Program

Day 1: Larnaca – Heraklion – Rethymno
Departure by direct flight to Heraklion. Arrival, boarding the bus and transfer to the beautiful city of Rethymno. Arrival at the hotel and check-in. Dinner at the hotel restaurant and overnight.

Day 2: Rethymno (City Tour)
07.30-09.45 am: Breakfast and walking tour of the city. Visit of the coastal road, the Venetian port, the old town (which was designated a Historical Monument in 1967, and a Traditional Settlement in 1985), the Venetian fortress of Fortezza and the Holy Metropolis of Rethymno. Then we arrive at the square of Our Lady of Angels where the church of the Little Virgin Mary is located, which was built during the Venetian period and was dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene of the Dominican Order. It is a three-aisled church that was converted into a mosque during the Turkish period and in 1680 a minaret was added that soon collapsed. Our tour concludes at the church of the Holy Four Martyrs. The Holy Four Martyrs George, Angels, Manuel and Nicholas were all married, virtuous in life and Crypto-Christians. This secret but well-guarded Christian faith of theirs, like all crypto-Christians, was sought for an opportunity to reveal in accordance with the Lord’s commandment “Whoever confesses me before men, I will also confess before my Father in heaven.” That is why when in 1821 the Greeks and Cretans took up arms against the Turks, the Four Martyrs also took part, “fighting bravely for faith and homeland.” In 1824, as is well known, the revolution in Crete was suppressed. Then the Turks arrested the Saints and took them to Mehmet, the Turkish Pasha of Rethymno, who tried with promises to convince them to return to Mohammedanism. But the Saints' answer was brave and firm: "We were born Christians and we will die Christians." The horrible prison and torture until their final condemnation to death by beheading was the continuation. Return to the hotel and free time.
19.30 pm: Gathering at the hotel and offering a welcome drink with various snacks.
20.00 pm: Dinner at the hotel's "OTHELLO" restaurant.

Day 3: Holy Monastery of Chrysopigi - Chania - Venizelos Tombs - Lake Kournas
07.30-08.30 am: Breakfast and departure for western Crete and the prefecture of Chania. First stop for pilgrimage to the Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of Chrysopigi. It was founded in the mid-16th century, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary of the Life-Giving Spring and during this period it emerged as an important spiritual center of the region. During the Turkish occupation it was destroyed, while from 1848 onwards the monastery was renovated and repopulated. During World War II, the monks were forced to leave and the architectural structure of the buildings was severely damaged. In 1976 it was converted into a women's convent and the brotherhood restored the Monastery from the foundations. The sisters practice traditional monastic arts, such as icon painting and temple mural painting, gold embroidery, stone carving, bookbinding, beekeeping, waxwork, the production of incense and handmade soap, etc. An important activity of the Monastery is the publication of books, while an Ecclesiastical and Folklore Museum operates. Olive oil is cultivated on its estates using organic farming methods. Immediately afterwards we arrive in Chania where we will visit the Municipal Market, the leather goods market, the Venetian harbor and the historic fortress “Firka” which the Venetians used as a prison for Greeks sentenced to death. There the Greek flag was raised, in front of Venizelos and King Constantine in 1913, as a seal of the union with Greece. Going up to Akrotiri, at the top of the hill of Prophet Elias, we reach the tombs of Eleftherios Venizelos and his son Sophocles, from where we will have the opportunity to see a panoramic view of Chania. The spot for the Tombs was indicated by Eleftherios Venizelos himself as it is located a few kilometers from his ancestral home. In the afternoon, return to Rethymno with a stopover at Lake Kournas, the only natural lake on an island in the Mediterranean, which is located in a magical landscape, between the western slopes of the White Mountains and the fertile plain of Georgioupolis.
20.00 pm: Dinner at the hotel's "OTHELLO" restaurant.

