I know the ones on the road are memories of people killed in traffic accidents but I assume this one is something else since it’s on a calm street in Kissamos

Hey,

We are in Crete and we wanted to go out for a party in Rethymno in a Friday night. Nothing extra, 5 guys 2 girls arpind early 30’s not too drunk but still we have been rejected by 3 different clubs.

Ice: they were asking for a reservation Louvro: wanted to force us to buy 2 bottles for 160 euros to let us in Minibar: reservation again

This reservation thing seems to be some nonsenseness as other locals just entered without saying a word to the lady at the entrance.

They also acted pretty rude with us at minibar.

In general we had the feelong that tourists are not welcomed at these places and I am not sure why.

Can some local help me understand it?

Thanks!

Do you guys know of any artisanal perfume makers that sell perfumes trying to capture the essence and smell of crete? Like mediterranean, herbal, maritime smells? And where to buy them in Chania? :)

A handsome young stalwart had died in another Cretan village, in the White Mountains. His four best friends rose and said, “Shall we go and keep the deathwatch by him, to let the women rest from their lamenting?”
“Yes,” they all replied in strangulated voices.
He had been the village’s best pallikari, twenty years old, and his death was a dagger thrust in their hearts. 
“Someone brought me some raki today,” one of the friends remarked. “It’s mulberry raki, and that can bring even the dead back to life! What do you say, boys, shall I fill a bottle and take it along?”
“My ma did her baking today. Shall I take a couple of barley rolls?”
“I have some pork sausages left. Shall I bring along a good string of them?”
“Me, I'll provide the glasses,” said the fourth. “And a couple of refreshing cucumbers.”
Each took his provisions and thrust them beneath his short shepherd’s cloak of frieze. Come nightfall, all four entered the dead man’s house.
Adorned with basil and marjoram, the deceased was laid out in his casket, which stood on trestles in the middle of the house. His feet faced the door; around him the women were wailing the dirge.
“Go and get some sleep, ladies,” said the friends, bidding them good evening. “We'll keep vigil by him.” The women retired to an inner room, bolting the doors. The friends went to the stools, placed the raki and mezédhes at their feet, and gazed tearfully at the deceased. They did not speak. A half-hour went by; an hour. Finally one of them lifted his eyes from the corpse.
“What say, boys, shall we have a drink?”
“Why sure!” they all replied. “We're not stiffs, are we? Let’s drink!”
They bent down and picked up the food. One of them lighted some paper and broiled the sausages. A delicious odor invaded the death chamber. They filled the glasses and, enlacing them in their fists to keep them from making noise, “clinked” them vigorously.
“God forgive him. . . . Here’s to our turn!”
“To our turn! God forgive him!”
They tossed off one raki, two, three, ate the mezédhes, reached the bottom of the bottle, began to feel jolly.
They gazed at the corpse again. Suddenly one of them leaped to his feet.
“What say, boys”—he indicated the corpse with a sidewise glance—‘‘wanna vault him?”
“Let's!”
Turning up their wide, loose-fitting foufoúles, they stuffed the ends into their cummerbunds so they would not be hindered in running. Then they transferred the casket to the threshold and opened the door leading to the courtyard.
Pftt! Pftt! They spat into their palms, took a running start, and began to vault the corpse.

Hello everyone.

I read this passage in "Report to Greco" (published by Simon & Schuster) , the autobiography of Nikos Kazantzakis. Marvellous man, marvellous text.

The author explains himself the meaning of the story: "stalwart games over and above love and pain, over and above death;", and again he talks about "scorn of death" as the lesson.

I get that but I wanted to ask some cultural context about the act of jumping over a corpse. Did the act have a meaning of its own apart from the event told by Kazantzakis? Would that be considered disrespectful of the dead person? Apart from these two questions, please, feel free to give me all the informations you want about such an act in the context of Cretan culture.

Thank you, goodbye.

Το καλοκαίρι όντως υπάρχει περισσότερος κόσμος στην Κρήτη αλλά και ως είναι φυσικό επόμενο έρχονται από μόνοι τους αρκετοί καλλιτέχνες, θίασοι, ορχήστρες κτλ περιοδεία.

Αυτό που δεν καταλαβαίνω είναι γιατί δεν γίνεται μια καλύτερη προσπάθεια να καλυφθεί το τεράστιο κενό που υπάρχει σε πολιτισμό εκτός του καλοκαιριού. Καταντάει βαρετό 2 μήνες τον χρόνο να περνάει κάθε καλλιτέχνης που υπάρχει και οι δήμοι και η περιφέρεια να εξαντλούν όλο τους σχεδόν το μπάτζετ στο καπάκι.

