16 THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2010 NEWS IN ENGLISH Ï Êüóìïò Ï Êüóìïò NEWS IN ENGLISH THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2010 17 Magic in a hunk of rock A millennium of history and life’s simple joys embrace Kate Armstrong on a visit to Monemvasia.

ize isn’t everything, as rauding groups of Arabs and Marianthi, an elderly retired Bruce Elder returns to the easy charm, late nights the saying goes. World Normans. Jump forward to sea captain who has travelled SHeritage-listed Mon- the 10th century onwards and the world for decades. We emvasia, in the southern Pelo- the town became an extremely pass him in a narrow alley. He and Minoan treasures of the bustling capital of Crete. ponnese, is proof of that. important and wealthy com- is sitting on a stool outside his Greece’s answer to Spain’s mercial and maritime centre, birth home peeling fresh apri- Twenty years ago, Heraklion (sometimes spelt Iraklion and Iraklio) was a dusty Rock of Gibraltar or France’s thanks to its position on the cots. He returns here each Mont Saint Michel, this tiny trade route. In its prime, Mon- summer. “Why?” I ask. I don’t transport hub for the whole of Crete, the biggest of Greece’s 227 inhabited islands. place delivers big delights. emvasia’s population is be- need to. “That’s easy! First of Ferries from the mainland arrived every morning; the international airport was only Perched off the coast, Mon- lieved to have reached 40,000 all, I was born here. Second, I a few kilometres east of the city. All roads led to and from Heraklion. emvasia is an extraordinary to 50,000 people. For the next have friends here. Returning Frescoes of Knossos Palace, Crete. Photo: AFP hunk of rock, whose massive eight centuries, the Venetians gives me big joy.” Size indeed. cliffs plunge into the sea. Nes- and Ottomans squabbled over The writer travelled with the tled at its base but obscured it until Greece’s eventual in- assistance of Emirates and was from view is a medieval village dependence in 1821. a guest of Monopati Rooms known by locals as the Kastro After World War II, resi- and Apartments. 24 hours in Heraklion (fortress). On the rock’s upper dents left en masse - poverty slopes are the sprawling ruins was rife and there was little to GETTING THERE Malvasia Hotel, doubles 27320 61371 ; To Kanoni, oday Dedalou Street, the city’s main street 1pm themselves in huge murals, threw pottery pithoi (s- of an ancient fortress. A nar- sustain them. These days, only Emirates flies daily to A- row causeway joins the rock to seven people live here perma- thens via Dubai. from euro80-euro120, in- phone +30 27320 61387. You once lined with frenetic restaurants, has be- Down the hill from the museum is the port and the torage jars) larger in size than the average man and cludes breakfast, phone +30 can’t go wrong with any of the come a chic mall, selling labels found in city’s 16th-century Venetian fort, Rocca al Mare, a held complex rituals involving bulls that were the mainland at the small, nently but numbers swell on T modern village of Gefyra. For weekends and in summer, WHERE TO STAY 27320 63007, see . three options: Matoula has the every other chic mall around the world. The old reminder that the Venetians ruled the island from watched by crowds of elegantly dressed women. best view, Marianthi has the restaurants have given way to sleek cafes. New hotels 1204 to 1669. The Turks renamed it the Koules Fort. Knossos Palace, entry euro6. Open Monday-Satur- the record (because few peo- thanks to returning locals and Monopati Rooms & Apart- ple know it), modern-day foreign visitors. ments, euro70 ($110) to eu- WHERE TO EAT best food and To Kanoni the have sprung up, exclusive resorts perch on every van- The views of the Old Port from the battlements are day 8am-6pm, Sunday 8.30am-3pm. See . Matoula, phone +30 27320 best service. tage point along the coast and the airport has been impressive. The huge rooms, the thickness of the 5pm Monemvasia also incorporates Monemvasia is renowned ro160, phone +30 27320 61660; Marianthi, phone +30 Article from The Sydney Morning Herald given a modern makeover. Though much has walls and solidity of the building are a legacy of the Return to the city, make your way to Milato Road, Gefyra and surrounding vil- for more than its rock. 61772. changed, the city still bustles with that distinctive hys- importance the Venetians placed on the island they find a seat on the street and have a drink. The crowds lages. But most visitors are Greece’s famous left-wing po- teria that makes Greece so vibrant. And the locals knew as Regno di Candia (the Kingdom of Candia). that gather after work are remarkable. This is the C- lured by the incredible Kastro. et, Yiannis Ritsos, was born weave their way through crowds of meandering Rocca al Mare, entry euro2. Open Tuesday-Friday retan interpretation of youthful sophistication - arm- And it’s easy to see why. here. For centuries, the region tourists with tolerance and an easy good humour. 