Day 4: Matala – Holy Monastery of Panagia Kaliviani – Zaros - Spili
07.30-08.15 am: Breakfast and departure for South Crete and the Libyan Sea. Our first stop is the seaside village of Matala, where hippies from all over the world arrived in the 1960s to live in the famous caves of Matala, located next to the beach. Then we head to the plain of Messara, to the women's Monastery of Panagia Kaliviani. It was founded in the 14th century and abandoned immediately after the Turkish occupation. In the old chapel, which is dedicated to Panagia Kaliviani, the visitor can admire the hagiographies dating back to the 14th century. The Monastery today houses charitable institutions (orphanage, nursing home, etc.) and folk art workshops. Then we will visit Zaros, a village better known for its eponymous bottled water. Due to the rich water sources, olive oil, raisin and citrus crops thrive. There is also the Votomos spring, an area overgrown with plane trees, a trout farm and an artificial lake. In the afternoon, return to Rethymno with an intermediate visit to the traditional Cretan village of Spili, with the crystal clear waters that gush from the fountains of the central square.
20.00 pm: Dinner at the hotel's "OTHELLO" restaurant.

Day 5: Rethymno (Free Day)
07.30-10.00 am: Breakfast and free day to stroll along the promenade of the coastal road and walk through the picturesque alleys of the old town with its traditional taverns and cafes or enjoy the endless beach with its golden sand. We also recommend visiting the shopping streets (Kountouriotis Avenue, Ethnikis Antistaseos and Arkadiou Avenue), with a multitude of shops at affordable prices.
19.30 pm: Gathering at the hotel and offering a farewell drink with various snacks.
20.00 pm: Dinner at the hotel's "OTHELLO" restaurant

Day 6: I.M. Arkadi – Margarites – Anogia – Knossos – Heraklion – Heraklion Airport – Larnaca
07.30-10.00: Breakfast and free time. At noon we depart from Rethymno for the hinterland of the Prefecture. Our first stop is the Monastery of Arkadi, perhaps the most historical monument of Crete. The Cretan revolution against the Turkish conqueror began from here. We have all heard of the Holocaust of the monastery, which was The peak act of the liberation struggle of the Cretans that moved Europe was written in the powder magazine of the monastery. Kostis Giamboudakis or according to others Emmanuel Skoulas blew it up, spreading death, not only to the Christians, but also to the invaders. Immediately afterwards, the Turkish Cretans and Albanians rushed in and massacred those who had survived, while they burned the temple and looted the sacred relics. We continue to the village of Margarites, whose inhabitants have a tradition in pottery and still continue to make clay vessels, imitations of ancient Minoan vessels. Climbing Psiloritis we reach Anogia, famous throughout Greece for their contribution to culture. Take a tour of the narrow alleys of the village and get to know its hospitable people up close. Great Cretan lyre players and singers come from Anogia, with the most prominent being the “nightingale of Crete”, the legendary Nikos Xylouris, whose house is located in the Perachori neighborhood. Pilgrimage to the I.N. of St. John the Baptist located in the central square of the village, whose iconography dates back to the first decades of the 14th century. Next we arrive at the archaeological site of Knossos, which according to tradition was the seat of the wise king Minos. This is the most brilliant center of the Minoan civilization where the excavations carried out by the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans revealed the entire palace. Fascinating myths, of the Labyrinth with the Minotaur and of Daedalus with Icarus, are associated with the palace of Knossos. city of Heraklion. The city of Heraklion, the largest urban and economic center of the island and capital of the Region of Crete, is not far away. We will see the Loggia, the Morozini Fountain (Liontarakia), the Church of St. Catherine with the Byzantine icon museum, St. Minas (Metropolitan Church of Heraklion), St. Titos and the imposing fortress of "Koule" at the entrance to the old Venetian harbor. During the Venetian rule, the fortress was known by the names Rocca a Mare or Castello a Mare or Castello, meaning fortress at the sea. It eventually became known as "Koule", a name that comes from the Turkish name Su Kulesi. It was built on the site of an older fortress that had suffered serious damage from an earthquake in 1303. Free time. In the evening, boarding the bus to Heraklion's "Nikos Kazantzakis" airport and the return trip to Cyprus, leaving Crete with the best impressions.