Photographs of nature, places and objects that have caught my eye.

Φωτογραφίες απο την φύση, απο τόπους και αντικείμενα που μου χτύπησαν στο μάτι.

Monday, June 28, 2010

On the mountains of Western Crete (I). Στις Μαδάρες του Αποκόρωνα (Ι)

It is time to leave the village and head for higher ground. To see the beauties of the world from above and the beauties of the world above on the mountains of Western Crete.
Καιρός ν' αφίσωμε τα κατωμέρια και να πάρωμε τα βουνά. Να δούμε τις ομορφιές του κόσμου από ψηλά και τις ομορφιές που υπάρχουν ψηλά στις Μαδάρες του Αποκόρωνα.


















The shepherds have made cisterns on the mountains to collect rain water for their herds for summer.
Οι κτηνοτρόφοι από παλιά εφτιαξαν στέρνες στις Μαδάρες για να μαζεύουν το νερό της βροχής να ποτίζουν τα ζώα τους το καλοκαίρι.














This is an old shepherds hut. In this place, at older times they used to milk the sheep and goats, and make delicious cheese which they kept in underground small caves all summer to ripe, and sell in autumn. Now they have their cars to bring the milk to the village, where there are modern milk processing facilities. This particular structure is being renovated and a new roof is being added.
Αυτό είναι ένα παλιό "Μιτάτο". Εδώ μάζευαν τα πρόβατα και τις αίγες, τ' άρμεγαν και έπηζαν τυρί, την περίφημε κρητικιά γραβιέρα και την άφηναν σε σπήλαια όλο το καλοκαίρι για φυσική ωρίμανση. Το συγκεκριμμένο ανακαινίζεται τώρα και του βάζουν καινούρια στέγη. Το γάλα τώρα το κατεβάζουν καθημερινά στο χωριό όπου υπάρχουν τρία σύγχρονα τυροκομεία όπου φτιάχνεται γραβιέρα με τον παραδοσιακό τρόπο και με όλους τους κανόνες της υγιεινής.














A small flat stretch on the mountains. Maybe, it is the dried bottom of an old lake. This place has some history connected to it. During the years of the occupation of Crete by the Turks, in a nearby village, "EMROSNEROS"  used to live a Cretan Turk Alidakis. He was very mean with the Christian Cretans, killing them, grabbing their fortune and land and their herds. He was taken to court, but he used to intimidate witnesses or bring false ones who testified that the properties he grabbed was his. During the revolution of the Cretans in 1770, Christians from the nearby villages besieged his tower where he was with 180 bodyguards, killed everyone and burnt the tower in 1774. They say that Alidakis had his horses on this stretch of land, as it was easy to keep an eye on them and was sitting at approximately the place I took these photographs and admiring them.
΄Ενα μικρό επίπεδο οροπέδιο, ο Βόθωνας, πάνω από το χωριό. Μπορεί νάναι και ο αποξηραμένος βυθός παλιάς λίμνης. Ο τόπος αυτός έχει και την σχετική ιστορία του. Στα χρόνια της Τουρκοκρατίας, σ' ένα χωριό λίγο πιο ανατολικά ζούσε ο διαβόητος Τουρκοκρητικός, Ιμπραήμ Αγας Αληδάκης. Ήταν από τους χειρότερους Γενίτσαρους και είχε τον πύργο του στο χωριό Εμπρόσνερος. Άρπαζε τις περιουσίες των χριστιανών, τα κοπάδια τους και στα δικαστήρια τα παρουσίαζε σαν δικά του. Κατά την επανάσταση του 1770, μαζεύτηκαν οι χριστιανοί τών γύρω χωριών, πολιόρκησαν τον πύργο του και τον έσφαξαν μαζύ με τους 180 σωματοφύλακές του. Εδώ είχε ο Αληδάκης τ' άλογά του, επειδή ήταν προστατευμένος ο χώρος και, λένε πως καθότανε περίπου στο σημείο από όπου τράβηξα αυτές τις φωτογραφίες και τα καμάρωνε.

13 comments:

jennyfreckles said...

Your photos make me long to revisit Crete - I can almost smell the herbs and hear the sheep. We once tried to drive into the mountains but the road ran out - the only way was on foot.

Verna Luga said...

wow, Costas, thank you for letting me see the other side of the world... fantastic... Have a great day!

By the way, your header is so great... I want to take a picture of our signature bird here too but I have to time as of now to visit the conservatory.

Allison said...

Yet another post to lure me to Crete! Fabulous photos, Costas. Such a contrast to where I live - it's a pleasure having my morning coffee at Naturedigital. ;)

Cezar and Léia said...

wow very interesting post!This place is peaceful and beautiful, those little critters are gorgeous...I imagine life there is calm without stress of the big cities.
Wonderful set of pictures!
Léia

lotusleaf said...

Beautiful and peaceful place with a violent history. Interesting post!

Costea Andrea Mihai said...

good pictures of goats..beautiful places!

Anonymous said...

Preciosas fotos. Lastima que no se idiomas con los que mantener amistad contigo a traves de este magnifico blog.

dianasfaria.com said...

such amazing photos of a beautiful bucolic countryside.

dianasfaria.com said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Clytie said...

As soon as you said you were heading for higher ground, I knew I was in for a treat. I refreshed my coffee and prepared to be delighted -- and boy am I ever! I enlarged each of the pictures and WOW. If I were to write down the things I was muttering to myself, there wouldn't be enough room on this comment form!

I love each and every picture ... the one that speaks to me today is the old shepherd's hut, being restored. I love the way someone is making do with what they have. The pallet retaining wall fence is awesome! The rock walls are beautiful. This is a place where I could spend all day, and take many many photos!

But I will stop talking now and wish you a wonderful week ahead.

Thalassenia said...

Όμορφη ξενάγηση μας κάνεις. Κλεφτά έρχομαι και βλέπω και χαίρομαι.

Να είσαι καλά.

SKIZO said...

Wonderful

good
sources
of
Inspiration

Pat Tillett said...

The photographs are great, but it's the stories that bring the places to life for us. Thanks so much for doing this...