Τι να πρωτοδείς ως ντόπιος δηλαδή; Είναι η τέχνη και ο πολιτισμός μόνο για τους Αθηναίους και στην Κρήτη; Αφήστε και κάτι για τον χειμώνα! Δεν είναι ωραίο τα θέατρα και οι μουσικές σκηνές μας να σαπίζουν 10 μήνες τον χρόνο.

Ρωτάω ως μέρος μιας γλωσσολογικής μελέτης πάνω σε αυτό το θέμα!

Παραδείγματα θα μπορούσαν να είναι, για παράδειγμα, Κουδρία, Iraqλειο ή Μαντσάνιαν...

Δεν πειράζει πόσο συνηθισμένα είναι!

About 10 years ago (2015) I went on a honeymoon to Crete, near Ierapetra. In the hotel radio I heard multiple times song which in the chorus had word "radame" or something phonetically similar. The word was repeated during the chorus few times. I am trying to identify that song, please help.

P.S. I tried to find it with Chat GPT, but when it suggested that phrase "shaking my ass like a chipmunk" from another song could be similar to "radame", I passed. 😂

I'm in Chania for a week, with a car, verrrrry much enjoying myself with a friend. I'm curious about local men's clothing. For an example, in Athens I found a small shop called Moxha run by two young and friendly artist guys. It was awesome, I was thrilled to support them. Can anyone recommend anything like this on Crete? I've seen a ton of shops selling stuff, but I'm looking for something very Cretan!

Hey everyone,

I’m American and we’re asked to tip for ANYTHING service related and it’s looked upon poorly if you don’t oblige. Even at self-serve ice cream places they’ll flip an iPad around at checkout and ask for 18%…Can someone please explain the common tipping practice in Greece? I’ve only been to Mexico and the DR and we tipped for various services which I have zero problem doing but I’ve heard different opinions on tipping in Europe. I don’t want to be disrespectful and not tip when I should and vice versa.

Thank you for any help!

Is it possible to buy 2 liter beer bottles in Crete?

Πως μπορώ να βρω αν υπάρχουν πανηγύρια στην Κρήτη ή πολιτιστικες εκδηλωσεις μέχρι μέσα Ιούνη στην Κρήτη. Ξέρεις κάποιος από σας αν έχει κάποιο χωριό γιορτή;

First of all, congrats for making it to the finals!! 🇬🇷 we’re rooting for you. We’ll be close to Chania on Saturday and were wondering if there are bars where people watch the Eurovision final together. Thanks!

Food is my absolute favorite thing and obsession. I love to learn about hyperlocal food and customs.

I’m currently spending one month in Chania and would love to learn from any locals about how they approach food.

When going out to eat (at a traditional Greek taverna), how do you usually approach the menu? Do you usually order a bunch of appetizers so share, plus a main dish? How often do you get dessert?

I’m also obsessed with cheese - how often do you eat cheese on its own? As an appetizer or a dessert? Or is it mostly used for cooking?

I’m going somewhere this weekend to try Antikristo and am super stoked about it!

Thanks!

Good day Crete . I hope things are going well over there.🙂

I have fondness for Postcards and enjoy collecting them. However, I don’t have any from Crete. If anyone is willing to send one from there, please let me know In the comment section. I will really appreciate it! 🙂

Thank you so much! And thank you Mods for allowing me to post . 

A Techno party organised by the students of the music school of Rethymno.Everyone is invited. There will be a bar with drinks and last bus to Rethymno is at 05:30 in the morning. I can also help with transport from Rethymno to the university. Music styles will be DnB, Techno, Psy and others. For more info and lineup check out the Facebook page. Party starting at 22:00

https://facebook.com/events/s/tei-spasta/1947688016039798/

Hi all,

I find it really fascinating that you guys have a really strong culture, given how the rest of Greece and Europe as a whole is.

Do you guys have any less laws than Greece when it comes to owning/carrying firearms in public?

Is it more possible to own and/or carry open/concealed in public legally in Crete vs the rest of Greece?

Or is it only possible because y'all give the finger to Greece's gun laws?

Hi everyone!

I have been solo traveling around Italy and Greece for the last 2 months and never felt as comfortable and welcomed as Crete. I have only been here 2 days but the number of people who helped me, from a bus driver to a bakery receptionist was awesome! People generally seem kind and less stressed out (compared to Athens at least).

The food here is just incredible and the weather is milder (less humidity) compared to other Mediterranean places.

The history and culture are just unmatched. I accidentally witnessed some traditional Cretan music at Heraklion and it was nothing short of hypnotic!

Finally the infrastructure is actually pretty good, especially the credit card machines on the bus.

Overall, Crete exceeded my expectations by a long shot and I will be planning my next visit here. You all have something great going on here, even with so much tourism!