The days spent in the village & working with Marianna went by far too fast! It was hard to tell the family that I had finally decided to say goodbye. As with any true cultural exchange there is always a balance between the highlights (when I thought I could stay forever) and the not so glamorous parts (where I was daydreaming of other places on Crete). However, in the end, the highlights trumped the rest and I was sad to say goodbye. I loved spending time with Marianna - whether it be out in the hillsides gathering herbs or chatting over coffee - she held a plethora of traditional and mystical knowledge that fascinated me.
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| Marianna & I at the entrance to the herbal shop:) |
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| A peak inside the herbal shop |
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During the day the village was always pretty quiet and peaceful - but when Marianna was in the shop anyone walking around the narrow cobbled walkways could hear the classical music that she played loud & clear~ almost as a gift to the people who passed.... Everyone would stop in and chat briefly, sometimes leaving with herbs and oils - but always leaving with a smile.
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| View from one of the places we stopped to gather herbs |
In the picture above you can see the small village nestled on a plateau (just left of center) where we would go to collect drinking water (the family goes once a week). The last few years in Maroulas the water has been sub-par due to contamination from a nearby landfill. So, for drinking water the family goes to nearby villages where the spring water is known to be pristine.
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| sweet & plentiful spring water~ |
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| working on the roof terrace - cleaning and cutting walnut leaves |
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| A view from above the village - the light in Crete seems to always be captured perfectly by the clouds;) |
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| Marianna and her traditional knife- harvesting wild Thyme and Heather on the hillsides |
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| Looking across the valley from another harvesting spot |
this is not possible to read without extreme envy
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