Program

Day 1 Holy Thursday 17/4: Larnaca – Heraklion – Rethymno
Assembly at Larnaca airport and departure for Crete. Arrival and transfer to the city of Heraklion, the urban and economic center of the island and the capital of the Region of Crete. We will see the Loggia, the Morozini Fountain (Liontarakia), the Church of St. Catherine with the Byzantine Icons 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 occupation, the fortress was known by the names Rocca a Mare or Castello a Mare or Castello, meaning fortress at the sea. The name “Koule” eventually prevailed, from the Turkish name Su Kulesi. It was built on the site of an older fortress that was seriously damaged by an earthquake in 1303. Then we board the bus and transfer to our hotel in the picturesque Rethymno and settle into our rooms.
20.00 pm: Dinner (fasting and non-buffet) at the hotel's "OTHELLO" restaurant

Day 2 Good Friday 18/4: 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 gushing from the fountains of the central square.
19.00 pm: Gathering at the hotel and offering a welcome drink with various snacks.
19.45 pm: Transfer to the church for the Divine Liturgy and then the procession of the epitaph in the city.
21.30 pm: Dinner (fasting and non-buffet) at the hotel's "OTHELLO" restaurant

Day 3 Holy Saturday 19/4: Monastery of Agios Georgios Selinari - Agios Nikolaos - Elounda - Spinalonga
07.30-08.30 am: Breakfast and departure for Eastern Crete. First stop for pilgrimage to the Men's Monastery Agios Georgios Selinari, which is built in the heart of the Selinari gorge. For Cretans, it is considered a disgrace to cross the gorge without stopping at Agios Georgios. We continue our journey to the picturesque town and capital of the Lassithi prefecture, Agios Nikolaos. Its trademark is Lake Voulismeni, a small lagoon in the center of the city. Dozens of legends are associated with it due to its very deep waters, such as the fact that it is bottomless. The Germans had thrown war material at the bottom of the lake before abandoning Crete in 1944. A walk around the lake is a nice experience. Then we head north and at a distance of about 10 km. we meet the world-famous tourist resort, Elounda. From there we will visit the island of Spinalonga, known as the last leper colony in Europe, and was one of the most important Venetian castles in Crete. In the afternoon we return to Rethymno.
23.00 pm: Transfer to the Church of the Resurrection.
00.30 am: Dinner with traditional magieritsa and a variety of dishes in a buffet.

Day 4 Easter Sunday 20/4: Rethymno
Happy Easter – Christ is Risen!
07.30-09.45 am: Breakfast at the hotel.
10.00 am: 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) and the Holy Metropolis of Rethymno. Then we arrive at the square of Our Lady of the Angels where the church of the Little Virgin Mary is located, which was built during 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 that soon collapsed. Our tour concludes at the church of the Holy Four Martyrs. The Holy Four Martyrs George, Angelis, Manuel and Nicholas were all married, virtuous in life and Crypto-Christians. Like all Crypto-Christians, they sought an opportunity to reveal this secret but well-guarded Christian faith of theirs 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. However, the Saints’ response was brave and firm: “We were born Christians and we will die Christians”. The horrific imprisonment and torture until their final condemnation to death by beheading was the continuation. Return to the hotel.
13.00 pm. Offer of pre-lunch snacks, ouzo, tsikoudia and juice.
13.30 pm: Rich Easter meal with live music and traditional dances.
21.00 pm: Possibility of organizing a tombola.

Day 5 Easter Monday 21/4: Holy Monastery of Arkadi – Margarites – Axos – Anogia
07.30-08.30: Breakfast and departure to the hinterland of the Prefecture of Rethymno. Our first stop is the Holy Monastery of Arkadi, which was founded around the 11th century AD by the monk Arkadi and is the holiest symbol of the Cretan Struggle for Freedom. In the monastery’s powder magazine, the last act of the drama and another glorious page of Greek history was written. 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 burning the temple and looting the sacred relics. This event paved the way for the liberation of the island in 1898. It is worth mentioning that UNESCO has designated Arkadi as a European Monument of Freedom. 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. Going uphill, we head to the foot of Psiloritis and the village of Axos. We will visit the Museum of Woodcarvings, which includes a 20-year collection of works (including a statue in honor of Solomos Solomos) by sculptor Georgios Koutantos. The space functions as both a museum and a workshop. The dimensions of the sculptures are life-size, while some of them are also presented in larger dimensions. Nearby we will find ourselves in Anogia, famous throughout Greece for their contribution to culture. Wander 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. In the afternoon return to our hotel in Rethymno.
19.30 pm: Gathering at the hotel and offering a farewell drink with various snacks.
20.00 pm: Dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Day 6 Easter Tuesday 22/4:: Lake Kournas – Chania – Venizelos Tombs – Chania Airport – Larnaca
07.30-08.30 am: Breakfast and departure for western Crete and the prefecture of Chania. First stop at Lake Kournas, the only natural lake on an island in the Mediterranean, which is located in a magnificent landscape, between the western slopes of the White Mountains and the fertile plain of Georgioupolis. We continue our journey to Chania where we will visit the Municipal Market, inaugurated in 1913 and built on the leveled Venetian bastion Piatta Forma, the leather goods market, the Venetian harbor with its colorful buildings, the Egyptian lighthouse (one of the landmarks of Chania) and the historic fortress "Firka" which the Venetians used as a prison for Greeks 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. Climbing 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 parental home. At noon, we board the bus heading to the “Ioannis Daskalogiannis” airport of Chania and the return trip to Cyprus, leaving with the best impressions of our six-day stay in Crete.