The last couple of weeks have been very far from vacations, quite the contrary. I had a lot and hard work to do but I am in Crete which is always nice to be and I am lucky enough to work either to wonderful landscapes or amazing villages! On top of that, I have the luxury to take the time, once in a while, to forget the work and actually enjoy them!
This time my line of work led me to Archanes, one the most beautiful villages of Greece. And if you don't take my word for it, maybe you trust more the list with the Most beautiful Greek villages by CNN :)
Located around 16 kilometers south of Heraklion, Archanes is considered one of the best restored villages in Greece.
The pale gray-green of its surrounding olive groves contrast wonderfully with the flamboyancy of its low-rise houses, creating a vibrant scene.
White Aegean chic doesn’t suit the Archanians, if the salmon pink, terracotta red and yolk yellow walls, brown wooden doors and blue or green window shutters embroidered by dashes of purple bougainvillea are anything to go by.
It’s no coincidence that in such an artsy environment, you’ll find sculpture workshops and two folkloric museums.
source
And if this village has an international recognition of its beauty, since 2020 it has become even more beautiful thanks to the local art festival and the drawings that bedeck many walls of its streets! Quite different than the graffiti I am used to see in the cities, a style of street art kind of naif, maybe even childish but definitely pleasing to the eye and charmingly decorative!
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Crete and Greece in general, has many beautiful villages but only a few have been developed in harmony with their original character. In most of the cases development means destruction of everything old and replacement with graceless new constructions.
Or they are left unspoiled, only thanks to negligence and they decay in abandonment and oblivion. Archanes is a great example of a thriving, expanding village that has preserved its character and integrated the future in alignment with the past!
Even when I walked away from the main road with the most impressive houses, I still found it extremely charming and memorable. As I was concluded my stroll, I was thinking what an excellent idea was to spare some time and get to know a little better this fantabulous place!
Happy walks, to all of you :)
Thank you for reading and if you want to know more about me you can check out my introduction post.
Commenting, upvoting and rebloging are highly appreciated!
what a great adventure, many buildings resemble the historic center of my city, I am amazed at some similarities ^^
You are from Ecuador, right?
I haven't been there but some of the pictures of this post reminded me, my trip to Mexico. I think that it is the colours of the buildings that bring forward this resemblance!
Thank you for stopping by :)
How aesthetically pleasant. the difference between the old and beautiful vs. the modern and ugly is becoming overwhelmingly obvious as time goes on.
one never feels like sitting even for a coffee in the big centers of concrete, steel and glass, while in a village as you so masterfully pictured above, every corner is inviting.
thank you.
I totally agree with you but I am afraid that many people feel more comfortable surrounded by concrete, steel and glass than in a more natural environment!
But then again if all those city dwellers move to the villages, then the villages might become as intolerable as the cities and we'll have no place to move to :)
Thank you for stopping by!
I totally agree with that too ; )
It does look beautiful indeed! So many colors!
Thank you Sascha!
Now that your camper van is out of the storage maybe you'll come all the way down to Greece and see for yourself :)
Such a warm colours it makes me happy to see. Beautiful. Enjoy the nice weather 👋🏻😊
It’s good to try and enjoy the area you are in, even though you are busy busy.
Have a great Wednesday ☀️
Yes, it's the colours that make it so wonderful. I am sure that even towns with ugly buildings can become beautiful if they paint them in such nice colours :)
Thank you for stopping by and good luck to your new country of residence, I guess it's Ireland?
There you are so right. Warm colours do change it all how we perceive something.
You are welcome 👋🏻😊 thank you so much… there are not many countries left to go too after we arrived in Northern Ireland 😉
it does look such a charming place, yes the street art does have a child like feel to it, but I kind of think that fits well there and adds to the charm of it
Yes, they fit nicely to the surrounding!
Thank you for stopping by :)
my pleasure to visit your post