8.30am-3pm. chairs and lounges on footpaths and chic bars with There are no cars in the has produced Malmsey wine, 9am 1.30pm implausible names such as Oxygen, My Cafe, Very Kastro - it’s walking only - and the very beverage in which the Cretans enjoy a siesta in the early afternoon, after As with so many destinations, Heraklion’s secret Koko Cafe, Mayo Lounge (a bizarre open-air extrav- entrance is through an L- Duke of Clarence is drowned which they eat and play late. So don’t think of getting places, particularly its best food options, are always aganza) and New York Down Town. shaped tunnel. My arrival at in Shakespeare’s Richard III. up early unless you plan to go for a jog by yourself a- where the tourists aren’t. It is no accident that next 7pm the tunnel door coincides with My delightful Swiss host, Is- long the city’s empty streets. About 9am, head for the door to O Vrakas, located on the roundabout close It is decadent to sit and drink for a couple of hours a bridal procession. True to abelle, reveals hidden Mon- Lion’s Fountain Square (Liontaria Square), where to the Rocca al Mare fort, is a rather ordinary tourist but remember Cretan nightlife doesn’t really start Greek style, a wedding can in- emvasia. Together, like mice you can start the day with a Cretan-style breakfast at restaurant, which is nearly always crowded. Only the until 10pm. So just stay seated and, if you are in the clude the village’s entire popu- in a maze, we explore the Kas- Kirkor Cafe. Order a Greek coffee (“gleeko” if you discriminating locals seem to realise O Vrakas offers city in summer, enjoy the passing parade of Mediter- lation, which accompanies the tro’s alleyways, arches, ruins want it sweet, “metrio” for slightly bitter) and a superior and less expensive food. Here, an elderly C- ranean elegance. Cretans still believe that every bride through the streets to and fortress walls. Many of the bougatsa, a simple but tasty filo pastry, with cream or retan mama cooks up a storm in a kitchen the size of civilised person should dress up and take a stroll in the church. I find myself swept buildings are now hotels, fresh goat’s cheese. Sit outside, admire the Lion a broom cupboard. Many locals insist that O Vrakas the cool of the evening. along with the throng of guesthouses and private resi- Fountain and watch the locals head to work. is the best fish restaurant on the island. The service is 9pm guests, almost suffocating in dences, tastefully converted, 10am less than impressive but a meal comprising zucchini It may be commercial but Ammoudara, a beach the haze of bright-pink tulle, dripping with bougainvillea It’s time for some serious shopping. Head back to- balls, perfectly cooked calamari, Greek salad and a lined with hotels, bars, markets and tavernas, is pa- large cleavages, perspiring and well-tended geraniums. wards the city’s main square (Eleftherias Square) a- soft drink costs about $20 and serves as a reminder tronised by Cretans and fun-loving tourists. Take a bodies and enthusiastic We leave the fortress and long Dedalou Street, the city’s smart shopping street. that great local food doesn’t have to be expensive. taxi; it’s about five kilometres from the city centre. singing guests. It’s a real-life climb to the ancient town on If you’re feeling extravagant, buy a replica of the fa- 2.30pm This is a district where visitors walk along the main scene straight out of the film the upper slopes to one of few mous golden bee pendant. The Minoan original, on No trip to Heraklion is complete without a visit to street, dance in the cafes and bars, eat, stay very late My Big Fat Greek Wedding. surviving buildings, a Byzan- display in the Heraklion Museum and dating from the Minoan palace at Knossos, located five kilometres and drink the island’s rather forgettable wines. Later We wobble along the vil- tine chapel (it’s locked). 