“Happy is the man, I thought, who, before dying, has the good fortune to sail the Aegean Sea.” from Nikos Kazantzakis’s Zorba the Greek
Last month we spent a glorious week in Crete, the Greek island closest to the African continent. We were met with mild sunny days as a ferocious Mediterranean summer welcomed a more temperate Autumn climate. Our intention for the week was to relax and recharge our batteries before we commence an exciting winter wedding season, which will see us photographing weddings at some of our favourite Cotswold wedding venues and gorgeous London locations too. However we were instantly beguiled by the island’s charm and beauty, which meant exchanging time on the sunloungers for exploration!
The natural beauty of Crete is mesmerizing. The rocky landscape abounds with olive trees heavy with the soon to be harvested fruits. We were told that many of the islanders partake in picking the olives during the winter months. This is when most of the hotels, shops and restaurants close before opening their arms to eager visitors again in Spring.
We stayed at the Royal Marmin Bay, a boutique art hotel in Elounda overlooking the Mirabello Bay. The hotel provided locally sourced organic produce for their guests to feast on. We were in heaven! As such we only dined out once in Elounda at Olondi Restaurant, a fantastic traditional taverna looking out on the water {above}. Here we spent a jovial evening sampling local delicacies such as snails (oh yes!), seafood and lamb. The owner exuded the local hospitality we encountered all across the island. We ended the night by sharing a farewell shot of raki with the proprietor and all the waiting staff as one would with family!
We hired a car to explore the island. We drove up to the fertile Lasithi plateau which is famed for its thousands of stone windmills that dot the landscape. At the very top we drove right into the clouds. Here we were met by the magical sight of ruined windmills being restored in the mist {above right}.
A highlight of our stay was definitely the view from our room {above middle}. We spent lazy hours simply soaking in this vista. Another treat was visiting Spinalonga , the setting of Victoria Hislop’s brilliant novel The Island. It was fascinating exploring the now abandoned ruins left by former inhabitants of the island and the imposing Venetian fortress that still stands today {above right}. Of course we took our big cameras too…but what you see here are simply our favourite Instagram images shared throughout our time in Crete.
