Another sunny and beautiful day in Crete so we decided to explore Lasithi Plateau.
On our way up there, we stopped at this beautiful spot near the road that leads to Dikteo Andro, the Homo Sapiens Museum, which showcases the evolution of humans from caves to the moon. The museum is quite simply set up, exhibiting our major milestones of mankind. Very educational and interesting. The entrance fee was only 3 euros. Exceptional value and worth a visit in my opinion.
We also explored the famous windmills of Crete that operate traditional water pumps there. It was fascinating to see they whole process working as on. We followed it up by a lovely coffee on the balcony with an amazing mountain view. How much better can it get? Lol...
We were driving through a little village called Tzermiado which lies within the farming community of Lasithi Plateau, west of Agios Nikolaos town. A stunning place with its unique natural beauty. We felt obliged to stop there for a lunch in order to take everything in!
The place we ate was Kourites and we can say that is the best place for tasting local delicacies. The owners were very friendly and helpful and the portions were extra large! The slow cooked lamb in the oven is making my mouth water just thinking about it, lol. We were offered a free complimentary chocolate cake at the end of the meal. What an unexpected treat!
Exploring Crete's beautiful landscapes by car, I have to say, is by far the most enjoyable driving in my life! There are also a lot of spots on the roads for visitors to stop the car and admire the amazing scenery.
Not long after, we arrived next in the village square of Krasi, where there are three massive plane trees considered the one of Crete's trademark locations. Among them, the middle one is said to be the oldest and most majestic of the plane trees in Crete.
The perimeter of the trunk is about 24 meters and its age is estimated to be 2400 years, as it is said that each meter of the perimeter represents 100 years of growth. It is bulky, has huge branches and dense foliage covering the entire square.
Next to the trees there are two springs that have crystal clear water throughout the year. Many locals come here to collect fresh water in jars.
Driving back to Malia where our hotel locates, we stopped by Orion Crocodile Bay and had a stroll down to the beach for a quick cocktails enjoying the lovely sunset view.
Dinner was booked at Milos at 8:30pm, Again, recommended by our lovely reception lady Sofia. The restaurant is situated in the old town of Malia. It takes a little effort to find it but is well worth it.
The garden is beautiful with lots of plants and climbers. Tables are situated under the trees and surrounded by pots with aromatic herbs. Milos is a family run business for more than 20 years and serve fresh homemade Cretan cuisine, cooked in a traditional healthy way, using exclusively local produce.
There were many different Cretan flavours to choose from so I decided to order a selection of appetisers instead of a main course. It turned out to be fantastic! The salad and Tzaziki were refreshing, the stuffed mushroom was delicious and the eggplant with minced meat & cheese filling was more than excellent! Loving it!
My husband had the traditional cuisine "lamb with potato", which is cooked in the stone oven with aromatic Cretan herbs, and turned out to be delicious too.
The atmosphere was very relaxed and charming. Contemporary Greek music plays in the background and the service was super friendly. They also provide food that caters for all you vegans out there.
At the end, we got some fresh fruit and yogurt as another complementary extra from the restaurant, and of course some shots of Raki. Cheers, everyone!!
Excellent night at Milos, very reasonably priced and incredible food. The oven clay baked meat dishes are to die for and the lamb I believe is one of the best I've ever tasted! Definitely the best authentic "Greek" restaurant to dine in Malia!