1800BC-1700BC, was found at the palace at Malia south of the port. The challenge is to find a time when in the evening, the strains of the bouzouki and Cre- lage’s main lane; the uneven A 360-degree view of the and portrays two bees placing a drop of honey in a the palace isn’t a veritable traffic jam of tourists. At tan lyra will be wafting on the night air. Though tra- cobblestones are especially mainland and ocean is as- honeycomb held between their legs. On their heads 8.30am in the summer months there can be up to 20 ditional Cretan music will be heard only in the peace challenging for stiletto-wear- tounding. Back down in the is a wire cage with a gold globule inside. A good 14- buses in the car park, while inside guides waving flags of someone’s home in a rural village, tourist-oriented ing guests. I glimpse medieval Kastro, Isabelle shows me her carat replica will cost about €500 ($784) but the aloft are leading their groups through the labyrinthine Cretan music has been an island obsession ever since buildings that house upmarket secret way to the Portello, an shopkeepers are open to negotiation. My recommen- palace’s many attractions. The smart option - if there the global success of the 1964 film Zorba the Greek, tourist shops, converted hotels ancient door leading on to the dation is to start at Mihou Helen, at 12 Dedalou is ever a good time when the crowds have drifted away set mainly on Crete. and the town’s three tavernas. rocks and ocean. We strip off Street. - seems to be the early afternoon. The No. 2 bus leaves In Ammoudara there are dozens of restaurants and A few minutes later, we spill and swim and take delight in 11am the main bus station at the port, on average, about five tavernas where music, Cretan food (lamb kebabs into a tiny town square where viewing the rock from a differ- Heraklion Museum has been undergoing renova- times an hour and costs €1.15 one way. There is a case with oregano and perfect potato chips and a Greek a church - Christos Elkomenos ent perspective. tion for some years now and is due for completion for hiring a guide or, alternatively, buying a serious salad rich in feta and olive oil, followed by sticky, (Church of Christ in Chains) - On the way home, I’m wel- this year. About euro20 million has been spent to and detailed guidebook and studying it before visiting honey-soaked baklava) and lots of Zorba-style danc- has stood since 1000AD. The comed into the home of seven- modernise and update this repository of Minoan the palace. While Knossos is one of the great wonders ing are provided for tourists. It is a bit like Crete’s crowd disperses and I emerge, tysomething resident Constan- treasures, transforming the old museum into a show- of the ancient world, it is also complex and the subject answer to Sydney’s Kings Cross. Expect to return to blinking, like Alice arriving in tina, who returned to Monem- case for 10,000 artefacts and making it one of the of much academic argument. your hotel very late, a little wild-eyed, tired and emo- Wonderland. I turn around s- vasia several years ago and has great museums of Europe. Allow a couple of hours The site’s most famous excavator, Sir Arthur E- tional. lowly to absorb my magical sur- turned her home and nearby to wander. The Minoans created works of great artis- vans, decided in 1900 that the only way to understand Emirates has a fare for about $2110 flying via roundings: a mass of terracotta buildings into a B&B. Of her tic beauty and you don’t have to be an expert to ad- the original structure, which had collapsed on itself, Dubai and Athens, then to Heraklion with Aegean roofs, brown brickwork, Byzan- return, she says: “I was born mire such treasures as the superb Phaistos disc (the was to raise the upper floors and support them by Airlines. (Fare is low-season return from Melbourne tine domes, a Turkish bath, a here.” She points to the wood- earliest known example of printing), a gold and concrete pillars that mimicked the original timber and Sydney, including tax.) Alternatively, buy a re- fortress wall. History embraces en framed couch in her steatite bull’s head, an alabaster lioness’s head and pillars. He also filled in the gaps in the wall murals turn fare to Athens with China Southern, Malaysia me. Little seems to have cramped cottage. “I know the tiny clay tablets with Minoan ideograms. and painted the walls and pillars. This has been, to Airlines, Singapore Airlines or KLM and a separate changed since Byzantine times, life here. I make my living out 2 Xanthoudidou Street. Entry euro6. Open put it mildly, a source of controversy among archae- fare to Heraklion. when the town was in its prime. of it and I have friends,” she s- Monday 12.30pm-7pm, Tuesday-Sunday 8am-7pm ologists. It is where human beings first built proper Founded in about 550 AD, tates adamantly. in summer. sewerage (see the pipes and channels), expressed Article from The Sydney Morning Herald Monemvasia survived ma- It’s a sentiment shared with