Hey everyone! Tate and Cambelle here for our very last blog!
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| Us above the Botanical Gardens |
Moving deeper into Old Chania, we explored the residential are of Kasteli where we stopped to look at an excavation site on Kastelli Hill. This site had previously been a Minoan settlement of houses and narrow streets but unfortunately was destroyed in a fire, as were many of the excavations we visited today. We could tell that the site we were visiting was an excavated house that had belonged to a wealthier individual due to the space for double doors as opposed to single doors, and poorer households could not afford double doors.
Language Lesson! The Greek language does not contain the letter “C”, so Χανιά is the Greek spelling, and it is pronounced “Han-ia”.
Andreas took us past a Cretan knife store, where he explained the significance of knives in Chanian culture. Historically, knives were used as weapons meant for enemies, but in the current culture, they are given as gifts to close friends after they are inscribed with Cretan poems, or mantinades.
During the tour, we saw some street art directed a tourists depicting a horse kicking them, as well as anti-tourism language. When asked about this, Andreas told us about the tension with tourists in Chania, and how so many homes and apartments have been converted to airbnb’s, displacing long-time residents of the city. Andreas recounted an event that happened just this past Friday (5/30). A Chanian teacher had her water and electricity shut off after a tense standoff with her landlord, who was evicting her in order to start - you guessed it - an Airbnb for tourists. She had her door removed, and was forced to leave - being separated from her job and being relocated to Athens overnight. This displacement upsets the Cretian people, who have created their culture here and love it - now, the culture is forced to assimilate with many others. We spent some time thinking about this assimilation, and how we as people are given lots of other ideas from inputs outside of our own - but the true way to know ourselves is to act in the nature one is predisposed to. That is, to simply be thyself.
Andreas also told us about the different types of tourists - short-stay and long-stay. Short-stay tourists, whom arrive for just half a day via cruise ship, plane, or bus, are the main issue. The clog the streets, unaware of the cultural customs, creating chaos and falling for tourist traps, some being inhumane (like horse carriages, which we saw a great deal of today). These short-stay tourists do not develop any idea of the place they’re in, what the people are like, and worst of all - they spend a great deal less than long-stay, who tend to spend closer to a week in the city, staying in a local hotel (or Airbnb), eating at local restaurants, and spending on tourism goods and services, adding a great deal of value to the Cretan economy. This is important to reflect on - since we as Americans are very much caught up in our own lives, it feels important to realise that our actions - like travel, have externalities beyond our understanding, and we need to be very cognisant of where our money goes and who we are supporting.
While with Andreas, I (Tate) spent some time chatting with him about his time as a tour guide.Turns out we had quite the guide! Andreas has been working for his entire life - almost 40 years, and plans to keep working until his daughter graduates University in 12 years. Andreas served as the president of the board of the Panhellenic Federation of Tour Guides for five years, only stepping down when his daughter was born. He led the federation to strike several times, rallying for raises wages and better rights and privileges. He was incredibly successful in this endeavor. I asked him on his opinion on tourists, and he described that he doesn’t think it’s the tourists fault - it’s the Greek government who looks the other way, no matter which party is in charge, since they assume more tourism means higher GDP. Without regard for the local culture, human rights, and general good fellowship, this has sunken the tourist industry, as Chania, and many other Greek cities, continue to become less and less friendly. (that said, we have had a great experience in Crete, meeting exceptional people and being given fantastic service.)
Andreas finished the day off by taking us to a botanical garden, absolutely full of flora. We saw and smelled a plethora of herbs, fruit trees, and all kinds of flowers and vines from several places. Below is a 3D map for reference. Since Crete is positioned in the Mediterranean sea between Greece, Asia, and Africa, the climate is fit for a great deal of flora. We learned about many plants - some fun facts being: Many plants are hermaphroditic, meaning that they can change their gender at whim, helping their species reproduce. Silkworms, the jewel of Asia, feed on Mulberry leaves, which grow widely in Greece. 94% of Greece’s avocados come from Crete.
We also got to see and hear a ton of birds (which Tate loved!)
It was super lucky to have the chance to meet Andreas. According to him, we were meant to have another guide, but they called in sick. Andreas ended up being perfect, with extensive knowledge on the flora of Crete, and a great understanding of the culture and its many unique aspects.
From Cambelle: Seeing how the locals view tourists was really interesting. I had heard about the stereotypes of Americans that people of different countries held, and I did my best not to play into them, and today really helped me to understand that I care a lot about how my actions affect others. Even if it is just in a small way, I always consider how my actions may make others feel or react and I do my best to avoid upsetting or inconveniencing anyone if I can.
From Tate: The time I spent speaking with Andreas was very enriching. I care deeply about being open-minded to other cultures, and through that, coming to understand my own nature better. Knowing yourself also means knowing who you are not, and I find it easiest to find that with dramatically different cultures. That also means finding what you believe in. Today, while listening to Andreas, I had an epiphany about a possible new research topic. Economic impacts of hospitality on European countries as compared to America. Further, owning an Airbnb has been a dream of mine for a while, and now I am rethinking it, and doing research into how to own and operate hospitality companies without a negative effect on local populations. Since this is our last blog, I want to share a small amount of what I think my calling is. I have a natural talent and drive to creatively solve people-based problems, and have found comfort in helping others learn about the things I know to be beneficial to my life. I know that I belong in a place that utilizes hospitality in a moral way, and where I can use my creativity to help others create both tangible things, such as wealth, a family, and materials, and intangibles, like memories, satisfaction, and joy.
Thank you all so much for following along these past couple of weeks! We had such a fantastic time on this trip, and we really hope you enjoyed following along!
Chow, and
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