Crete tourist guide

Recently, we wrote to you about an interesting pro-ecological initiative to be launched in Platanias. Today, remaining on this subject, we would like to describe to you another project, which this time for a change was carried out in the area of the capital of Crete, i.e. in Heraklion. On Sunday, May 22, an action was organized to clean up the small uninhabited island of Dia, located north of Heraklion. This initiative was carried out with the participation of the local Harbor Master's Office, as well as the President of the Coastal Guard of Eastern Crete and various types of local entrepreneurs.

An interesting novelty implemented this year in Platanias is the process of reusing organic waste produced by hotels. This type of garbage is to be recycled by processing it in composters. Organic waste will be collected from the hotels by special vehicles. Although the implemented program will not directly affect tourists, it will help to reduce the overall amount of mixed rubbish going to local landfills. These activities are also intended to raise local environmental awareness. We will see how it works in practice. If the announcements are actually covered, we believe that the program will also be appreciated by tourists.

The upcoming high tourist season seems to be getting closer to achieving a result comparable to the record achieved in 2019 in terms of the number of tourists visiting Crete. It is worth recalling that throughout the entire year, as many as 4.4 million international passengers were registered at the airports in Crete. Of this, nearly 3/4 of the tourist traffic fell to the Heraklion airport, while the rest of the traffic was generated by the airport in Chania. Of course, time will tell if the number of people vacationing in Crete this year will actually approach this record result. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that such good announcements do not fully match the mood of the local tourism industry.

Today we are taking you to a little-known region of the Asterousia Mountains, specifically to the Aba Gorge (Αμπά). It is a completely wild and inaccessible area. This gorge is intended only for experienced climbers who are not afraid of steep rocks and cliffs and overcome 21 descents. The longest of them is 45 meters high.
It is also here that the impressive Ambas waterfall is located on a rocky fault. From a distance it looks as if the water was literally flowing out of the rocks and then plunging 245 meters down. It is this inaccessible area of Crete that wild animals like. The steep cliffs are home to the island's largest population of raptors.

May 20, 1941 is one of the most important dates in the modern history of Crete. On that day, 81 years ago, the German army launched Operation Mercury, the aim of which was to take over Crete by German airborne troops. From the very beginning, the civilian population, who heroically supported the Allied forces, took an active part in the defense activities. Unfortunately, after eleven days of heavy fighting, the entire island was under the control of German troops, and the Cretans suffered monstrous repression in retaliation. As one historian said: " The Battle of Crete has played and continues to play a special role in history, mainly due to the resistance of the island's inhabitants ." In Crete you will find many places that are reminiscent of the events of those days.

And today in Chania on the occasion of the anniversary, copies of the military uniforms of all military units that took part in the battle were presented for the first time: the Greek army, groups of Cretan civilians and allied forces.

German jumpers over Crete on May 20, 1941 (photo source wikipedia.org)

Various types of projects are implemented in many Polish cities, which give residents and tourists the possibility of relatively cheap and easy rental of bicycles. It is worth mentioning, for example, Veturilo, i.e. the Warsaw Public Bike. For some initiatives of this type, electric bike rental is also available. Such initiatives are also carried out in Crete. In recent days, the municipal authorities of Heraklion have decided to start work to extend their free city bike program to one that is equipped with electric assistance.

Last Monday, the list of beaches distinguished by the famous symbol: the Blue Flag was once again announced. The undisputed winner is again Spain. Greece, as in previous years, took second place on the international list. In total, 581 beaches, 15 marinas and 6 tourist ships were awarded there. Thus, Greece is responsible for 14% of the awards this year. It is also worth noting that Greece improved its last year's result, because in 2021 "only" 545 Greek sites were awarded.

47 countries took part in this year's edition of the program. In total, 4,194 beaches located around the world were awarded, 732 marinas and 116 cruise boats. \

The season in Crete is starting every week, more and more tourists come to the island, although there are still a few weeks to vacation. Among the tourists coming to the island, there are also enthusiasts of hiking trails and alpine tours. Spring is just a good time for such escapades because the temperatures are more favorable than in summer. Unfortunately, the popularity of this activity makes dangerous situations and accidents multiply. Every few days there is information about such events that take place on the Cretan routes.