Land of the Gods

Apollon

My trusty steed Apollon

Sabine detailing the Trail of the Gods

Exploring Avdou

Exploring Avdou

Curious sheep

Herding sheep on the way to the Church of St. Fotini

Riding Donkeys

Just Riding a Donkey

I’ve been back from horseback riding in Greece for over a week and am almost out of the woods with bookings and inquiries. Being hit by the real world is quite a shock after eight days in the saddle half way around the globe. Having never been to Crete, I was excited, but also had my concerns. The airline strikes and the Greek Economy’s effect on the European Union and protests were all over the news at the time. Apparently, this is all old hat for Europeans, as my flights to and from Athens and Heraklion were completely full and everyone seemed unconcerned.After hours of travel, I was greeted in Sabine & Manolis’s dining room with a warm fire, a huge plate of Moussaka, fresh baked bread, a glass of wine, and Crete’s traditional drink of distilled grapes, Raki-true and simple hospitality. I felt a little unnerved when I walked in and guest conversing in French, Dutch, and Greek rapidly switched into English for my benefit, but enjoyed conversations with everyone I met.

Riding throughout the week followed suit with good honest horses, quality tack, a variety of trails, a variety of food, and Karen, our knowledgeable trail guide. If I wasn’t asking questions, I was taking pictures of the sheep standing on the tops of the trees (I swear) or collecting my reins for some long canters along the roads that crisscross the olive groves.

Having not visited the ride for quite some time, we did have some surprises. The itineraries were not as structured as advertise in our brochures, the progressive ride comes back to the hotel more nights than expected, stays can be shorter than a full 8 days, and Sabine has not been guiding as often, as her hands are full with her two beautiful little girls. I didn’t expect the weather to be cloudy this time of year, but that didn’t stop me from taking a quick dip into the Aegean Sea. Karen complained of the cold, but I told her that the water was perfect compared to swimming in the rivers formed by glacial melt in Wyoming.

And during the riding lessons that I took with Manolis, I discovered how terribly awkward I can be in an English saddle. Apollon, my trusty steed, was incredibly forgiving, despite the fact that I was behaving something akin to a jackhammer on his back as we did a walk, trot, and canter series around the arena with our feet out of the stirrups. Shoulders back is my new mantra.

But my overall impression of this riding vacation is that it is far from just getting by. Sabine and Manolis are constantly working, improving, building, envisioning, and creating their dream. It’s a lifestyle. That seems to be the difference between a good operation and one that is mediocre. They have a beautiful hotel set in a beautiful location overlooking valleys of olive groves and small whitewashed villages. The food is all homemade and delicious. Their horses are fit and well cared for. Eighteen new Wintec all purpose English saddles are being shipped in within the next few weeks, and Sabine and Manolis are in the process of creating a stage for outdoor entertainment, a larger dining room, more trails, a new progressive ride, and a possible ride along the lake that will fill in the valley within the next few years.

It was a pleasure to stay and ride in such a lovely place and experience Greek hospitality at its finest. I look forward to speaking with clients about this trip. Right now, we offer The Crete Star Trail, The Trail of the Gods, and the Unguided Lassithi Trek in Crete. For more information about any of these rides, please get in touch with me at traci@equitours.com

From Sicily to the Isle of Crete

As we turn towards fall, our ride consultants have a little bit more time to go out and explore some of the riding vacations that we currently offer and to search for new ones. This month, I will travel to Greece to visit our outfitter on the isle of Crete, where we currently offer three different horseback riding vacations. While the Trail of the Gods Ride and the Lassithi Trail Ride are progressive rides from the northern region of the island to the Libyan Sea, the Crete Star Trail departs daily from a gorgeous little hotel near the Valley of Kastelli.My goal is to explore an itinerary that can combine quality riding with other fun activities in the area like biking, climbing, caving, and paragliding. Cooking classes with the head chef will also be a plus for this former restaurateur and hopefully for our clients interested in visiting the Greek isles.

In the mean time, Roz will be exploring an island of her own on “The Monti Madonie Ride” in Sicily’s Madonie National Park. I asked her why she chose Sicily and this was her response, “This location is very unique with incredible Mediterranean History and architecture. The price is right and the food is always good, so I can’t imagine why we wouldn’t consider this ride for our 2012 brochure.”

Clients who wish to participate in our exploratory riding tours will receive a reduced rate and can contact roz@equitours.com for more details.

Traci

Rolling hills of the Sicilian countryside

Greece is famous for its windmills

Riding through a village in Sicily

Traditional Cretian cuisine, which I hope to learn to make!

Crete! Trail of the Gods

Click Above to View Slideshow                       
From Movies

Fall comes early in Wyoming, with winter fast on its heels.  I imagine here in a few weeks we will have snow dusting the mountain tops and my sunflowers will still not have bloomed.  With our short summer already coming to a close, I have my eye on our riding vacations in Crete -Greece’s warm and light hearted culture, and the spectacular beauty of the Mediterranean.

We’ve sent quite a few clients horseback riding in Greece on the Trail of the Gods and the Crete Star Trail over the past couple of years, despite the country’s less than impressive reputation in the press.  Our riders have all come back with great reviews and stories, and some have been kind enough to send us their photos.  So here’s a little video set to music from a classic Greek collection.

Our riding facility in Crete has also been selected   to receive subsidies for improvements that include replacement of all tack, updates to the outdoor riding arenas, new pavement, equipment and additions to the stable building.  As you can see in the video, the grounds are already well cared for and beautiful, but the promise of continued improvement during the off season is a positive for horses and clients on any of our equestrian vacations.