I woke up this morning wanting to share the magic that is Crete island. Heck, I wake up every morning wanting this. But today I thought about how it was the author of Zorba the Greek, Passion of the Christ, and many more fantastic books, who already said all there is to say about this paradise. One of the most meaningful quotes from the legendary Nikos Kazantzakis is a bittersweet reminder that we mustn’t let ourselves be chained to the grinding pitifulness that would be a monotonous life.
“The masses do not see the Sirens. They do not hear songs in the air. Blind, deaf, stooping, they pull at their oars in the hold of the earth. But the more select, the captains, harken to a Siren within them… and royally squander their lives with her.” – Nikos Kazantzakis
The quote above is why me, my wife Mihaela, and our little boy Paul packed the car and headed to Crete out of the blue. Three brilliant lives had been chained to the monotony that is typical life in Germany, and elsewhere, and atypical here on Crete. And the wonderful Instagram shares below glimmer like Kazantzakis’ lines too…
Enzo Mézières from France understands how Crete can affect the mindset, in fact, his share below from amazing Falasarna Beach in the far west of the island tells us what we need to do to reset. Come to Crete, hit the beach, and just “be” one with this paradise. Enzo is alive and understanding it according to Kazantzakis’ brilliant visions.
“We come from a dark abyss, we end in a dark abyss, and we call the luminous interval life.” – Nikos Kazantzakis
Polina Paraskevopoulou, who works with Athinorama Taste & Travel and the Greek City Times, also owns the La Vie En Blog where she shares adventures, style, fashion, and her upbeat attitude about life. Below she shows us how one must take in Crete’s treasures visually, silently, just gazing on the islands unimaginable beauty.
“The nonexistent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired.” – Nikos Kazantzakis
EMS the travel girl Elena says it all in her share from Vergina Beach – Sea Front Hotel – “I was living my best life…” she says, referring to her time at the Agia Marina in Chania Prefecture. This part of Crete is a favorite for us since we first landed here in 2014.
Enrico Rossi gets it there in Agioi Apostoli. This sort-of retro look Instagram expresses the freedom Crete offers. Kazantzakis said:
“You have everything but one thing: madness. A man needs a little madness or else – he never dares cut the rope and be free.” – Nikos Kazantzakis
One of the best Instagram accounts I’ve ever run across belongs to Sissy Chatzidaki, who says – “Don’t follow me, I’m lost too.” Her share below from Sfakia speaks a million words about Crete island too. The great writer had ideas on this too:
“Everything in this world has a hidden meaning.” – Nikos Kazantzakis
The Editor-in-chief runnfun.gr George Papadimitropoulos seems like the person Kazantzakis was talking about when he wrote the lines below. I believe George is at Mirtos in the Sarakina Gorge if I am not mistaken.
“All my life, I struggled to stretch my mind to the breaking point, until it began to creak, in order to create a great thought which might be able to give a new meaning to life, a new meaning to death, and to console mankind.” – Nikos Kazantzakis
Photographer Kostas Katsoulakis caught it! I was looking for an Instagram share that fits what Nikos Kazantzakis said about awe. I am always awestruck at the aquamarine clarity I find in the waters off Crete island. And I don’t just mean their purity or crystal clear visibility. In the Instagram below I believe Kostas is off the beach at fantastic Chrysi Island offshore Ierapetra.
“I felt deep within me that the highest point a man can attain is not Knowledge or Virtue or Goodness or Victory but something even greater, more heroic and more despairing: Sacred Awe!” – Nikos Kazantzakis
Sports medicine and training guru Evangelos Giannadakis, who’s a coach at Fitness Project Rethymno, shows us that Crete is truly what remains of the Garden of Eden with his Instagram share from Kourtaliotiko Gorge. Yes, this is Crete too.
Photo Credit: The feature image is an adaptation from a Cretan Beaches Agiofarago Beach photo.