#sfakiots

[ukdamo]

Today’s Flickr Photo - a picture fron Crete, showing the road sign to Skaloti. Skaloti is in south-western Crete, in the Sfakia region. Sfakiots are a fiercely independent people - a spot of target practice on road signs is probably handy preparation for resisting the next wave of invaders. 

[nnikoletakis]

Crete : The amazing waters in Frangokastello beach. The castle was built by the Venetians in 1371-74 as a garrison to impose order on the rebellious Sfakia region, to deter pirates, and to protect Venetian nobles and their properties. The Venetians named it the Castle of St. Nikitas after the nearby church. The locals, however, who never saw it in a positive light, contemptuously dubbed it Frangokastello, meaning the Castle of the Franks. The legend of Drosoulites, the ghosts of Frangokastello On 17 May 1828 a celebrated battle was fought at Frangokastello. Hundreds of Sfakiots and Epirotes led by Hatzimichalis Dalianis, a Greek patriot from Epirus,  attempting to spread the Greek War of Independence from the mainland to Crete, occupied the castle, but were besieged by the Turks and massacred. However, many of the Turks were then themselves killed by rebel ambushes launched from the local gorges. According to tradition, around the anniversary of the battle each May, shadows of the armed Cretan and Epirote soldiers , who lost their lives, there seem to march towards the fortress around dawn. These are called "Drosoulites", or dew-men, and have been explained as a meteorological phenomenon. Many thanks for all the likes and your kind comments. Have a nice day!