24 November, 2007In rocky outcropped mountains of the Cretan wilderness, there lies the town of Μιληα (Mi-li-ah). Our chosen destination is an organic farm that is also an authentic Cretan village restored to resemble rural life 150 years ago. Surrounded by trees plump with olives ready to drop, the mountain cradle for this little establishment is one of the many beautiful sites Crete has to offer.
Our voyage up the mountains in Sara’s KIA was unexpectedly frightening. Of all the little things I have taken for granted in Τhe States, the highway system is the largest. There were times when the dirt road on the mountain side was eroded so badly, and the subsequent cement repairs eroded as well, that I held my breath as we crossed over the patchwork. Sara held her nerve with the help of a pack of GR cigarettes.
Along the way there were the twisted and rugged olive trees. I love the olive tree; it is hard and knotted, beautifully twisted, hearty in the face of harsh climate, and plentiful to those who are patient enough to tend it during its decade long maturation. It is a shame so many hundreds of acres of olive trees, a very slow to replace economic resource, burned down in this last summer’s wildfires/arsons in the Peloponnese. It has created a unique social class of ecological refugees. People whose families have lived off of olive crops for generations are now displaced by fires. They are forced into the cities to earn by conniving and /or seeking employment far outside of their familiar skills. Although burnt in places, Crete was generally spared the burning wrath of the mainland fires. However, there is one upside. In the ashes of the enriched soil grow...........mushrooms!
Anyways, check out some pictures of the mountains on Picasa. We got there, ate a lot of lamb, Cretan salad, and other delicacies, and drank some raki. The trip was nice, but I was with a bunch of girls and didn’t get to climb any real mountains. I did run off for a while and trek over some rocky hills and saw some burnt up shrubbery and trees. My first taste of Cretan wilderness was a tease, all it did it solidify my conviction to climb some serious rock in the Lefka Ori.
From the summit,
Thomas (and the Via Lingua crew)
From left to right: Megan (home-skillet), Cynthia (Instructor), Sara Signore (Instructor), Sarah from Tennessee, Bethany, & Thomas.
