Tatiana is a tourist guide

12/09/2021

If I was standing right here 1656 years ago, I wouldn't be able to see this sunset. Instead I would be 6.5 mt underwater (not bad either!). The reason is the big earthquake of 365 AD that caused the uplift of the western half of Crete, from 0,1 to 9 mt. Among other things it also caused the destruction of ancient Phalassarna's harbor, since the latter exited the sea. (The land uplift here has been calculated to 6.5 mt.)
Phalassarna had its ups and downs, that's all!

04/08/2020

"A Cretan ice-trade route" or "Where to cool off on a hot summer day", or "On the rocks"!

The chasm-cave of Mile, located at an altitude of about 1800 mt on the eastern part of the White Mountains, normally preserves the ice all-year-round (the photos were taken on the 1st of August).
During the past centuries and until some decades ago (as it happened also in other similar areas on the island) it was used for ice-cutting. Each morning of the summer months groups of hard-working 'chioniades' (translates 'snow people') with their equally hard-working donkeys or mules were climbing the steep slopes up to Mile, where they cut big ice-blocks and transported them back down, tightly-packed into hay.
The ice was, of course, a luxury good back then and the hard work of the 'chioniades' was relatively well-paid. The ice blocks were bought by fishermen, hospitals, and by whoever had to store big quantities of food products.
From the 1800 mt the ice blocks would quickly arrive to the sea level..Their Cretan route ended at the main harbors, as they were sold to ship-merchants that would bring them to other areas in need for some precious ice!*

*Think of THAT next time you open your refrigerator!

28/07/2020

About two to four hundred billion stars, immersed in the primordial, divine milk, which Hera refused to give to baby Hercules, spurting it into the sky...and what a stain did it leave behind!
The Via Lactea, our Galaxy, photographed from SW Crete.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buqtdpuZxvk

26/07/2020

NIGHT FALLS ON ANCIENT APTERA

One of the most important archaeological sites of Chania region; an once strong and a veeeery strategically located Hellenistic and Roman city-state, with some structures of unexpectedly large scale and many ruins of later periods (until WWII), a favorite place to tour at, here from a darker perspective!

Photos from the cultural light-event at the archaeological site of Aptera.

03/07/2020

"The Scent of a God"
-or.. "A bouquet of thyme, oregano and sage" (small sample of the rich flora of Mount Juktas).

Mount Juktas was one of the most important religious sites in the Minoan world, not only due to its position overlooking the area of Knossos and its invaluable visibility towards Psiloreitis mountains at the West, Dikti mountains at the East, Asteroussia mountains at the South and the Aegean Sea at the North, but also because its peak profile resembles the face of a bearded man that looks up in the sky. That man, according to the Minoans (and later too) was Zeus...and he was dead! That may seem strange, but not if we consider the archaeological and philological data, according to which the cult sites of Juktas were associated with the cult of the Cretan Zeus, who died and was reborn annually, following the vegetation cycle.
From the templar building of Anemospilia to the several sacred caves and from the Minoan peak sanctuary to the Venetian church of 'Afendis Christos' (still in use today) lies the limestone tomb of the Cretan Zeus..and the winds that carve his face make sure that you will feel his divine scent as soon as you go there!

ph.1: bouquet
ph.2: Juktas's peak profile with some findings (clay figurines of worshippers and animals) from the excavation of its peak sanctuary (Karetsou A.,1981)

22/06/2020

The summer solstice sun sets in the Cretan Sea

Practical astronomical knowledge was necessary for the prehistoric societies, for the agriculture and the sea navigation. Although we don't have written evidence from the Minoans regarding this subject, we do have many indications that show the importance that the "every-day astronomy" had for them, such as alignments of important buildings with specific constellations or solar/lunar positions, position of peak-sanctuaries that, most probably, were also used as sky observatories, etc. It has also been proposed that a minoan seal-ring found in Archanes could depict a festivity for the summer solstice. Like today*. The day when the sun is at its highest point on the sky and we get the longest day of the year. In other words, when one of the earth's poles reaches at its maximum tilt toward the sun. Simply put..Big day today*!

photo 1: summer solstice sunset in the Cretan Sea + gold seal-ring from Tholos Tomb A, Archanes-Phourni

photo 2: chart with the night sky as visible from Crete during July and August ('starring' Sagittarius constellation and planet Jupiter!) + Juktas Minoan peak sanctuary

*..I know, but the post was meant for yesterday!

25/05/2020

Since this summer we expect a very limited amount of work due to the covid-19 situation, I thought that maybe increasing my target audience would be a good long-term career move. That, however, proved to be a challenging task, given that the whole world is affected by this crisis. So, I decided to opt for a different time dimension instead and time-travel back to 1400BC to give some brochures to the Prehistorics! 😉

(Translation from the Linear B; "5 Things to do in Chania -Summer 1400 BC.")

29/04/2020

..the grand finale of the famous quarantine-saga 'Another Crete in the wall' has arrived 😄
---Quarantine effects - pt. IV
Gli effetti della quarantena sulla gente - parte IV---

PS. song info: lyrics from the book of Nikos Kazantzakis "Captain Michalis" -music by Manos Hadjidakis -vocals by Flery Dadonaki (dream team😉)

Quarantine effects pt.IV -The personal odyssey of a Crete-addict facing withdrawal symptoms! All photos and videos are mine. I don't own rights to this music...

23/04/2020

"Another Crete in the wall II"
Quarantine effects - pt. II
Gli effetti della quarantena sulla gente - parte II

Quarantine effects pt.II The personal odyssey of a Crete-addict facing withdrawal symptoms! All photos and videos are mine. I don't own rights to this music....

23/04/2020

"Another Crete in the wall"
Quarantine effects - pt. I
Gli effetti della quarantena sulla gente - parte I

Quarantine effects pt.I The personal odyssey of a Crete-addict facing withdrawal symptoms! I don't own rights to this music. Music credits; Giannis Markopoul...