Crete - Greece, Europe

Long ago, so the myth-spinners of ancient Greece related, the king of the gods, Zeus himself, was born in Crete. His cradle rested high on Mount Ida, the craggy peak that rises more than eight thousand feet from the heart of the largest of the Greek Isles, which stretches 160 miles (257 km) west to east and 36 miles (58 km) north to south along the boundary between the Aegean and Mediterranean seas.

Much of Crete still feels like an ancient place where gods walk the earth and fill the skies. Some of that impression comes from the jagged limestone mountains that form its east-west backbone, still leaving much of Crete unchanged down through the millennia. Credit belongs as well to a climate that seems as much tropical as Mediterranean, producing abundant crops not only of olives and grapes but also such fruits as melons, peaches, and bananas; reputedly the world’s finest oranges; and even orchids.

Archeological sites also keep Crete’s past gloriously alive, with tantalising traces of civilisations that came and went through the centuries: Minoans, Egyptians, Mycenaeans, Hellenes, Romans, Venetians, and Turks. The spectacular 3,500-year-old ruins of Knossos await exploration just three miles away from the port of Herakleion, Crete’s thriving main city. Do not feel, however, that a visit calls for an academic mindset. If your only aspiration is to follow the sun, Crete offers unspoiled beaches. If you wish to while away the day in a café or taverna sipping coffee or wine, nibbling on honey-drenched pastries, or eating the freshest seafood imaginable, Crete welcomes you with open arms. Want to twirl to music in a nightclub? Well, just put on your dancing shoes!

Crete has it all. And all you have to do is find sufficient time to immerse yourself in the many ancient and modern choices that this island paradise offers.