For most businesses on Crete, the 2020 touristic season is a total bust. The coronavirus pandemic has turned travel and tourism upside down, but here on Crete the local people still mix business and pleasure. This past weekend everyone seems to have turned to nature, absorbing Crete’s glorious history, beauty, and tradition.
Our wonderful Giannis Stillianou, the owner of one of Greece’s finest organic wineries, was at work and place like his contemporaries. The image above from his Facebook is a poke at how Cretans live as opposed to tourists at five-star luxury resorts. Giannis is an amazing Cretan, and his whole family reflects the excellence of the man. Notice the convenient suntan oil holder on the right next to the luxury beach lounger. Giannis has the best sense of humor for such a series businessman.
Pavlos Kapoglou is a gifted photographer originally from Mavrolofos in Serres, living and working in Heraklion for the last 34 years. This past weekend Pavlos was shooting christenings and taking some time for paddleball at the amazing Lyttos Beach Hotel in Hersonissos. He was also doing a photoshoot at Beachcomber (Instagram above), a popular Mediterranean restaurant at Stalis Beach.
The amazing Crete expert and tour professional Marina Kraniotaki was at a very special event in the Amari Valley. At the remote Minoan Palace of Monastiraki, guests were treated to a glorious spectacle beneath the sacred Mt. Psiloritis. Dr. Athanasia Kanta, the renowned archaeologist who’s discoveries at Monastiraki and across the Aegean, hosted a small group observing a sacred Minoan ritual reenactment, a performance entitled “Phaethon” – referring to the well-known myth of Phaethon son of the sun and Klymeni.
All the way over in the far west of Crete, our pals Dr. Popi Ladomenou, her husband, Chef Grigoris Koudounas, and their little boy Konstantinos spent the weekend enjoying amazing Falasarna and Elafonisi Beaches. Popi is a chemistry professor at the University of Crete, and Grigoris is the wizard of traditional Cretan cuisine at the family restaurant, Το μουρέλο του Λαδωμένου, or “The Young Olive Tree of Ladomenos.” Popi and Grigoris shared the image above from their weekend excursion.