Program

Day 1 Monday 17/4: Larnaca – Heraklion – Rethymno
Meeting at Larnaca airport and departure by direct flight to Heraklion. Arrival, boarding the buses and transfer to Rethymnon. Arrival at the hotel, settling in the rooms.
Dinner at the "OTHELLO" restaurant of the hotel.

Day 2 Tuesday 18/4: Rethymno (city tour)
07.30-09.45 am: Breakfast and walking tour of the picturesque town of Rethymno. Visit of the coastal road, the Venetian port, the old town (which was designated a Historic Preserved Monument in 1967, and a Traditional Settlement in 1985), the Venetian fortress of Fortezza and the Holy Metropolis of Rethymnon. Then we arrive at the square of the Lady of the Angels where the church of the Little Virgin is located which was built during the years of the Venetian occupation 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 occupation and in 1680 a minaret was added which soon collapsed. Our tour ends at the church of the Holy Four Martyrs. The Holy Four Martyrs George, Angelis, Manuel and Nikolaos were all married, virtuous in life and Crypto-Christians. This hidden but well-guarded Christian faith of theirs, like all crypto-Christians, they sought an opportunity to reveal according to the command of the Lord. That is why in 1821, when the Greeks and Cretans took up arms against the Turks, the Four Martyrs also took part "fighting bravely for faith and country". In 1824, as is well known, the revolution in Crete was suppressed. Then the Turks also arrested the Holy 4 Martyrs and led them to Mehmet, Turkish Pasha of Rethymno, who tried with promises to persuade them to return to Mohammedanism. But the answer of the Saints was brave and firm "We were born Christians and we will die Christians". Horrible imprisonment and torture until their final sentence to death by beheading was what followed. Return to the hotel and free time
19.30 pm: Meeting at the hotel and offer of welcome drink with various snacks.
20.00 pm: Dinner at the "OTHELLO" restaurant of the hotel.

Day 3 Wednesday 19/4: 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 at the coastal village of Matala where hippies from all over the world arrived in the 1960s to live in the famous caves of Matala next to the beach. Then we head to the Mesara plain, to the women's I.M. Panagia Kalivianis. It was founded in the 14th century and was abandoned immediately after the Turkish occupation. In the old chapel, which is dedicated to Panagia Kalyviani, the visitor can admire the hagiographies dating from 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 the bottled water of the same name. Due to the abundant water sources, olive oil, raisin and citrus crops thrive. There is also the source of Votomos, an area overgrown with plane trees, a trout farm and an artificial lake. In the afternoon, return to Rethymnon with a visit to the traditional Cretan village of Spili, with its crystal clear waters gushing from the fountains in the central square.
20.00 pm: Dinner at the "OTHELLO" restaurant of the hotel.

Day 4 Thursday 20/4: I.M. Panagias Keras – Tzermiado – Dikteo Andros – Gonies – Heraklion
07.15-08.00 am: Breakfast and departure for Eastern Crete. First stop for a pilgrimage to I.M. Keras, located in a verdant area. The foundation and history of the monastery, whose first mention goes back to 1333, is inextricably linked with the miraculous icon of Panagia Kardiotissa, which according to tradition was painted by Saint Lazarus, a monk and hagiographer who lived during the period of Iconoclasm. The icon during the Venetian rule was stolen and transferred to the church of Saint Alphonsus in Rome, while the newer icon that replaced it from 1735 is considered equally miraculous. From the original monastery, today only the catholicon is preserved, which has been architecturally shaped after successive interventions in the original one-room church. Going up to the idyllic Lasithi plateau we reach Tzermiado, the administrative capital of the region. It is located in a very fertile area surrounded by the wild high mountains of Diktis and several smaller plateaus. The altitude of the plain ranges from 800m to 850m, which makes it one of the few island inhabited areas in the Mediterranean at such a high altitude. Nowadays, what made the Plateau famous are the famous windmills with white sails, a trademark of the Plateau. These are mainly light metal windmills, most of them built at the end of the 19th century, with the purpose of irrigating the Lassithiot plain. Unfortunately, however, today young farmers have abandoned the traditional way of irrigation, as the state does not provide incentives, and very few windmills are still in operation. Another attraction of the Plateau is the liniae (in Latin "lines"), that is, the large linear drainage works built by the Venetians to transport water across the plain. During the Turkish occupation, the Plateau was an important area of resistance against the conquerors. We continue our route to Dikteon ΄Antro, where according to mythology Zeus was born. We will visit the Theme Park of Greek Mythology. For the first time in the world, well-known and famous monsters of Greek Mythology are presented in three-dimensional sculpture form with imposing dimensions. Then we reach Gonies, a green village, with dense vegetation, surrounded by walnut trees, oak trees, aromatic and healing herbs and with many natural beauties and springs with running water almost all year round. We end up in Heraklion, the largest urban and economic center of the island and capital of the Region of Crete. We will see the Loggia, the Morozini Fountain (Lions), the Church of Agia Catherine with the museum of Byzantine icons, Agios Minas (Metropolitan Church of Heraklion), Agios Titos and the imposing fortress of "Koule" at the entrance of the old Venetian port. Free time. Return in the late afternoon to Rethymno.
20.00 pm: Dinner at the "OTHELLO" restaurant of the hotel

