The Island of Crete is rich in history. Finds from excavations indicate that the island was inhabited since the Neolithic period. During the Bronze Age (3000-1100 B.C.) the Minoan civilization was developed. Knossos was its center and it reached its peak of prosperity between 1900 and 1500 B.C. After 1500 B.C., the Acheans and the Dorians invaded the island. They were followed by the Romans in 67 B.C., and then the Byzantines, who became the rulers of the island by 1252 A.D. There had been a period of Arab rule before that, from 824 to 961 A.D. In 1252 A.D. the Venetian rule began, which lasted until 1645 A.D. Then the Ottomans occupy Crete and maintain their domination until 1897, with a short interval of 10 years, during which the island was ceded to Egypt (1830- 1840). In 1898 the Cretan State was established with capital in Chania. The island remained autonomous until December 1st 1913, which is the date of its official unification with Greece.
This was our first visit to Greece and the Island of Crete so we took the ship's Taste of Crete tour. Our first stop on the tour was at a traditional Greek village called Vamos which is is a large working village in Northwestern Crete and lies 15 miles Southeast of Chania. The village dates back many centuries and has been renovated with an old stone road leading to quaint buildings which house a small delicatessen shop and art cafe. Today, about 3,000 people live in the village which is focusing on sustainable eco-tourism.
According to historical sources its first inhabitants were Arab pirates around the 8th century. To the general census organized by the Venetians in 1573, Vamos is mentioned as "Vamu" with 271 permanent inhabitants. During the time Greece was under Turkish domination, Vamos was the headquarters of the Turkish army and in 1863 a Pasha named Savas chose Vamos as the Capital of the prefecture of Sfakia. People of Vamos proved to be very patriotic fighting to free themselves from the Turkish domination. The winning battles of 1896 set Vamos free from the Turks.
This was our first visit to Greece and the Island of Crete so we took the ship's Taste of Crete tour. Our first stop on the tour was at a traditional Greek village called Vamos which is is a large working village in Northwestern Crete and lies 15 miles Southeast of Chania. The village dates back many centuries and has been renovated with an old stone road leading to quaint buildings which house a small delicatessen shop and art cafe. Today, about 3,000 people live in the village which is focusing on sustainable eco-tourism.
According to historical sources its first inhabitants were Arab pirates around the 8th century. To the general census organized by the Venetians in 1573, Vamos is mentioned as "Vamu" with 271 permanent inhabitants. During the time Greece was under Turkish domination, Vamos was the headquarters of the Turkish army and in 1863 a Pasha named Savas chose Vamos as the Capital of the prefecture of Sfakia. People of Vamos proved to be very patriotic fighting to free themselves from the Turkish domination. The winning battles of 1896 set Vamos free from the Turks.
While in the area, the bus stopped at a typical family winery, the Braoudakis Winery. Being a family-run operation, the owner's daughter gave us brief tour and some information on the history of the winery. The group was served an appetizer and sampled the wines produced there.
Just outside the village of Vamos, on the small road to Vrisses, are the ruins of the old Kayidi Monastery and the ruins of the old oil mill with its 12 arches, built in 1862. The Monastery of Saint George in Karydi got its name from the settlement which existed at the site around 1600, abundant with walnut trees. After being abandoned for many years, it finally was restored in 1996.
The old olive oil factory with its 12 arches is, until now, the trademark of the monastery. And even though the roof has collapsed the bases of four mills are still detectable as seen in the pictures. The property of the monastery grew quickly due to several donations, even from Turks who had high respect of St George and his miracles. There has been a time when the monastery owned 3,600 olive trees apart from the numerous animals and vines. It produced up to 25 thousand kilos of oil, which was a unique case of oil production throughout the island of Crete.
The old olive oil factory with its 12 arches is, until now, the trademark of the monastery. And even though the roof has collapsed the bases of four mills are still detectable as seen in the pictures. The property of the monastery grew quickly due to several donations, even from Turks who had high respect of St George and his miracles. There has been a time when the monastery owned 3,600 olive trees apart from the numerous animals and vines. It produced up to 25 thousand kilos of oil, which was a unique case of oil production throughout the island of Crete.
Chania (pronounced "Hania") is one of the main places you are most likely to see on arriving in Crete. It is beautiful - that is to say much of the Chania you will want to see is clustered close to the harbor - old buildings, museums, churches and crafts shops (some with genuinely interesting and sometimes local, products on offer). The so called Venetian Harbor is one of the highlights of the city. The old port, the narrow shopping streets and waterfront restaurants are some of the attractions. The buildings are of Venetian and Turkish design. The 1913 indoor market ("Agora"), a large building based on the market of Marseille is on the edge of the old town and is popular with tourists and locals alike. We walked through the market on the way to the port. As the second largest city in Crete, it has 65,000 inhabitants.
While we only we only spent an hour meandering around the port and its narrow alley byways, it is very picturesque and worth a longer visit. It seemed to have restaurants with tasty food along the waterfront. At the time we visited, it was quite busy with tourists.
While we only we only spent an hour meandering around the port and its narrow alley byways, it is very picturesque and worth a longer visit. It seemed to have restaurants with tasty food along the waterfront. At the time we visited, it was quite busy with tourists.
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