[ lifestyle ]
Incredible
Crete
The caves of Matala.
BONNIE BRANCIAROLI
As a young girl, I was captivated by Greek mythology. Zeus
enthralled me. Born and raised in exile in the caves of Crete, Zeus
grew up to become the ruler of the 12 gods of Olympus by over-
throwing his father. To a 10-year-old growing up in the steel valley
in the early 1960s, the stories of Crete became an intellectual oasis
for me, transforming everyday life into an imaginative adventure.
Those adventures stayed with me throughout my life and in
many ways made me strong and willful in my endeavors. This
year, for our 46th wedding anniversary, my husband, Mark,
and I made the journey to Crete. Our week-long visit was a
short leg of a two-month European journey to five countries
MARK WILLIAM BRANCIAROLI
that my husband meticulously planned for me. Flights and
lodging had been prearranged. He chose homes and apartments
available through Airbnb and a spattering of hotels to accom-
modate my attending the occasional Internation-
al Rotary meeting as a newly inducted rotarian ExEdge
from Elkins, WV.
The biggest
Beginning our visit to the island of Crete, we island region
landed at the Heraklion International Airport of Greece and
on a windy and chilly mid-February night. The the fifth largest
airport snoozed in an off-season sleep but hinted island in the
Mediterranean,
at a bustling tourist season. Bright signs and sea Crete is home
art shouted where to go and what to see, but the to nearly
50 or so passengers who disembarked the Aegean 600,000 people.
Airlines commuter plane from Athens, Greece, Source: www.
that evening were not interested. We were there britannica.com
for peace and quiet. After renting our four-wheel-
drive Suzuki, picking up our luggage and locking in the GPS,
we looked forward to the seaside GDM Megaron Hotel for a
good night’s sleep in a king-size bed fit to fight off jet lag.
Many shops and cafes, including the Zafiria Internet
Café, display arts and crafts of the 1960s era.
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