Art Courses on Crete
Greece Travel Secrets visits Visual Arts Crete who offer
accommodation and run art courses on Crete at their home and studio in the village of
Kastellos near Rethymnon.
Our guide Isidoros from www.GoCrete.net
was waiting for us at Chania airport as promised. 'I think you will like where
you're staying tonight,' he said as he drove us the hour or so east to the
village of Kastello. 'They are a lovely English couple who teach art courses
and also have nice accommodation.'
We drove in the dark into the hills south of Rethymnon, and
it was midnight by the time we got there. Tim and Janice were waiting for us in
the village taverna, The Castello
Taverna, along with the amazing host, Vassilis
Zoulakis. With his Ukrainian wife Katerina in the kitchen, Vassilis
brought out a never-ending series of plates (and wine and raki) for us,
eventually joining us at the table for conversation and jokes.
Vassilis Zoulakis
It was our first night back on
Crete after a few years' absence, and it couldn't have been a better
introduction. It didn't surprise us to learn later that the Castello has rave
reviews on TripAdvisor, and has even been called 'The best taverna in Crete' by
one enthusiastic diner. That's a big claim as we had so many great meals on
Crete, but it was certainly one of the highlights of our 3-week trip there.
Most of the food is sourced from the family's own farm, and
by Vassilis foraging for mushrooms, wild greens, herbs and other goodies. When
he's not doing that he's making his own wine and raki. We definitely have to go
back one day and join one of his Foraging Walking Tours!
Welcome to the Rabbit
House
Eventually we had to drag ourselves away and find our rooms
for the night. 'You're staying in The Rabbit House.' Tim told us. We admit we
were a bit dubious about what we might have let ourselves in for, but we
needn't have worried. It was wonderful.
The rabbits had been kicked out and the old stone building
now made for lovely self-catering accommodation. Wooden stairs led up to the
bedroom, while downstairs was a kitchen area, a lounging area with a sofa, an
old stove, a travel trunk and other artsy decorations. If you didn't know it
you'd soon guess that the owners were artists, as their paintings, mosaics,
sculptures, carvings and other creations are everywhere.
Life is Just a Bowl of Fresh Cherries in Kastellos
Next morning in the daylight we found another delightful feature
that makes this such a great place to stay. Right outside the door is a stone
patio courtyard with a table and chairs, all shaded by trees and totally
private. Tim and Janice brought us coffee and breakfast and we were at last
able to relax under the Cretan sun after the previous day's early start and
late night.
Art Courses on Crete
Later Tim and Janice gave us a tour of their art studio, and
their fascinating home, and told us about the art courses they run there. You
can book accommodation with them without having to do one of their courses, or
you can do a course and, if they're full, they'll help you find accommodation locally.
Janice in the Art Studio
Janice studied at the Glasgow School of Art, and Tim at the
Camberwell School of Art. As well as being practising artists, they've also
taught in Australia, Egypt, Spain and the UK.
Several years ago they came across what was then a run-down farmhouse with a Venetian tower in the quiet hill village of Kastello, and fell in love with the property and the place. Since then they've been renovating it.
Kastello is still a quiet farming village, and our guide Isidoros rounded off our visit there with a walking tour. He pointed out the Aghia Paraskevi monastery, which was first built way back in 1200, although for the last 300 years only the church has remained.
A Student Working at Aghia Paraskevi
We were sad to be leaving after
our whirlwind visit, although we cheered up when Isidoros told us: 'Before we
go, I think we should have lunch at the Castello!'
We'd stayed in the unique Rabbit House and dined in one of
the best restaurants on Crete, and we'd been on the island for less than 24
hours.
Tim at Work in the Art Studio
Other Crete pages
The Greece Travel Secrets guide to Zaros in Central Crete, including what to do, where to stay, and where to eat.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Zacharioudakis Winery near Ancient Gortina in southern Crete, and does a vineyard tour arranged by our guide from Go Crete.
Greece Travel Secrets tours the Lyrarakis Winery on Crete and learns about Crete grape varieties such as plyto, dafni, vidiano, vilana, mandilari and kotsifali.
Icon painting is a centuries-old tradition in Crete and the rest of Greece, and Greece Travel Secrets meets a modern-day icon painter in Elounda on Crete.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Cretan Botano herbs and spices shop near Matala in southern Crete in search of the herb man of Kouses.
The Stilianou Winery near Knossos on Crete uses only Cretan grape varieties, with every bottle numbered, and aims for quality rather than quantity.
The Snails House in Plouti near Phaistos in southern Crete serves the Cretan delicacy of snails, cooked in several different ways.
Greece Travel Secrets discovers Sitia, the main town in eastern Crete, with its relaxing waterfront, inexpensive hotels, good food, and nearby ancient sites.
Sir Arthur Evans is the archaeologist famous for the excavations he made at the royal palace of Knossos on Crete.
The Samaria Gorge is one the longest gorges in Europe and doing the hike is one of the best and most popular things to do on Crete.
This Rouvas Gorge walk starts and ends in Zaros in southern Crete and should take three to four hours with a distance of eight kilometres or five miles.
Rethymnon is the third-largest city in Crete and has a Venetian fortress, Archaeological Museum, Old Town area and Venetian harbour,
Greece Travel Secrets page on Phaistos or Faistos, the site of one of the finest Minoan palaces on Crete and is where the mysterious Phaistos Disc was found.
The area east from Paleohora along the south-west coast of Crete includes resorts like Agia Galini, gorges like the Imbros Gorge and quieter towns like Sfakia.
The travel tale Our Hire Car in Crete describes what it’s like when you go driving in Greece and get off the beaten track, resulting in kindnesses.
Margarites is known on Crete for its pottery, with ceramics shops and workshops lining the streets of this charming small town not far from Rethymnon.
Maleme near Chania is where the people who died during the battle of Crete are buried, in the German War Cemetery with the Commonwealth War Cemetery nearby.
Lonely Planet Crete is an excellent and thorough guide of almost 300 pages to the largest of the Greek islands.
Visiting Knossos near Iraklion is one of the best things to do on Crete, and this page has a history of the site with visitor information.
How to make Petimezi, the sweet Cretan syrup made from wine must, is explained to Greece Travel Secrets.
Ancient Gournia is a Minoan archaeological site between Agios Nikolaos and Sitia in Eastern Crete where the visitor can see evidence of a maze of back streets.
The Goules Taverna in Goulediana, south of Rethymnon, has been called one of the best tavernas on Crete and Greece Travel Secrets recently visited them.
Ancient Gortina is an archaeological site in southern Crete famous for the church of Ayios Titos and for the Law Code inscribed here, the first in Europe.
The Diktean or Diktaean Cave, also known as the Psychro Cave, near the village of Psychro in eastern Crete, is said to be the birthplace of Zeus.
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