Exploring Crete, the largest Greek island – Mediterranean journey | DW Documentary

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Presenter Sineb El Masrar is touring Crete. Locals call it the “Island of the Gods” because as legend would have it, Zeus was born here.

After a spot of shopping in Chania Old Town, she travels through the Cretan hinterlands past a multitude of olive groves. After Spain and Italy, Greece is the world’s third largest producer of olive oil. Olive oil maker Ióanna Paraschakis invites Sineb to taste some of her wares.

Crete is the largest Greek island. It offers stunning stretches of coastline, beautiful port towns like Ágios Nikólaos, as well as picturesque mountainscapes. Instead of in a boring old car, Sineb explores the gorgeous countryside on a rented e-bike. In the mountain village of Kouses, she visits a herb store run by Yannis Giannoutsos and creates her own salt. All the herbs and spices sold here, such as thyme and oregano, are cultivated organically.

Crete is also suffering the impact of climate change and the resulting aridity. That’s why researchers Ioannis Daliakopoulos and Anargyros Sideris are trying to find ways to support local farmers. Sineb finds out about their crucial pilot project to address water scarcity in the Mediterranean region.

Community plays a key role in Greek culture, and dance is an important aspect of national identity. Antonia Pantelaki has taught dance in Archanes for many years. She knows all the nuances of Greek dance and shows Sineb the iconic Cretan dance known as the Sirtaki.

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40 thoughts on “Exploring Crete, the largest Greek island – Mediterranean journey | DW Documentary”

  6. Amazing trip ! I had visited create island , I don't really, remember which year we were there , we travel with car , drive to a whole island until the hill, on the hill you can see very interesting life at there, I thought there were no one at there . I had visited iraklion, chania, dancing Greek at hotel together with local, visit olive garden and factory , visited one to another beautiful beaches, really unforgettable trip. It's very worth it trip. Create people also amazing. I love to eat Greek salad , the taste so different from anywhere else. Sometime I try to make it by my own. But alway feels not the same. I think because of local tomatoes and cucumber from create land also local cheese.

    Reply

  10. Вашингтон пост пишет:
    Giorgia Meloni’s Hard-Right Party Wins Italy’s Vote

    The results leave Ms. Meloni poised to be Italy’s next prime minister, the first woman to hold the position, and the first with post-Fascist roots.

    It will still be weeks before the new Italian parliament is seated and a new government is formed.

    Reply

  17. Crete in an incredible island that is called the “small continent” because Crete has about everything a continent has. From Alpine mountain ranges all the way to the only natural palm forests in Europe.

    – Crete is the largest island in Greece with a size of 8.336 km². It’s the 5th biggest island in the Mediterranean

    – Crete is 270 km in length and max 65 km in width.

    – Crete is home to the Minoan civilization (3650 – 1300 BCE) out of Greece’s 4 bronze age civilizations. The Minoan civilization was one of the most advanced bronze age civilizations on the planet, with it’s Palatial architectural phase starting from 2000 BCE onwards. The Minoan towns, palaces and villages had urban planning, complex sewerage and plumbing systems with flush toilets even in common houses on the 2nd and 3rd floor. All the way to it’s anti earthquake architectural technology and natural airco in it’s designs among many other things.

    – Crete’s history dates back to 9000 years ago.

    – Crete has 2100–2200 plant species, of which 25% is endemic. For comparison. The biodiversity of Crete is higher than England, Scotland and Ireland combined.

    – Crete is home to the oldest evidence of sea navigation in the world dated to 130.000 years ago.

    – As mentioned. Crete has the only natural palmforests in Europe. These can be found in Vai, Preveli and some other places.

    – Crete has 3 mountain chains rising 2500 meters straight out of the sea.

    – Crete’s mountains receive plenty of snow and is perfectly suited for skiing.

