Following our trip to Santorini, our final leg of the trip consisted of spending time in Greece’s southern most island, Crete. Spending time in the tiny village of Vamos, we had the opportunity to work closely with rural, local residents of Crete where we learned about traditional Greek customs and values. In Greece’s biggest island, we lived like a local for 5 days in this beautiful land where the mountains met the oceans.
Staying at the Vamos Village Palace hotel, we were met with kindness from the owners every morning, where they made us breakfast including local Greek coffee, greek yogurt, and cheese and spinach pies. The kindness we received from them was just the tip of the iceberg for the kindness we would receive from all of Vamos Village’s local residents for the remainder of this part of the trip.
On our first day, we went on a botanical walk and farm tour of one of Vamos’s local farmers. This sweet old man led us through his orchards, where he grew everything under the sun from oranges to pineapples to oregano. He showed us how a traditional Greek farmer grows these crops and harvests them to eat by providing us with a traditional Greek lunch of herbs and goat.
We also got to meet Maria later in the week, where she taught us a valuable lesson in cooking. Working hands on for 3 hours on a traditional Greek dinner, we learned how to make lamb with potatoes and artichokes, beetroot salad, and spinach wraps with cilantro and rice inside. I even have a cookbook from her that I’m ready to use when I return to the States to cook some of her delicious meals again. It was interesting to learn about the traditional diet of Greeks in the countryside, where most of their meals consist of wild herbs soaked in olive oil, bread, and cheeses such as goat cheese. Meat is a rarity for their culture, only being eaten twice every week. This contrasts to our culture in America, where it is typical to eat meat for every meal throughout the day. However, Greeks are scientifically known to be healthier following their Mediterranean diet, with this being proven with my own eyes by meeting a 122 year old woman who lived in the village.
Going from such a bustling city like Athens to a more rural and traditional Greek place like Vamos Village, Crete, I got to learn how to truly live like a traditional Greek local. These contrasting places in Greece were shown to us to show the different sides of their culture, one that has some resemblance to ours and another that is more outside of our comfort zone. With doing even more activities such as milking a goat, sheering a sheep, picking honey from a local bee hive, and tasting wine from a local winery, it was mesmerizing to get a one of a kind experience into the life of traditional Greeks. Now I must admit I don’t think I am much of a fresh goat cheese kind of person, but I am appreciative I got to learn how to practice these customs and recommend anyone visiting Crete to try it.