Day 4: Traveling to Matala 4 July 2013

Today was another field trip day where we travelled throughout another further town about an hour away. This town was located south named Matala. We started by stopping by a church. This church was a small church for just the town or community. The women greeted us and explained the history of the place. It had beautiful detailing and I loved the chandeliers hanging throughout the center of the church. I also was very attracted to the wooden spiral staircase wrapping the column. It was beautiful! 

The church showing chandeliers and detailing

The spiral staircase

The puppy we met!

As we walked throughout the town it was interesting to see how the community treated us. They were very nice and welcoming. For example we stopped by a house because of a puppy that was there. We were playing with it for awhile and then the owner came out of the house to greet us. She was very nice and welcoming and even offered us a treat. It was refreshing to see the kindness of the people here. You can’t always find this in the United States. It was a very old town that had many great architectural details that were exposed because of the outer layers were worn off. I also love the colors of the blue, white and yellow on the buildings. 

Group photo on an old house. Love the yellow and blue!

After that we traveled to the archeological site. It was almost like the Palace of Knossos but you could tell we were more south because of the heat And type of plants and trees located there. 

Standing between the columns.

We finally made it to the beach in Matala. It was so beautiful. The sea was different colors, there were gorges and mountains, and it was also very breezy. The breeze was a lot stronger than I expected because we were so south. The place we went for lunch was a great seafood place right on the beach. What was so surprising and interesting to me was how we were brought into the kitchen to see all the specials of the day. This would never happen to us in the United States because of health violations. It was very effective too because if I never saw the food in the kitchen I would not have ordered that meal. This was the same for the majority of us at the table. 

The restaurant showing the food to us in the kitchen.

Beautiful beach in Matala!

Although I wished we had more time here to spend at the beach and caves I know I will be traveling back soon hopefully during time off. I would love to explore the caves and also dive off the rocks. 

Waiting for the presentation to begin!

To end the day we met with the Deputy Governor. She had a presentation for us and then we all asked her a question we wanted. I asked about the products they brand and if they promote that they are organic and sustainable. She said they have two steps. Europe has their own system of branding and then also they have information on their labels and stories. She seemed very kind and excited to meet us. And she loved all the questions we asked. 

I enjoyed where we travelled today especially the beach in Matala. All the traveling so far has been very educational and beautiful. I am looking forward to next week’s trips!