Arkadi Monastery and Margarities Pottery

The Arkadi Monastery has a rich history. During the 16th and 17th centuries, it served as a centre of learning and copying manuscripts, and housed a gold-embroidery workshop whose fabrics and vestments were sold to churches and monasteries around the world.

For the people of Crete, the monastery is also a symbol of freedom and sacrifice. In 1866, 964 rebel fighters, women and children
barricaded themselves inside the convent while under siege by the occupying Ottomans, finally setting the gunpowder depot alight rather than surrender to the enemy.

We then visited the village of Margarites, the home to many pottery workshops full of fabulous ceramics. Denise and I purchased some ceramic pomegranates. How I am going to get them home safely is a mystery.

We had lunch at the most wonderful taverna under the mulberry trees with views down the mountain to the coast. Our perfect Greek day ended with dinner at a Meze restaurant, listening to Rembetika music. This is music of the Greek Underground. It originated in the hashish dens of Piraeus and Thessaloniki around the turn of the 20th century and was influenced by oriental elements that came with the forced immigration of 2 million Greek refugees from Asia Minor (also referred to as “The Catastrophe”). It talks about imprisonment, alienation, loss and homelessness. Because we didn’t understand the words, it was quite uplifting. LOL.Read more