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Published: April 15th 2013
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No matter the season, you will (almost) always find the climate and landscape you want in Crete.
Last month, we decided to celebrate the end of the
carnival season, the beginning of spring and the birthday of a dear friend, up the majestic
Lefka Ori (White Mountains) in the prefecture of Chania.
Most people come to Crete for summer holidays, but I believe it is best to visit the island in spring or fall, when it is less crowded and warm enough to swim. But even for the
winter, Cretan mountains and villages are ideal destinations (and cheaper than the Alps!). Plus, what many people don't know is that they can even
ski in Crete!
Lefka Ori have
57 summits with an altitude of more than 2.000 meters and 54 summits reaching 2.000 meters. The
refuge of Kallergis is situated in one of them (1.680m high) and you can reach it quite easily from the plateau of Omalos, near the entrance of
Samaria gorge. It took us about 1 hour walking to reach it, following the signs from the central road, but it really depends on how fit you are (I'm not very!). 4x4 vehicles can drive up to the
refuge, but really I see no point to go there if you don't want to walk a bit.
For the winter season the refuge is open from
November to March and is run by a fun and adventurous young man, Christos Paterakis. You can bring your own sleeping bag, but if you don't have one it's ok...the refuge is fully equiped with blankets and sheets and anything else you might need. For an extra charge you can try Christos' cooking (recommended!) and remember to book as sometimes the refuge is full of people.
For me it was the second time in the refuge and this time I experienced it with
snow. The first time it was foggy, which was nice and mystical, but it's a shame to miss the view. We arrived late, almost dark. A small group of people was there, next to the wood burning stove, singing songs and playing board games. When we told Christos that our friend had her birthday he prepared a cake with what he had: simolina, sugar, water, olive oil, cinnamon...
semolina halva that is!
The next day we woke up early, ate breakfast (again halva, this time with tahini, as
the fasting period was near!) and decided to follow the other group of friends, who were hikers, up to the
summit of 'Psari' (1.900m). Here I note that if you want to hike on Cretan mountains it is better to have the company of experienced local hikers, as people have been lost. Otherwise just follow the trails (when they exist) and ask advice from locals before you start. For us, this hike that looked so easy in the beginning (the summit looked nearer than it really was!) exhausted us in the end. But the view was totally worth it! You don't often get to be on the top of a little piece of land and to see the sea from both sides.
On the way back to Heraklion, and since we missed the
carnival the day before, we decided to taste some folklore in the village of Melidoni (near the city of Rethymno). It was '
Clean Monday' the day after the carnival and official start of the lenting period that lasts 40 days, until Easter. On this day the '
stealing of the bride is performed,
an old cretan custom that revives every year in the village of Melidoni.
The custom dates back to the
Turkish period, when some the Turks desired the most beautiful women of the village and took them as their wives. The bride was first 'examined' by a judge who certified their purity. These events are parodically recreated in this custom, which served also as a chance to beat the Turks without being punished!
The custom goes more or less like that:
The dance starts with the bride held by her brothers who are also her protectors. The 'Turks' join the dance with the intention to steal the bride, which is not an easy business because the brothers have their eyes open and beat them up if they catch them! After several attempts, the bride is finally stolen. Later, she returns to the dance pregnant and she receives the wishes of the people.
In the final scene, the judge makes a trial to figure out who is the father of the child (born in te meanwhile!). At the end, it is proven that the father is the judge himself, who is also a Greek disguised as a Turk (and the honor of everybody is restored!)
You can also see
the 'stealing of the bride' as I experienced it in the video I made:
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