Erasmus + Eco Hiking Europe – Sitia, Crete, Greece – November-December 2016

Student : Miruna-Maria Bercariu, 11th class, “Nicolae Bălcescu” Highschool, Brăila, Romania

Arriving in Sitia was like an otherworldly experience from some old Greec legend. Our plane
landed in Heraklion around midnight and we spent the next hour, if not more, peeping half
asleep through the dark windows of the coach. There wasn’t much to be seen – mostly houses,
barns and, from time to time, an olive tree grown astray on the side of the road. We arrived at
the hotel on a warm summer-night rain and plunged on the bed almost instantly. Nevertheless,
the next day came about as a miracle, despite the exhaustion of the long flight. As we woke
up and came downstairs for breakfast, the sun was shining brightly, the city was just waking
up and the scenery turned magically from the gloom shades of gray of the previous night into
vivid colours, sparkling blue water and majestic mountains in the background. We spent the
first day visiting old churches and learning about the local history and we started our group
work. We also visited the highschool of Sitia, where we enjoyed a warm and friendly
welcoming “party” with traditional Greek music and dances. We ate a very tasty lunch at a
lovely picturesque restaurant from an old village close to Sitia. Our last stop was the Palm
Beach of Vai, a landscape which, despite the unfavourable weather, managed to amaze and
captivate us all. In the evening, we strolled around the harbour and created close friendships
with most of the students involved in the project. Unfortunately, in the next days, we didn’t
manage to achieve all out hiking goals because of the bad weather. Apparently, we arrived
during one of the very few raining periods of Sitia. However, we managed to explore some
mountains one day, when, in spite of the frightening thunder and lighting on the sky, we got
away with only some wet raincoats. Thus we discovered the flora and fauna of the area – the
spiky bushes which smelled like thyme, the olive trees, the birds, the sheep and the lizards
crawling at out feet. It was a long hike, yet it was not unbearable and at the end we have been
rewarded with a tasty barbeque made by the teachers. The staff, i.e. the teachers from the Sitia
highschool, were all very friendly and chatty and always managed to keep the mood up
despite the weather. They organised lunches and dinners where their innate good spirit
resulted in joyful parties. On our last day in Sitia, we visited a part of the famous Gorge of the
Dead and an old Minoan palace, located beautifully between the mountains and the sea. On
our way to the palace, we were welcomed by a wonderful rainbow blazing through the sky
above the neverending sea in front of us. The landscape was simply unforgettable. Our day in
the island’s capital, Heraklion, showed us again the true, albeit more touristy spirit of Greece.
The city boasted an impressive myriad of old streets and buildings and a beautiful port. The
world famous palace of King Knossos was also an impressive sight, where we were delighted
by a very friendly guide with a genuine talent for story telling.

All in all, it was a very pleasant experience which left me with a lot more knowledge on
ecosystems and the Greek life and culture and gave me friends and moments I’ll always
remember.