The Cretans are known for their longevity and it’s widely accepted that the food they eat and the way they live is largely responsible.  There are several so called “Blue Zones” in the world and Crete (specifically this area of Crete) is one of them.  (Side note:  Loma Linda, California is another)  We discovered a place that beauty and the cuisine of this beautiful island.  It’s called the Botanical Park of Crete and it’s only about 30 mile south of here. It is a nature preserve with every tree, bush, herb and flower you can imagine.  As a bonus, they have a restaurant (not a snack bar) prepares fine Cretan cuisine using only the finest ingredients seasoned with the fresh herbs from the garden.

We headed out on one of the most beautiful drives you can imagine and it just got better as we began to climb through the switchbacks and gain altitude.  High in the hills of Crete we found it!  (thanks to the GPS on my phone)  It was Saturday so we expected to find it pretty busy.  The place was empty and we were afraid it was closed. There was a sign that tickets could be purchased in the restaurant so we checked it out.  The proprietor welcomed us and sold us two entry tickets.  The listed price was €6 but she said since they only opened yesterday, she would give them to us for only €3.  Then she gave us a free bottle of water and said we should help ourselves to the walking sticks outside.  Wow……………In Athens we would have paid more than that for the water.  Anyway we headed out for one of the most beautiful hikes you can imagine.  The park sits on the hillside and you start at the top.  The path winds through trees of every variety you can imagine from banana to pine trees.  You meander past herbs and vines and the descriptions of how and where they have been used is fascinating.  One sign says it all.  “The largest pharmacy in the world is nature”

We walked and rested and walked and rested, and rested, and rested for about two hours.   Finally arriving back at the top we were ready for a late lunch.  To say the least, we were delighted.  The menu was so enticing, we wanted to order everything……………so we did.  Well it looked like it when it arrived anyway.  This was one of most delightful experiences we have had on the trip.  We sat on a terrace outside, overlooking the hillside and groves of olive trees in the distance.  The view was spectacular.  At the waiter’s suggestion, we tried the local (very local) wine known as Romeiko .  We really enjoyed it but, after one glass, I decided to leave the rest to Jean. She was happy to oblige.  I was, after all, planning to drive our stick shift Chevy off of this mountain and get us down in one piece.   Anyway, we had beautiful stuffed mushrooms, roasted vegetables of every variety, local chicken in cream cheese sauce, pork with mushroom sauce, salad that was gathered from wild greens and herbs in the garden.  Just as we were both pushing ourselves back from the table, they brought us (compliments of the house) beautiful cheesecake and local mountain herb tea.

It was really a special day and we will cherish the memory. (And the leftovers)