

Pink sands, turquoise waters: The bayou of Elafonisi is truly a beautiful beach! But: still too many tourists although it was already September (barely distance - #covid19). I'd never come here in high season. We walked for a good mile through shallow water, passing the crowds, before we found a lovely spot for our own.

At Arkadi monastery, symbol of Crete's fight for freedom from the Ottomans. On November 8th of 1866, after a day-long-fight of resistance, the last surviving Cretans - mostly women, children and priests - blew themselves up by lightening barrels of gunpowder, choosing to sacrifice themselves rather than surrender to the Turks (read more here).

Days 371 to 379: so much time did we already spend on our favourite Greek island, since we started to come here 23 years ago. How do I know? Ask my scrapbook... This time, we actually did nothing else than relax. Which included friends, sun, sea, swimming, diving, laughing, drinking and eating. That was it. Good enough. Who knows, for how long this paradise for us all might continue...

Just a few picture memories of another wonderful stay on the island of Crete. Or, as we tend to say: our second home - 'cause we are part time locals, that stay in Chania for two to four weeks every season, while the rest of the year we have to work for our living in Germany... (13 pictures).

Although it's not an insiders' tip anymore, a trip to Loutro on the southern side of Crete is still a captivating experience. Only accessible by ferry, 30 minutes (or 6,10 Euro fee) west of Chora Sfakion, the cosy little village in the hidden bay welcomes its visitors with white house facades, turquoise sea and two small pebble beaches. Slow life here, perfect for relaxation! It was the fourth time within the last twelve years that we took a daytrip there and for sure we will come back another time one day! (13 pictures)

Near Astrikas, district of Kolymvari in western Crete, the Dimitriadis family renovated the old olive mill of their family and specialized on organic products under the name of Biolea. The mill, amidst a beautiful landscape, usually is open to the public. Visitors are given a free guided tour and learn about the production path for organic olive oil - starting from receiving the olives, washing, deleafing and weighing them up to the actually milling, malaxing, olive paste loading, cold pressing all the way to the natural separation of oily water and olive oil and the final olive oil receiving and bottling.
By the way: The olive pomace (German: "Trester") is dried and used for heating in the winter. Simply bio.