Island of Crete a cultural melting pot - Denver Post |
| Island of Crete a cultural melting pot - Denver Post Posted: 20 Nov 2010 08:35 AM PST Maybe it's the island's central location at the confluence of the Mediterranean and the Aegean, a strategic spot standing squarely in the way of anyone hoping to conquer Athens or Turkey from the south. It could be the beauty of its 160 miles of rocky coastline or its fertile land that yields olives, dates and the planet's sweetest watermelons. Whatever the reason, everyone from 13th-century Venetians to Germans during World War II to affluent 21st-century tourists have rolled up on Crete's shores, and each have left their mark in some way. For the Germans, it took the form of schnitzel. We were surprised to find this distinctively non-Greek dish on nearly every restaurant menu on the island. Restaurants with smiling maitre d's, who sometimes cross the line between friendly and pushy as they implore you to try their souvlaki, seemingly line every inch of coastline in Crete's bigger cities (that would be part of the imprint left by tourists). The Venetians left behind a massive fortress along the southern coast, on the outskirts of Rethymno. Much of it still holds vigil, its tan walls, square gun turrets and tiny doorways a living testament to those long-ago Venetians' military might, masonry skills and shortness of medieval armies. Luckily, the Venetians had less militaristic influence here as well. When our cab driver pulled up in front of a row of outdoor seaside cafes (after three days in Greece, I was convinced that never in the country's long history has anyone taken a meal indoors) and told us we'd have to walk three blocks to our hotel because he couldn't get any closer, we rolled our eyes and grudgingly headed off. Rolling our suitcases along Old Town Rethymno's stone streets — so narrow that the ubiquitous feral cats find it hard to stroll more than three abreast — we apologized to him in absentia. The ancient streets, draped in blossoming vine canopies, were filled with souvenir shops and restaurants and little inns. But every once in a while, a man's laughter or a child's shriek would blast out the open door of the brightly painted narrow buildings, reminding us that this glimpse of a vanished world, left behind by the Venetians, isn't just painted-on charm for visitors' benefit. Long before the Venetians even thought of filling their streets with water, the Minoans — a civilization notable for its structure and organization — had established quite an innovation at the other end of the 160-mile-long island: At one point our tour guide informed us we were looking at quite possibly the first indoor toilet in Europe. The Minoans also gave us, my son reminded me, the myth of the Minotaur. But even more remarkable about the intricate and enormous remains of the Palaces at Knossos, just outside the capital of Heraklion, is that they remained so nearly intact, and utterly forgotten, for so long. They were first discovered by a Cretan farmer in 1878, and it wasn't until 1900, when an Englishman with enough money to buy the entire site came along, that Knossos was fully excavated. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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