In enjoyed very much this journey in Crete: beautiful landscapes (the Gorges of Agiofaraggo, Heraklion, Zaros, Zakros, the island of Elafonisi) and nice encounters.
Some words about nautical sports: Stellos Asmargiannakis organizes kayak tours and is also kayak maker.
Nilos Digenakis has promoted the kite surfing in the island of Elafonisi: there is a beautiful lagoon.
In the Minoan civilization the women are very important: Eleni Strataki shows the frescos of Knossos in which we can see women practicing acrobatic sports like the men.
Elli Lyraraki, a fashion designer, who is inspired by the Minoan civilization, explains that 3.000 years before Christus the Minoan women were elegant and used maquillage.
Then we meet Maria Vlazaki, an archaeologist who is making archaeological excavations and discovered a site with animal bones and a human skull: finally its pieces belongs to the Mycenean civilisation which practiced the human sacrifices.
The geologist Stellos Manolioudis explains that the geography of Crete is the result of the.shock of the African and the Eurasian tectonic plates: we travel to the Aradena Gorge where Valérie Bader organizes hiking excursions: in 1987 a bridge connects two villages which were separated by this huge gorge.
About biodiversity Antonis Dafermis, the ornithologist, is observing the 70 griffon vultures who live in the Axos Gorge: these birds are very important because they are carrion-eaters. Spiros Liapakis of the Museum of Natural history has come in this gorge to release two griffon vultures: Antonis and Spiros are proud of this moment.
Some words about the Greek-Orthodox religion: the Father Giorgis who was born in Temenia organizes every Sunday a mass in the church of Temenia: for the people is a great moment of encounter. Besides the Father enjoys his family life and attends also 4 other villages: there will be a traditional Greek-Orthodox marriage in one of these villages where a pope will bless the marriage of his son.
Crete is the land of the olive trees, it's the first place where the farmers began to grow olive trees: we see farmers taking care of an old variety of olive-tree.
Olive oil means Cretan diet: Kyriaki Varydaki, who is lived in Canada has returned to Crete and is showing to visitors how to prepare a Cretan dish ( feta cheese, vegetables, fruits and of course olive oil).
The vineyard is also a heritage of Crete: Bart Lyrarakis, a wine maker explains that his family is promoting old grape varieties like Plyo and Dafni and Michail Leventis, a sommelier tells that before the Cretan wines were considered as table wines in Athens but now they have won theirs letters of nobility.
And a last comment about music: Nikos Kondorinis, a sheep shepherd is singing a rizitika, traditional song of the mountain shepherds: often there are meetings of rizitika singers: a very serous moment (traditional Cretan costume).
We meet also the luthier Manolis Stagakis who makes the Cretan lyras and his day the musician Tzanis Tzanidakis has come for a lyra and with other musicians (bouzouki) they play and sing a Cretan song.
I enjoyed the encounters of Jérôme with Stratos Artemakis, the sailboat owner, with Dimitrios Pratikakis ( the Agiofaraggo Gorges and Heraklion), with Artemis Peiou , the female potter, with Velina and her husband Michalis in Zaros, with Maria and Evagella the female weavers and with Christina Chrisoula, the olive oil producer in Zakros and her friends ( Vaggelis Perakis the fishermen and relatives): very nice encounters with kind Cretan men and woman.