I am an American living on Crete. Every friend I have back in the land where I was born has asked me; “Why did you move to Crete?” My thoughts on this, and the various reasons I’ve used, they’ve prompted me to write a book about paradise lost and found on incredible Crete. There are more than 1001 reasons and a new video by award-winning director Theo Papadoulakis reveals several in stunning detail.
The video from the wonderful people at the Region of Crete, Incredible Crete, and the production crew at Indigo View, is the most inspiring and moving capture of authentic Crete on film to date. The video is long by internet standards, at 5 minutes, but by watching the full length you’ll understand why. Crete is a continent in itself, by far the most magnificent, diverse, and awe-inspiring stretch of mountains, valleys, and seashore in the world. And inhabited by the most authentic and kindly Cretans. You’ll have to come here for three weeks to get to know them.
The release note on the amazing video reads:
“What makes Crete unique is something more than its beauty, its history, the richness of its land and of the heart of its people. It is its truth and its authenticity. With its more than 1000 km (62 miles) of shores, its rich history over the centuries, its exciting scents and flavors, Crete, home of the oldest European civilization, welcomes its visitors with optimism as it continues to offer authentic relations of responsibility and reciprocity, especially in this year’s unprecedented circumstances.”
Still not itching to grab the next flight to Heraklion? Well, consider that Zeus was born here on incredible Crete. And so were Apollo and Artemis. Odysseus of Troy fame sailed to war with Cretan archers from here, and the Crete king helped him return to Ithaca. Jason and the Argonauts, the Minotaur and the Labyrinth, Talos the bronze automaton, Daedalus and Icarus, legends of Poseidon, bull leaping, the fabulous Cretan diet, and a thing known as “filoxenia” that Cretans probably invented at the dawn of time. For a vacation or forever, Crete is a place that lulls you into a sweet slumber and then revitalizes your 20 something urge to cliff dive. For my American countrymen, a quote about Crete from Thomas Wolfe may suffice to drive you here for a look-see:
“Each of us is all the sums he has not counted: subtract us into the nakedness and night again, and you shall see begin in Crete four thousand years ago the love that ended yesterday in Texas.” – Thomas Wolfe
Drawing from Crete’s Governor Stavros Arnaoutakis, “Crete is like one of those dreams you see depicted in the drawings of children.” It’s the Garden of Eden of mirth, or solitude, or sensual relaxation, a place that seems to still be watched over by protecting spirits. The governor calls it “authentic” – and this is what visitors usually take away home with them. For us, Crete is a place we could never leave again.
I hope you enjoyed this marvelous video presentation. Come to Crete for three weeks, and I swear you’ll return again and again. Or, like many who dare, you may never want to leave.
