Why I Stayed in Crete

People often ask me why I stayed in Crete.

Most visitors come for the sea. I did too.

The beaches are beautiful, the water is clear, and even after all these years I still love walking along the shore collecting pieces of driftwood shaped by the waves.

But the sea is not the reason I stayed.

The reason I stayed was the mountains.

I grew up in the Czech Republic, where winter can feel long and grey. When I arrived in Crete, I discovered a completely different world. Winter was no longer something to endure while waiting for spring. It became my favourite season.

During my first winters on the island, I spent countless days exploring the mountains of western Crete. What began as simple walks slowly became a way of getting to know the island.

Every walk felt like an adventure.

One day it was a hillside covered with wild orchids.

Another day it was an old stone path that had connected villages for centuries.

Sometimes it was meeting women willing to share her knowledge about traditional cooking.

The mountains taught me something important about Crete.

Life moves differently there.

People still stop to talk. They still share stories, advice and food. The seasons still matter. Knowledge is passed from one generation to the next, not through books but through everyday life.

One of the places that captured my heart were the White Mountains. Walking parts of the old Vasiliki Strata, the ancient route that once connected north and south Crete, I began to understand that these mountains are much more than a landscape. They are part of the island's memory.

Some of my favourite memories from Crete have nothing to do with famous beaches or tourist attractions.

They are memories of sharing glass of tsikoudia in tiny mountain villages.

Of discovering hidden chapels.

Of hearing sheep bells somewhere in the distance.

Of watching the White Mountains change color with the light.

Over the years I realized something.

The sea gives me driftwood.

The mountains give me stories.

And perhaps that is the real reason I stayed.

Not because every day is sunny.

Not because winter is shorter.

But because even after all these years, Crete still surprises me.