“Handmade, you see?” He knocks a vase with an innocent dolphin on the side against the counter top. “See, it will not break!” The gray haired man behind the market stall of mass produced pottery has a hard sell on his hands. He continues to slam his own product against hard surfaces to show me how well made his pots and vases are, ones that are no doubt produced in factories and not in some local potter’s kiln. A theme I would later discover at the archaeological site Knossos, I understand his imagination is far different than mine. He is selling me a lie, but I can imagine it to be something Continue Reading
The Ideon Cave on Crete Wishes You Were Here
Some words are never lost in translation. As we arrived to the small town of Zaros on the Greek island of Crete, I quickly learned “coffee” is one of those words. Down the narrowest of alleys and past plenty of Cretan men’s stares, we parked in front of our hotel for the night. The night before was spent sleeplessly worrying about the bed bug sighting. We departed Rethymno faster than we arrived and headed for the hills of Crete to hole up in essentially the next closest thing to grandma’s house. Walking through the threshold, we were greeted by Katerina and her Greek. She chatted and chatted Continue Reading
How I Afforded Traveling The Greek Islands
I put off traveling to the Greek islands for one reason and one reason only. Travel to these pieces of paradise always seemed to cost the price of purchasing one of the islands. Flying all the way to the Greek islands was a charge that appeared as insurmountable as climbing Mount Olympus. Those accommodations with infinity pools to the sea on Santorini remained on Pinterest boards and stayed there due to the reality of what those would cost. Finally in September, I made it to the Greek islands after years of resenting my wallet and bank account for holding me back. And while traveling the Continue Reading
Folegandros Wishes You Were Here
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I look up to the scene before me. Wedged in between two rocky hills with no sign of any sort of life, for a moment, I wonder if I just stepped into Folegandros’ past. The island in the southern Cyclades is often associated with the words remote, rocky and isolated. Since Roman days, Folegandros served as a place of exile for political prisoners. In fact, up until the 1970s, those who had ruffled the feathers of the powerful were plopped down in Folegandros’ nothingness. With few sights to see, the 13 kilometer long and 4 kilometer wide rock in the southern Continue Reading
The Favorite Island: Naxos
“What was your favorite island?” It is a question the traveler just back from Greece will receive again and again as I came to know. Oddly enough, I didn’t have to think too deeply about which island I preferred before all others of the same kind. Greece is home to 140 inhabited islands, but some total the island count in the country to around 3,000 if you include every small patch of land floating in the sea. Of the 140 inhabited islands, I experienced just five floating pieces of land. To hone in on a favorite of those five was simple. I merely responded to those questions of favoritism Continue Reading
It Was All Greek To Me: Survival Tips I Deciphered On The Greek Islands
The traveler walks through doorways into new lands and is forever changed. Suddenly this unknown world we have envisioned and dreamt about is known. Throughout my travels on several Greek islands, I passed through doorways that told a different side to Greece, one I didn’t quite picture before I crossed thresholds. While too much preparation can lead to boredom on the road, there were a few elements to Greece I wish I knew before I put one foot in front of the other. Bring Cash and a Secret Stash for Out-of-Order ATMs While I was well aware of Greece’s financial woes, I didn’t think Continue Reading
Halki, Naxos Wishes You Were Here
I’m sipping on a Greek coffee, one with a color matching the copper pot containing it. Across the way I observe the typical Greek elder. Dressed in all blue, he encourages each passing tourist to stop in on the neighboring textile shop, like a billboard that has truly come to life. He doesn’t seem to work there. The shop owner could just be a friend. Regardless, he takes a seat on a wooden chair to advertise Halki’s treasures as I take a sip of strong coffee. Halki is a perplexing place for its location. Its atmosphere would have you believe it is buried in the heart of Naxos, away from Continue Reading