Crete is the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean and the largest of the islands forming part of modern Greece. It is relatively long and narrow, stretching for 160 miles (260 km) on its east-west axis and varying in width from 7.5 to 37 miles (12 to 60 km).

A Katabatic wind, from the Greek word katabatikos meaning “going downhill”, is the technical name for a drainage wind, a wind that carries high density air from a higher elevation down a slope under the force of gravity. Such winds are sometimes also called fall winds. Katabatic winds can rush down elevated slopes at hurricane speeds (above 100 km per hour).

Crete's climate varies between temperate and subtropical, with an annual average precipitation of about 25 inches (640 mm) and hot, dry summers. Winter temperatures are relatively mild. Mountain air is temperate and cool, and the mountains are often covered with snow in the winter (mid December to May). I During February and March there is so much snow in higher altitude which is very common to do cross country ski!

The Greek sea enjoys the privilege of hosting four species of dolphins: the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), the Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) and the short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis). All dolphins have an echolocation system which they use to orient themselves, to forage and to communicate. Their sociable, playful and romantic communication involves codes that are hard to imagine for a marine mammal.

Public transport in Crete is surprisingly efficient but unfortunately only during the summer months, usually from May to September. The main bus company, KTEL is based in Heraklion (check their web site) with further main bus stations in Agios Nikolaos, Rethymno and Chania (west Crete).

On July 6, 2017, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of Sunglint on the waters around Crete and the Aegean Islands.