By John Freedman June 13, 2021
The seaside village of Sissi is located in the northeast of Crete, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of Agios Nikolaos in the prefecture of Lasithi. We almost missed this little gem the day we discovered it. We were hungry as we wound our way down a mountain road toward the sea, and we were pretty much ready to accept anything that came our way. When we pulled into town the little road led us right into a big parking lot with several tavernas lined up over a rocky shore. Our car pretty much parked itself, and our feet took us to the nearest restaurant. It was a hot, I would even say sweltering, day, and we were pleased to park ourselves at a table right on the water, and order something cold to drink immediately. The meal was fine, I don't remember it being anything out of the ordinary, and the view out to the Sea of Crete over the rocky shore seemed somehow less inspiring in comparison to some of the astonishing views we were growing accustomed to on our three-day road trip through the northeast. It was only later that I learned that the Minoans had created a settlement here in approximately 2,600 BC, and that the cove, about which you will read in a moment, was of value to the Venetian and the Ottoman occupiers throughout most of the second millenium. Sated at least and at last, we hopped back in the car and prepared to head out the same way we had arrived, but the one-way road sent us out in a different direction, along the water and through the village that we had not seen. Thank God for one-way roads! When we caught a glimpse of what we had not seen before, we quickly parked the car again and set out to explore Sissi. It's true that there isn't much there. It's a small village. But the whole western side of the village transports you into an entirely new, almost tropical world that is, at once, typically Cretan and totally foreign. A long, natural channel of water runs back deep into the land, creating a beautiful backdrop from any of the tavernas that line the channel's east bank. It's quite a sight - to the left (south) you see desert mountains, but right across from you, you see a jungle growing wild on the strip of land across the lagoon. It looks like something you would expect to find on Hawaii. We walked back up to the end of the lagoon, past a tourist boat loading for departure, and then returned to take up a seat in a taverna we chose for its name, The Rolling Stone, which stood right next to a place called The Hemingway Bar. We sat sipping cool drinks so long and blissfully that we even began to think that Hemingway - if not Mick Jagger or Muddy Waters - might mosey up and join us. (The internet tells me that, alas, the Hemingway did not survive COVID, but, apparently the neighboring cafes and tavernas have.) I have since learned that there are diehard Sissi fans, people who are completely smitten with the easy, unglamorous nature of this little gem almost in the middle of nowhere. They wouldn't consider spending their vacations anywhere else on Crete. I will only add that we experienced here what we usually experience in the best of Crete's locations - the stoppage of time. That is the key to the greatest, or, should I say, our favorite, places on Crete - does it stop time? The ones that do are the ones that remain forever alive in our memories.
All texts and photos in this post are © copyright 2021 by John Freedman. All rights reserved. Should you wish to use some text or photo/s, please ask - it will most surely be possible.
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