Tracing Crete through the Ages

DAY 2 / INTRODUCTION TO CRETAN HISTORY I

Tutor: Karagiannis (Dr)

We start our day with a short drive to Kissamos Archaeological Museum whose exhibits in this imposing Venetian-Turkish building shall introduce you to the region’s prehistoric to late-antiquity history. Next stop will take you to the ancient Minoan settlement of Kydonia, founded by King Minos himself. Last visit before lunch will be at the ancient site of Aptera (‘no feathers’ in Greek), the scene of the mythological battle between the Sirens and the Muses after which the Sirens lost their feathered wings.

You shall have your chance to choose your side between Muses and Sirens over a traditional Cretan lunch al the while your accompanying professor brings Greek mythology to life before your eyes!

Later in the afternoon you will be driven back to Chania where you will visit Chania’s Archaeological Museum. Housed in the Catholic church of the Monastery of St. Francis, it is a treat for the eyes and the heart. This is where unique architecture meets human ingenuity in the form of Linear A and B scripts, two of the first known forms of writing to man!

Dinner will be served by the town’s venetian port where you shall have the chance to take a romantic stroll along the promenade.

 

 Breakfast     Lunch     Dinner

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DAY 3 / INTRODUCTION TO CRETAN HISTORY II

Tutor: Karagiannis (Dr)

First visit of the day will be at the venetian neoria, the 16th century arsenali built by the Venetians to repair their ships and sustain their occupying fleet. During your walk in the neighboring area you will be introduced to the life of the Sea People of Crete and the feel of the town under venetian occupation. Most certainly, your visit to the Maritime Museum of Chania shall provide the visual stimuli to picture Chania’s naval and civic life through the ages.

Lunch will be taken in a small taverna known only to locals, while the rest of your afternoon will be spent learning about the history of Chania and the Cretan Sea People.

Your dinner tonight shall be enjoyed with the accompanying sound of traditional Cretan lyre and imposing Cretan dances.

 

 Breakfast     Lunch     Dinner

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DAY 4 / BYZANTINE CHANIA

Tutor: Stoufi (Dr)

We start our day with a tour of the Venetian port of Chania before proceeding on foot to explore the exceptional byzantine churches in the old town of Chania for the rest of the morning. Your accompanying EKPA professor will illuminate throughout the day the secrets of their architecture and crucially their iconography. Overall, eight churches and Chryssopigi Monasteri will be visited to help you better understand byzantine architecture and the Cretan School of iconography.

Your lunchreak will be taken in a different cosseted restaurant in the old town of Chania, while dinner will be offered in a small village on the slope of Lefka Ori.

 

 Breakfast     Lunch     Dinner

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DAY 5 / ASCETIC TRADITION I

Tutor: Stoufi (Dr)

Your day will take you to four byzantine monasteries (St. John the Baptist, Trazagola Holy Trinity, Guverneto, St. John the Merciful), where you shall have the opportunity not only to be introduced to the island’s ascetic tradition by your accompanying professor, but also to experience it firsthand by conversing with the monasteries’ abbots and monks. You will also learn how the monks of Trazagola make their exquisite organic olive oil, honey, wine and soap from the Monastery’s virgin olive grove and vineyard, and even bring some back home with you to treat your loved ones if you want.

It goes without saying that you shall be treated to a proper monastic lunch prepared by the monks.

Dinner will be enjoyed in the old town of Chania upon your return.

 

 Breakfast     Lunch     Dinner

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DAY 6 / ASCETIC TRADITION II

Tutor: Pagratis (Dr)

Four more Byzantine churches and three more Byzantine monasteries are waiting to sweep you off your feet today. The first stop of your day-long road-trip to the city of Rethymnon shall be at the early Christian basilica at Eleftherna. We will then set off to visit Arcadi Monastery and let you immerse yourself in its heartbreaking yet inspiring history.

The rest of our day will be spent exploring Arsaniou Monastery – where you shall be treated to a proper monastic lunch prepared by the monks – Kyriana and Roussospiti villages, and the Monastery of St. Irene.

Dinner will be served upon your return to Chania at a restaurant favored by locals.

 

 Breakfast     Lunch     Dinner

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DAY 7 / WESTERN CRETE

Tutor: Pagratis (Dr)

Ballos is perhaps the island’s most photographed beach and one of the most famous in all of Greece. Today, we will take a half-day cruise to the small island of Gramvousa, where you will visit the venetian fortress and be introduced to its history by your accompanying professor, before having the privilege to dive in the turquoise waters of Ballos.

Upon our return ashore and a fulfilling traditional Mediterranean lunch, we will visit the picturesque village of Kolymbari, surrounded by thick olive groves and the Aegean Sea.

Our dinner tonight will take you through a culinary journey of Greece.

 

 Breakfast     Lunch     Dinner

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DAY 8 / SAMARIA GORGE

Tutor: Skamnakis (Dr)

One of the island’s natural landmarks, Samaria Gorge, is home to the rich indigenous flora and the wild Cretan goats, the kri-kris. It normally takes hikers 5-7 hours to cross it, however we shan’t test your limits! We will spend the day touring around the gorge, appreciating its beautiful views from its entrance and exit from the safety and comfort of our bus and small boat. All along, our expert professor shall introduce you to its landscape and history, and crucially the intricacies of Sfakia, a beautiful village on the southern Cretan shore, home to Greece’s proudest people, the Sfakians! This is where you will have lunch and be treated to possibly the strongest raki of the entire trip.

Dinner shall be enjoyed at Chania upon our return to the hotel.

 

 Breakfast     Lunch     Dinner

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DAY 9 / INTRODUCTION TO CRETAN HISTORY III

Tutor: Skamnakis (Dr)

No visit to Chania would ever be complete without visiting the residence and grave of Eleftherios Venizelos, one of the country’s most important Prime Ministers and one of Europe’s most outstanding political figures that helped shape contemporary European history. The rest of the day will be spent touring Chania’s market and Greece’s first Museum of Typography. Adorned with printing presses and exhibits that date from the Middle Ages and the start of European printing, you shan’t help but compare your miniscule smartphone to the size of the Museum’s true copy of Gutenberg’s printing press!

Lunch will be enjoyed in Chania’s old town before we set off on a road trip to Agia, Meskla and Therisso - three beautiful villages with abundant ancient and byzantine heritage for you to explore under the guidance of our expert professor.

Dinner shall be enjoyed in Therisso at a little tavern favored by locals - the best way to end a most unforgettable Greek experience!

 

 Breakfast     Lunch     Dinner

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DAY 10 / DEPARTURE

All good things must come to an end. After 9 days of culturally exploring Crete through the ages, it is time to part our ways until the next time we meet again!

Whether it was the ancient Minoan civilization or the byzantine monasteries that excited your imagination, your heart and mind will undoubtedly be filled with new knowledge, stories, images, thoughts, sounds and flavors, and the abundant Greek kallos!

 

 Breakfast