Elounda, Crete - Greece Index

A farmer in elounda

elounda Here in Elounda, Crete, the pace of life is far from what Alexis Zorbas enjoyed. Just 30 years ago, Elounda was a quiet farming and fishing community… perhaps the very reason why travelers were drawn to her.

Today, only small pockets of traditional village life remain. Tourism has been a blessing for struggling farmers; however, it has changed the face of Crete forever. The simple things in life are the most important — as the older villagers like Yiorgos will remind you.

Yiorgos represents this society in transition — somewhere between then and now. He maintains his own small farm in between his full-time job in construction. He refuses to buy food from outside sources and even collects salt from a rocky beach nearby. “The chicken I eat must first dine at my house,” he says.