Day 5 Friday 21/4: Faucets – I.M. Chrysopigis – Chania – Kourna Lake
07.30-08.30 am: Breakfast and departure for western Crete. First stop in the beautiful village of Vryses, known for the Butakas and Vrysianos rivers that meet in its center, next to the large bridge of 1942. At the point of the confluence, a large park has been created, where we can enjoy our coffee under the huge plane trees, next to in ducks and gurgling waters. We continue our route for a pilgrimage to the Holy Patriarchal and Cross Monastery of Chrysopigi. Founded in the middle of the 16th century, it is dedicated to Panagia Zoodocho Pigi 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 staffed again. According to II PP, the monks were forced to move away and great damage was caused to the architectural structure of the buildings. In 1976 it was converted into a women's dormitory and the brotherhood restored the Monastery from the ground up. The sisters practice the traditional arts, such as icon painting, gold embroidery, stone carving, beekeeping, candle making and incense making, etc. Publishing books is also an important activity of the Monastery, while an Ecclesiastical and Folklore Museum operate. Immediately after we arrive in Chania where we will visit the Municipal Market, the leather goods market, the small Venetian harbor and the historical fortress "Firka" which the Venetians used as a prison for Greeks who were sentenced to death. It was there that the Greek flag was raised before Venizelos and King Constantine in 1913, as a seal of union with Greece. In the afternoon return to Rethymnon with a stopover at Lake Kourna, the only natural lake on an island in the Mediterranean.
20.00 pm: Dinner at the "OTHELLO" restaurant of the hotel.
21.30 pm: Possibility of organizing a tombola at the hotel.

Day 6 Saturday 22/4: Rethymno (free day)
07.30-10.00 am: Breakfast. Free day in Rethymno for a stroll along the pedestrian promenade of Rethymno's coastal road and to walk through the picturesque alleys of the old town with its traditional taverns and cafes. We also recommend you to visit the shopping streets (L. Kountouriotis, Ethnikis Antistaseos and Arkadiou), with plenty of shops at affordable prices.
19.30 pm: Meeting at the hotel and offering a farewell drink with various snacks
20.00 pm: Dinner at the hotel's "OTHELLO" restaurant with live music.

Day 7 Sunday 23/4: I.M. Vossakou – Axos – Anogeia – “Nikos Kazantzakis” Airport – Larnaca
07.30-08.30 am: Breakfast and departure for the hinterland of the Prefecture of Rethymnon. Our first stop is the Vosakou Monastery located in the Thalia mountains. The monastery complex is arranged in three wings around the central church, located on the eastern side of the central courtyard. According to various historical sources, the monastery was in continuous use from the beginning of the 17th century until 1960, when the last of its monks died. In April 1676 Vosakos became a Patriarchal Monastery. The monastery strongly contributed to the Greek Revolution of 1821 and the Cretan Revolution of 1866. This participation resulted in the monastery being partially destroyed by the Turks. Later, in the 19th century, the Monastery was rebuilt with significant construction activities. The current main church was built in 1855, replacing an earlier one dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. The church is dedicated to the Holy Cross. Climbing Psiloritis we reach Axos. We will visit the Museum of woodcarvers which includes a collection of 20 years of works by the sculptor Georgios Koutandos. The space functions as both a museum and a laboratory. The dimensions of the sculptures are life-size, while some of them are presented in larger dimensions. Visitors have the opportunity to tour the museum and the workshop and learn about the aesthetics and artistic talent of traditional elements (manners and customs of the inhabitants of Crete), folklore elements (for example, the marking of animals), sociological data ( the structure of the family, the position of man and woman), historical evidence. Nearby we will find Anogeia, famous throughout Greece for its contribution to culture. Browse through the narrow streets of the village and get to know its welcoming people up close. Great Cretan lyre players and singers come from Anogeia, with the leading "nightingale of Crete", the legendary Nikos Xylouris, whose house is in the Perachori neighborhood. In the afternoon boarding the bus to the "Nikos Kazantzakis" airport of Heraklion and the return journey to Cyprus, leaving with the best impressions from our seven-day stay on the great island of Crete.