Cyclades
Islands
: Amorgos, Andros,
Folegandros, Ios,
Kea, Kythnos,
Milos, Mykonos,
Naxos, Paros
and Antiparos, Santorini,
Sifnos, Serifos,
Sikinos, Syros,
Tinos
Northern
Aegean Islands:
Chios, Ikaria,
Limnos, Lesvos,
Samos, Samothraki,
Thassos
Ionian
Islands:
Corfu (Kerkyra), Ithaki,
Kefalonia, Kythera,
Lefkada, Paxos,
Zakynthos
Saronic
Islands:
Aegina, Angistri,
Poros, Hydra,
Salamina, Spetsis
Sporades
Islands:
Alonissos, Skiathos,
Skopelos, Skyros
Dodecanese
Islands:
Astypalia, Halki,
Kalymnos, Karpathos,
Kassos, Kastellorizo,
Kos, Leros,
Nisyros, Patmos,
Rhodes, Symi,
Tilos
Other
Islands:
Crete, Evia,
Cyprus
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Grecian Islands - Crete
In the blue Mediterranean Sea south
and slightly west of the Ionic Peninsula lies Crete,
the fifth largest island overall in the Mediterranean
and the largest island in Greece. Crete is ruggedly beautiful,
with green hills and harsh cliffs, and has the oldest
history of any area in Greece. Crete was the cradle of
the Minoan Civilization, one of the very oldest civilizations
of which we have record, and we can see its ruins at the
palace of Knossos, which sits over the Labyrinth that
may have inspired later Greek legends of the Minotaur.
Archaeological Delights
In 1899, Sir Arthur Evans purchased a tract of land in
Crete that he suspected held archaeological secrets of
great antiquity. Twenty-five years later, he had unearthed
the palace of Knossos, discovered the secrets of the Minoan
Civilization, and ensured his place in archaeological
history. The Minoans traded heavily with the Egyptians,
and their descendants probably formed the core of the
Phoenician traders who later heavily influenced civilization
and the development of the alphabet we use today. Minoan
art features lively women and bull dancers, whose legacy
may be found today in the bullfighting arenas of Spain.
Today you can visit the largely-restored ruins of King
Minos’s palace at Knossos, or other Minoan ruins
at Phaestus and many other locations on the island. In
Iraklion, the capitol, you can find a heterogeneous collection
of major artifacts from many of the different archaeological
periods of Crete, including the famous Minoan goddess
statues. Crete is rich in artifacts from Hellenic, Roman,
Byzantine, Venetian, and Turkish periods in its history,
and you’ll find history everywhere.
Cretan Culture
Besides the archaeological treasures, you can enjoy Cretan
culture embodied in song forms such as rizitika and mandinades,
accompanied by traditional instruments like lyres and
lutes. Traditional dances include Greek favorites like
sousta and sitiakos. If it’s authentic souvenirs
you want, Cretans still engage widely in pottery making,
weaving, woodcarving, leatherworking, and needlecrafts.
But Crete is particularly known for
its food – not only for tastiness or exoticness,
but healthfulness. Cretan cooking is based largely on
fresh fruit and vegetables, olive oil, fresh-caught grilled
and baked fish, and homemade wines. Yogurt made of sheep’s
milk and honey is a local favorite, and you can find cheeses
such as graviera and myzithra.
Plan several days for a stay in Crete; its many delights,
from the Knossos labyrinth to great meals and bargain
hunting in its cultured cities, can keep you fascinated
for weeks.
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