European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 21, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Of tomatoes cucumbers and feta cheese before devouring a Grill of swordfish or Lamb chops. Wash it Down with copious amounts of local wine Cap the. Meal with greek Contee an acquired taste accompanied by a liqueur and Delight in paying a Tab that Seldom tops $20 per person. Although there in t a great Deal to see in Chama shoppers throng the City s medieval Quarter where they find much to Haggle Over in scores of shops specializing in Gold replicas of minoan jewelry leather goods brass and Copper. The drive to Iraklion passes through a bleached landscape of Silver Olive Trees Spiky cypresses domed White churches and some of the world s boldest vistas of sea sky and land. Not quite Halfway along the coast Between Chania and Iraklion is re Hymnon another old venetian City gradually coming into its own As an International resort. Iraklion is Home to a fascinating archaeological museum devoted to the Island s minoan civilization a Bronze age culture that flourished Between 1900 and 1400.b.c three Miles outside Iraklion Are the elaborate reconstructed ruins of Knossos site of the ancient world s labyrinth and its resident monster a , half Bull minotaur. The sprawling Palace of Knossos was Center for a native culture that worshipped Snake goddesses and giant bulls. To the East of Iraklion is Agios Nikolaos a fairly recent creation by Beautiful people out of unspoiled fishing Village. Compact Chic and charming a Nik As vacationers rapidly learn to Call it is Crete s Best known resort. Zeus King of the Creek gods supposedly was hidden and reared in the nearby Dik tean Cave. And Ulounda another prize summer Retreat is a just a hop away. These Days with new hotels popping up All along the coastline visitors need to travel Inland to the Remote Mountain villages to find the True soul of Crete in the mountains some 35 Miles out from Iraklion is the High Fertile Plain called la sithi. The Plain reveals a sight that can be seen nowhere else on Earth there standing like huge silent sentinels Are 10,000 Iron windmills used for irrigation. The Rocky Hills Are riddled with dramatic valleys but none is As impressive As the Samaria Gorge. The Gorge Europe s longest and perhaps most Beautiful is challenged daily by hundreds of hikers and Rock climbers who see a Crete most Beac goers would scarcely believe. Visitors can spend their entire vacations on Crete merely lazing by the sea and drinking retsina. But if they do they will be poorer for it for Crete rewards those who seek out its wondrous sights. Left and above Samaria Gorge cutting through Crete s Rocky Cen trial mountains is a Sharp contrast to the Sandy beaches used by sunbathers windsurfers and commercial vessels alike. March 14, 1991 stripes Magazine 5