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A genuine cultural and gastronomical experience... |
Meet the PeopleThis is the web site of the Baladakis family Your hosts, the Baladakis Family members are: Yiannis and Eleni, their sons Nikos and Triantafylos and their young daughter Marilena. Above all it is the genuine hospitality of the Baladakis family that makes the experience unique. They are simple real people who are happy to have guests and show them their everyday life. Yianis Baladakis  As a wild kid of the mountains, he jumps from rock to rock and always munches a brunch of sage that he finds on the wild Cretan land. That is how he managed to be healed from the stomachaches he has been suffering for a long time. He leaves his house at night, with just a spoon of honey for breakfast, and by the time the sun has arisen he has gathered his sheep and goats and discuses with them. He leads them to places with pure grass and as a gentle father he keeps them company for some time. He is in a hurry though, because the morning sun has to find him at the peak of the mountain. There he will fill his bags with wild greens, hooks and stamnagathi or perhaps with some wild herbals such as sage, thyme or dittany- depending on the season. And when all of you wake up from bed, he goes down quickly the slopes of the hill, as he is a great agile man, to take care of his vegetables down the plain. He doesnt have just one garden, but over two or three, in fertile grounds with plentiful water. Okra, haricot beans, eggplants, pepper trees, beetroots, parsley and celery are part of his production, each one in its own environment. He looks after carefully, as you can see, his diet that consists only of natural and especially selected products. And even though he gives you the impression of a brutal and primitive man, he is only primitive in his warm feelings, his love towards the nature and the man, his great generosity, as well as in singing, dancing and love.  He spends a lot of time in his greenhouse which demands a great deal of work and he always finds some time to taste the delicacies he finds at home. He then disappears again for a walk, accompanied by his loyal dogs, to cast an eye over his plentiful olive and orange trees. Later on, he will be found again to the mountain standing next to his beehives that seem to recognize his presence since hundreds of bees spin around him without harming him at all. And even if one of them dares to hurt him with her sting, the problem is only for the bee that gives her life in exchange. I dont get sick, he boasts, because Ive been bitten by many bees. That is who Yiannis Baladakis is and when the day ends, he withdraws in a small corner with a book of history or perhaps literature in hand. He knows everything about the Greek and world history, while his knowledge of geography is excellent as well. One day, a university teacher asked him during their conversation: Where Hawaii is?. Yiannis immediately raised his huge hand and without a second thought he pointed with his steely thumb the right place on the world map which was on the table. By his strength he tore the map, but he did not seem to care at all. Here it is he saidand here is Pearl Harbor, where the Japanese sank Arizona. The professor was astonished. The conversation lasted the whole night and ended with traditional Cretan songs and dances. If you happen to be at Sfinari during summer holidays and you are lucky enough, you will find him at his wifes tavern Sunset and he will impress you with his stories and humor. Only be ware not to follow him in drinking because you will end up drunk. Yiannis Baladakis wherever he goes- is a loud talker, a great lover of the nature, romantic, indefatigable and passionate with the political affairs. He is the soul of every party with his songs and dances and always present to the villages traditional festivals. His house is always open to friends and strangers. Almost every night 5 10 or more people empty their dishes and bottles of wine at the Sunset restaurant, because that is him he loves to give and offer love.  ELENI
She begins her day very early every morning. As soon as she reaches at the Sunset she supplies her kitchen with all the necessary fresh products she is going to use. You have to know that all the dishes and delicacies that you will try at Sunset are carefully prepared by her. Her ability of cooking is insuperable and only her warm smile and her kindness can compete it. With a warm smile and a cordial good morning, she always welcomes her visitors and takes care of their stay, so as to be full of flavors and odors of the Cretan custody. She uses only homemade products. Olive oil, vegetables, fish and meat are products that she transforms into delicious plates. Her divine cacavia, the stuffed cuttlefish, the redden meat are few of the miracles you will taste. As a nice hostess she supervises and takes care of everything so that everyone will be pleased. Except for the kitchen, she always finds some time to meet at the table her visitors and discuss with them. You will then discover that she is a wonderful and brilliant person, with a great sense of humor and a vivid laugh. You will also feel that you are not simple visitors at Sunset but members of the Baladakis family. That is why at the end of the day all the visitors have a wide smile of satisfaction on their faces and a feeling of pleasure in their hearts |
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