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Mihaela Lica Butler: Travel Writer, Recipe Developer

Reusing Olive Brine

2025-10-19 by Mihaela Lica Butler

brine

Cretans reuse olive brine — from marinades and bread dough to garden fertilizer.

What to Do with Stale Bread

2025-10-18 by Mihaela Lica Butler

dry bread

Crete turns dry bread into new meals, from dakos to puddings and homemade breadcrumbs.

Aegean Islands Will Charge Day-trippers an Entry Fee

2025-10-17 by Mihaela Lica Butler

boat

34 dreamy Aegean islands, from Santorini to Symi, want to charge day-trippers a new “entry fee.”

The Cretan Knife Is a Blade That Cuts Through Time

2025-10-14 by Mihaela Lica Butler

Cretan knife

“The knife is the most permanent, the most immortal, the most ingenious of all man’s creations.” — Yevgeny Zamyatin If Zamyatin had strolled through Chania’s alleys, he would have seen his words embodied in the Cretan knife. Forged in fire, hammered by stubborn hands, and inscribed with mantinades that slice into the heart, the knife […]

Cheese Beyond Graviera in Crete

2025-10-13 by Mihaela Lica Butler

Cretan cheese

Crete’s cheese world goes far beyond Graviera. From xinomyzithra and anthotyro to kefalotyri, staka, and village specialties.

From Ancient Minoan Hives to Today’s Thyme Honey

2025-10-12 by Mihaela Lica Butler

honeybee

The island’s bees still thrive on wild herbs, making honey as golden as its history.

When Freshwater Breathes in Crete

2025-10-11 by Mihaela Lica Butler

Cretan frog Crete Freshwater

In Crete, dragonflies, frogs, and endemic fish thrive in rare waters where rivers only flow after rain.

Glowworms and Fireflies in Crete

2025-10-10 by Mihaela Lica Butler

fireflies

Crete’s valleys light up with fireflies and glowworms, tiny nocturnal sparks, known as pygolampídes and lampyrídes.

Wild Herbs Calendar of Crete

2025-10-09 by Mihaela Lica Butler

Wild Herbs Calendar of Crete

A month by month journey through Crete’s wild herbs. Pennyroyal, sage, wild pepper, thyme, and oregano mark the seasons with scent, myth, and tradition.

Have You Ever Seen the Cretan Wildcat

2025-10-08 by Mihaela Lica Butler

Cretan wildcat

“Once, at dawn,” an old man from Anogeia tells, “I saw eyes burning in the rocks. Too wide for a cat, too low for a wolf. A fourogatos. He watched me, then vanished. No sound, no trace. Just those eyes.” The boy beside him laughs. “A story. A tale to keep children from straying.”The old […]

Wild Tulips of Crete

2025-10-07 by Mihaela Lica Butler

Cretan tulips Tulipa doerfleri red tulip of Crete

Rare, protected, and breathtaking, the tulips turn the island’s mountains into carpets of fire and lilac light.

Dittany of Crete Can Cure the Blues

2025-10-06 by Mihaela Lica Butler

Cretan dittany

Cretan dittany is more than an herb — it revived Glaucus, it heals, and it grows today in Peskesi’s pithoi.

Rolling Cigarettes in Crete – A Ritual of Hands and Habit

2025-10-05 by Mihaela Lica Butler

Rolling Cigarettes in Crete – A Ritual of Hands and Habit

Cigarette rolling is not a vice but a daily ritual. A first-person look at the island’s smoky habit, the rhythm of hands, and the stubborn beauty of tradition.

The Little Bird That Outsings the Cicadas

2025-10-05 by Mihaela Lica Butler

canary

Crete’s villages echo with the song of canaries. Argophilia explores this living tradition, with Mihaela Lica Butler reflecting on her own beloved bird, Gim.

How Gossip, Politics, and Tavli Survive in the Cretan Square

2025-10-04 by Mihaela Lica Butler

kafeneia

Argophilia explores the living tradition of coffee, tavli, raki, and debate in the mountain square kafeneia.

Cretan Olive Oil PGI Recognition Brings Strict Standards

2025-10-04 by Mihaela Lica Butler

Cretan olive oil

With PGI recognition secured, Cretan olive oil enters a new era of strict controls. Expert Nikos Bounakis says producers must adapt practices.

Travel Alert: First West Nile Virus Case Confirmed in Crete

2025-10-02 by Mihaela Lica Butler

West Nile virus case AI illustration

Greece has recorded 91 West Nile virus infections and 8 deaths. The first case in Crete, a 60-year-old man from Heraklion, was confirmed.

Where Crete Hides Its Wild Orchids

2025-09-29 by Mihaela Lica Butler

Cretan cephalanthrera wild orchids

Wild Orchids thrive in Crete because the island offers a mosaic of habitats from sea-salt scrub to high beech and pine.

Why Goat Milk Tastes Sweeter in Crete

2025-09-24 by Mihaela Lica Butler

Cretan goats

In Crete, goats feeding on carobs produce milk with a sweeter taste, giving local cheese its unique flavor.

Delina Snake: Lunch Interrupted on a Mountain Terrace

2025-09-24 by Mihaela Lica Butler

Delina snake

At Delina Mountain Resort in Anogia, I witnessed a snake with a koi fish in its mouth. A personal encounter with Crete’s hidden wildlife.

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Featured Stories

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Do Plants Feel Pain?

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Why Crete Smells Like Burned Olive Wood in Winter (And Why That’s Normal)

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Stories of Interest

gunfire in Crete

Why Crete Is Not All Random Bullets and Vendetta

2026-01-01 By Kostas Raptis

Crete’s reputation often suffers from isolated incidents amplified into myths, but the island is safer than headlines suggest.

burning olive wood

Why Crete Smells Like Burned Olive Wood in Winter (And Why That’s Normal)

2026-01-01 By Mihaela Lica Butler

From October to May, winter in Crete smells of burning olive wood. It looks illegal, feels confusing, and is completely normal — if you understand the island.

Crete culture

Crete Plans €2 Million in Culture and Sports as Infrastructure Falls Behind

2025-12-29 By Manuel Santos

Crete announces a €2.06 million cultural and sports programme for 2026, even as water shortages, infrastructure strain, and airport delays raise hard questions.

Crete water crisis hotel Plaka

When the Water Runs Out, the Illusion Runs With It

2025-12-29 By Manuel Santos

An official document confirms what many feared: water and sewage capacity in Crete cannot support new large hotel developments.

Crete New Year's Dive

Why Cretans Start the Year in the Sea

2025-12-28 By Manuel Santos

Why Cretans welcome the New Year in the sea. A look at the New Year’s Dive tradition in Crete, where it happens, and how to take part safely.

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