    – Crete alone has 5000 caves, some very deep ones like the Gourgouthakas cave in the Lefka ori mountains (one of the 3 mountain chains on the island) explored till a depth of -1208 meters

    – Talking about caves. Zeus is born in the cave on Lassithi plateau in the eastern part of Crete.

    – Crete has 1000 km of crystal clear coastline out of Greece’s total of 16.000 km.

    These coastlines and beaches are in every form one can imagine. With or without mountains, with towns or entirely off the beaten path or secluded. Crete is home even to pink sand beaches.

    – Crete has more than 400 gorges. The Samaria gorge is the most famous one and is the longest gorge in Europe.

    – Crete is receiving it’s own national highway. Sections are already completed. Some are in development.

    – Crete is home to 600.000 people. The funny thing is that 4000 years ago it was estimated to also be home to 600.000 people.

    – Crete is home to the Kri Kri. A goat who escaped domestication 9000 years ago and is thus a wild goat found in places like the Lefka Ori mountains.

    – Crete is home to 60.000.000 olive trees.

    – Also Crete has the highest consumption of olive oil in the whole wide world. Talking about loving it and the best quality too!

    – Crete has a clear distinct cuisine out of many other regional cuisines in Greece

    – Crete has many evidences of mini hippo’s, mini elephants, and other animals we today specify as African. Till not so long ago even! They died out only few thousands years ago. The reason is that most mega fauna we classify as African actually all originated from Europe and Asia.

    – Crete is home to the oldest olive tree in the world. Fitting for a nation with a tremendously old history with olive oil.

    – The painter El Greco originates from Crete.

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  18. because God loved the world so much that he gave his only son Jesus Christ for all mankind so that any man who believes in Jesus Christ may inherit eternal life through him if we confess our sins Jesus Christ is faithful and just to forgive us and only through Jesus can we inherit eternal life1

    Reply

  19. Such a beautiful place with beautiful people. I do wish she had told us when the monastery where citizens killed themselves in 1865 was built. I just feel that a place with such history should include times and/or periods, so educationally important to understand the times of antiquity.

    Reply

  26. Sirtaki is NOT a traditional Greek dance, it's combination of other more traditional dances made for the film and the song, and it is most certainly NOT from Crete!!! Nor is it a dance Crete is famous for (unless you're a tourist who thinks Zorba is all there is about Greece).

    In fact, it's rather offensive to say this is Crete's most famous dance considering the most famous Cretan dance the "pentozali" – along with the Pontian "Pyrrichio" dance – has its origins in the ancient mythological deities known as the Curites (which Crete gets its name from) who first danced it to cover Zeus' cries from his father Cronos who was looking for him.

    The dance has a history and origin dating back several millennia, and was considered sacred by the ancient Greeks. The boots the shoemaker is talking about are used for this dance (you can see some quick snapshots of the dance while the reporter is in the shop).

    For a programme about Crete they actually tell you very little about the island.

    Reply

  34. 14:26 – Krete is NOT the largest greek island. That’s the Peloponessos, the island of Pelops. You could swim around it, if you like. You can reach it by bridge, but that also goes for Euboia, the third largest island.

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  38. 🇬🇷Η παρουσίαση είναι πολύ ωραία, θα έπαιρνα τόσες πολλές πληροφορίες για τον πολιτισμό, την κουζίνα, την επιστήμη και την τεχνολογία, την ιστορία, η φύση είναι συγκινητική, εκτιμώ όλους όσους δούλεψαν τόσο σκληρά για να φέρουν μια αξιοσημείωτη ιστορία.

    Reply

  40. The Greek and the Levant culinary and gastronomical similarities are most notable.
    Even Turkish food shares a striking resemblance with the Greek Nutrition patterns and food baskets.
    Turkish style coffee, Yoghurt, bread with every meal, a lot of vegetables, sprinkling of olive oil over salads, hummus, labneh, Cold Mezze servings, Raki which resembles Ouzo in some ways, etc.

    Reply

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