My book, Uniquely Crete, has arrived on the island with us in its wake. We literally hit the ground running beginning my book tour in jolly ol' England (more on that later), and finishing off in Crete. Each day has been filled with the joys and trials so typical of this Greek island. All in …
Category: My book
Why is summer so captivating on Crete?
I can't tell you how excited I am to start my book tour next week. I wish I could say it is all about getting exposure for my book baby that was "born" on April 30th (official book release date), and certainly that's part of it. We will start with a stop in Norwich, …
Lots of Cats, but no Easter Bunny on Crete
As we wrap up our Easter celebrations here in the States, Greeks all over the world are in the thick of Holy Week that climaxes on April 28 - Orthodox Easter simply known as Pascha (Passover) - the most sacred event for all of Greece. The typical Greek Orthodox family holds tradition very closely, and Holy Week …
A peek inside a Cretan sanctuary
(The following is an excerpt from my book, Uniquely Crete: Life Redefined on a Greek Island. Available now for preorder now on Amazon) I’m sitting in a shady spot on a stone wall in the Agia Triada monastery courtyard on a divine spring morning. After the short easy 15 minute bike ride to this peaceful …
Living in the eye of the storm
From what I hear (and see in photos) of winter in Crete this year, I'm happy to be in snowy Colorado rather than in the Mediterranean. Violent storms have ripped through Crete and left devastation in various ways across the island. When we lived on Crete, I remember the wild winter weather complete with sideways …
THE BEST (no kidding) Chicken Soup – Greek style
We woke up this morning to -5 degrees F and 7" of snow on the ground. Lovely. No really, beautiful ...but COLD! I had high hopes of breaking out the skiis but opted instead to stay inside and make chicken soup. Tomorrow will be a ski day. When we lived in Crete, a Greek neighbor …
Continue reading THE BEST (no kidding) Chicken Soup – Greek style
Into the Unknown – Greek Island Living
(*The following is a teaser excerpt from my book Uniquely Crete: Life Redefined on a Greek Island to be released April 30 - available for preorder now on Amazon) I have a love affair with maps: Old out-of-date ones or slick, still-crispy new ones. It doesn’t matter what condition they’re in. As long as there’s a longitude …
Mamma Mia On Crete
(*Update: Book release date April 30, 2019) Writing a book is like birthing a baby. Except the labor has been over two years long. There were moments I literally screamed, "I CAN'T DO THIS!" but it was there inside me demanding to be born. And I knew that the labor would produce a happy ending. …
Wander, Linger, Savor
This blog is dedicated to the idea of slow living specifically as it relates to travel in all forms. When I moved to the island of Crete, it didn’t take me long to appreciate the art of slowing down. And after five years of living in the Mediterranean, I fully embraced the practices of wandering, …
Melanie A Crane 