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 The Greek islands in May! What could be more beautiful? We have just returned from a wonderful week spent with Mark and Anita at their charming Taverna, The Lemon Tree at Handras. The village with its winding lanes and mixture of stone and whitewashed houses is set in the hills between Sitia and Makrigialos. Away from the main tourist areas, this is a place of idyllic limestone scenery, the hills clothed with olive groves and brilliant yellow gorse and scattered with ancient Minoan and Venetian ruins to explore.
We hired a car from Iraklion and reached Handras in under two hours – this despite driving very carefully in our brand new hire car and acclimatising ourselves to left hand drive and the Cretan style of driving. However, we were very pleased to reach The Lemon Tree where an enthusiastic welcome and an excellent meal were waiting for us.
Handras (or Chandras) is an ideal centre to explore this part of the island and with little traffic away from the towns, we could enjoy more relaxed driving. Time moves more slowly here and it would be easy to while away the hours in a cafenio overlooking the beach in Sitia or in the villages watching the locals, many still traditionally dressed, going about their business. Solemn, weather-beaten faces will smile immediately with a friendly “Yasas” or “Kalimera”.
Our daily drives crisscrossed the eastern part of the island. In the hilly interior we were frequently stopping to admire unspoilt views over valleys to tiny churches on distant hills. We looked down over corkscrew roads which we would follow down to isolated beaches such as Xerokambos. We admired the rocky coast between Sitia and Agios Nikolaos and the palm fringed sands of Vai. John and I are not ones to lie around on beaches, but the empty lemon yellow sands, away from the resorts were magnificent and we walked slowly along them.
One of my biggest regrets was that I cannot walk very far because of an arthritic ankle, as this is wonderful rambling country. (It is great for cycling too, if you don’t mind hills!) I would dearly have loved to walk through the canyon from Zakros to the Minoan palace of Kato Zakros or from Maronia to the etocretan remains of Praisos. However, we managed to drive most of the way and just do the last mile or so on foot and this enabled us to enjoy the plethora of wild flowers to be found at this time of year: huge red poppies, blue campanula, wild Byzantine gladioli and so many more covering the ground with great splashes of white, lavender, yellow. Climbing up to Praisos, we even found the last blooming of a purple orchid.
Set high on its hill with splendid views all round, Praisos was one of my favourite ancient sites and being free to enter, it did not close at three o’clock and we were able to wander peacefully by ourselves and imagine the past. Other Minoan sites within easy distance, though, include Gournia, Mallia, Lato and Palekastro. Knossos and Phaestos could be reached in a day, but we tacked on a couple of extra days in Iraklion to see them. If you are interested, Sitia and Agios Nikolaos both have good archaeological museums.
Closer to Handras and within easy walking distance were the fascinating Venetian villages of Etia and Voila. These were abandoned when the Venetians were defeated by the Turks in 1669 and have gradually fallen into decay, but there was still plenty there and we spent some time wandering round the little streets and looking into the tiny houses. Some of the buildings, like the mansion house in Etia or the fortified hall at Voila are most impressive.
On our way to Vai, we stopped at the fortress style monastery of Toplou. On a mountain plateau overlooking the sea, Toplou has an attractive church and a museum full of beautiful icons as well as an excellent taverna. This compensated us for missing out on the wonderful frescoes at Panagia Kera church near Kritsa which was closed for restoration, though, annoyingly, just about to re-open. Again, if you enjoy monasteries, there are plenty to see.
Finally, as a loyal reading club member, we had to take the boat trip from Elounda to the island of Spinalonga made famous in the novel, The Island by Victoria Hislop, as the leper colony which only closed in the 1950s. The fortress loomed larger and larger as we approached the landing stage. We waited until the rest of the passengers had wandered off to walk through the dark tunnel which defined the final separation of the lepers from their families. Many of the former Venetian houses have fallen into disrepair, but some have been renovated and painted with bright colours and, with its current fame, and the advancing tourists, no doubt will soon be bijou boutiques and pavement cafes. So it was really pleasing to see it now, before all this had taken hold. We walked right round the island along the fortress walls, past the houses, the hospital and the cemetery, all evoking strong feelings about its tragic past right up to the keep where the great size of the fortification could be appreciated.
When we were planning our trip, we did wonder if there would be enough to do in this small area, but a week was barely enough time to begin to do justice to it. Every day welcomed new experiences and pleasures and not least of these was the excellent food. Mark is a trained chef and his delight in pleasing his guests is obvious. The open plan kitchen and homely restaurant area with its open fire allows the diners to watch Mark at work and to talk with him. The food was a mixture of Cretan specialities and European cuisine at its best, an opportunity to enjoy local fish and sea foods and other products delicately flavoured with locally-picked herbs, exquisite sauces and unexpected variations on traditional food. Given a wide choice at breakfast, we selected Greek yogurt and fresh fruit for the first day, but it was so delicious we stayed with it, although the fruit changed daily and there were always different types of Cretan bread and biscuits to savour as well. Having selected from the daily menu board the first night, we were asked whether we had any preferences for the next. We decided to let Mark choose for us and so, on our return from our travels, there was the added frisson of wondering what it would be that evening. We did not regret our decision. Every meal was served with love and artistry and we ate every mouthful, showing no regard for Benjy, the Lemon Tree dog, who looked at us so beseechingly as we returned to our room, that we had to indulge him with a few games of throwing the lemon before retiring.
Thank you Anita, Mark, baby Charlie and Benjy for a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable holiday. We shall be back.
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'..In his kitchen and restaurant, Mark made us travel through Crete, England and many other countries all over the world. The best experience we had: a surprising fantasy-menu that was especially created for us. We thought we were travelling in paradise! Every meal is a composition of colours, tastes and flavours..'
The Lemon Tree Restaurant
