Crete tourist guide

May is usually the month when the presence of tourists on the island becomes more and more noticeable. How was it this year?

Analyzing the numbers since the beginning of this year, it turns out that 615,585 tourists flew to Heraklion in the first five months of the year. If we take a closer look at the data from May, compared to the same period last year, the number of charter flights to Nikos Kazantzakis Airport in Heraklion increased by 8-9%. This corresponds to an increase in tourists of approximately 17-18 thousand.

Everything indicates that in the near future tourists visiting Heraklion and the inhabitants of the capital of Crete themselves will be able to get to Knossos more comfortably. According to the proposals that have been appearing for a long time, the municipal KTEL is to make an appropriate correction of the route of bus line 02 so that the beginning of the route is not in the vicinity of the port, but in the vicinity of the airport. Such a change would allow the use of more convenient transfers not only for passengers disembarking from planes, but also for intercity bus passengers coming from the region of eastern Crete.

Laiki, or simply marketplaces, are one of the elements strongly rooted in the life of local communities. From ordinary, simple stalls, you can buy everything that is the source of flavor and the essence of Cretan cuisine. Of course, many of the products offered here can hardly be considered particularly exotic. You can easily find them both in Polish stores and bazaars. However, what you will find only at local markets is, for example, fresh horta available in various types, a wide selection of okra or snails sold in bags. It is also worth mentioning the very characteristic local cheeses and honeys. Of course, there are many more such products and it is worth discovering them yourself during your holiday stays in Crete.

Today, through Alex's video, we would like to invite you for a walk through the bustling market located in Rethymno. In this city, laiki is organized every Thursday in the parking lot located on the outskirts of the Old Town.

When choosing Crete in May, you have to take into account the vagaries of the weather. In general, however, you can count on pleasant temperatures and sunny weather. However, this year's May, when it comes to the aura, was completely unique, not only in Crete, but also in all of Greece.
According to measurements recorded by 53 meteorological stations of the National Observatory in Athens, which have been operating continuously since 2010, in May this year. the average value of the maximum daily temperatures oscillated below the average for the period 2010-2019. And for Crete, Northern Greece, Thessaly, Central Greece and the Peloponnese, it was the coldest May since 2010. For the rest of the Aegean islands, it was the second coldest month after 2011.
And for tomorrow they predict another worsening of the weather with heavy rainfall. Stay warm.

Last week, as part of the work on the project "Promotion of sustainable coastal tourism", interesting results of scientific research conducted by scientists from the Cretan Polytechnic were presented. These studies looked at the possibility of "burdening" the Balos lagoon with tourism, and the researchers studying this topic analyzed it from many aspects. The most important conclusion is the suggestion of scientists to introduce a maximum daily limit on the number of people visiting the famous lagoon. On the basis of the conducted research, the so-called effective carrying capacity of the area at the level of 2,230 tourists per day. This figure is more than 50% less than the actual daily occupancy faced by Balos during the peak holiday months.

Today, this year's official celebrations of the 82nd anniversary of the Battle of Crete ended at the military airport in Maleme. After a few days from the start of Operation Mercury and fierce fighting, the Cretan cities one by one fell into the hands of the Germans. Heraklion and Rethymno put up the longest resistance. However, the British troops defending the capital of Crete were evacuated on the night of May 28/29 without informing the Greek forces.

When on Thursday, May 29, 1941, the Germans entered Heraklion, they found an abandoned city that was no longer defended. Taking control of Rethymno was just a matter of hours. The Greek soldiers, along with some of the Allies, left their positions around the city and retreated into the mountains. Rethymno surrendered on May 30, which marked the contractual end of the eleven-day battle for Crete. At the same time, Italian troops landed in Sitia, thus occupying the prefecture of Lassithi. From that point on, the entire island was under Axis control.

The Maritime Museum in Chania - an exhibition dedicated to the Battle of Crete

We wrote about the consequences of a snowy winter and possible problems with water shortages in Crete a few months ago. Unfortunately, these predictions seem to be coming true. Today, the Crete Development Organization has introduced significant restrictions on the water supply of the city of Heraklion. This is due to the low water level in the Aposelemi Dam, from which the city is supplied with water.

Aposelemi - as of today.
Photo source: www.ekriti.gr

Next Sunday, May 28, 2023, the Greek Mountaineering Association in Chania is organizing the eleventh mountain run Samaria Run 2023 and the first mountain run Omalos Run.