Visiting Psychro Village in Crete

The day looked promising.
Perhaps the first warm day in March this year. Sunny, not moisty and only with a few white clouds to break the blue monotony (if you can ever say that for blue skies)

So we decided to take the road and go up to the mountains.

There was a specific tavern we wanted to visit and this was the perfect Sunday to do it!

Our destination was high on top of the mountains, but at first, the road was a straight and easy line!

It was amazing to see the sea on your side and on the other side those beautiful clouds on the mountains. Some of the turns were U turns and it was challenging. I took a few videos that I plan on uploading on my [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@katycrete so you can check them out soon.

After a while we passed by a village that seemed so cute that we said we will definitely visit in the future. Mochos!

I always feel like I have missed out too much on the places of interest near where I live. I hope to be able to travel more in the next few years...

Fast forward, 50 minutes after we left home... we arrived at an amazing place!

On the mountains, with a panoramic view to the Lassithi Plateau!

The only issue was that the sun had already passed, so it looked a bit dark in the photos. But I promise, it was amazing!

About Lassithi Plateau

Lassithi Plateau is one of Crete’s most unique and historically rich landscapes, located at an altitude of about 850 meters, surrounded by the imposing Dikti Mountains. Known for its fertile soil and traditional windmills, it has been a vital agricultural hub for centuries, supplying the island with fresh produce. The plateau is also steeped in mythology—it is home to the Dikteon Cave, believed to be the birthplace of Zeus. Beyond its historical and mythological significance, Lassithi Plateau offers breathtaking scenery, traditional villages, and a glimpse into Crete’s rural way of life.

Unfortunately the cave were Zeus was born was closed and will reopen next year. Also, I will share some more photos of the plateau at the end of this post.

Lets go to an important section of a road trip.

FOOD!

We visited Dictamus Tavern and had traditional, home made dishes!

It was the one of the two open taverns of the area. Some more souvenir shops and taverns were closed.

You will only see amazing landscape, become one with nature and enjoy healthy, traditional dishes there.. And I think this is more than enough ..

Lets see what we had for lunch

Before we even ordered, they brought to the table rusk bread, local hard cheese, olive oils and (ofti patata) - this is potato cooked in the ashes in the fireplace. You put salt and lemon and it is simply amazing!

Here we see a close up of Lupin beans, the yellow legume seeds of the genus Lupinus. In Crete they are mostly consumed during the fastening season before Easter. They are paired with olive oils in this photo.

These dishes are

• Lamb Antikristo (Αντικριστό) – A traditional Cretan way of cooking lamb, where large cuts of meat are salted and slow-roasted around an open fire, absorbing rich, smoky flavors. This ancient technique results in incredibly tender and flavorful meat. In this tavern, they also had chicken cooked this way. Both were delicious!

• Greek Salad (Χωριάτικη Σαλάτα) – A refreshing salad made with ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, green peppers, olives, and feta cheese, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with oregano. In this salad they also put lettuce. The produce was so fresh and tasty!

• Gemista (Γεμιστά) – A beloved Greek dish of tomatoes & bell peppers stuffed with rice, herbs. When someone makes them at home they can stuff any vegetables (aubergine, potato, zucchini etc)- delicious and full of vitamins!

• Dolmadakia (Ντολμαδάκια) – Small, delicate grape leaves filled with a mixture of rice, herbs, carefully rolled, served with yogurt or lemon sauce. I have posted recipes for this and gemista, but maybe I will need to make an update on those!

We also had french fries, roast potatoes and also desert but I was too busy to take more shots!

I wanted to go outside and explore the space. I may come back soon so I wanted to know what to pay more attention to!

The scenery, wild and scenic.

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I adored the treasures of the earth and the value of nature around us.

I wish I could put more images from the surroundings (at the moment I have already published 30 images!)

This is from the other tavern, I liked it so much that I wanted to share with you...

And this is about Europe, written by Loukianos during the 2nd century

... but Zeus took Europe's hand and led her to the cave while her face had turned red from shame and had her eyes lowered to the ground ...

And for you who may not know...

According to Greek mythology, Zeus and Europa share a legendary tale that connects Crete to the origins of Europe. Europa, a beautiful Phoenician princess, caught the eye of Zeus, the king of the gods. To approach her, Zeus transformed into a majestic white bull and appeared near the shore where she and her friends were playing. Mesmerized by the gentle and elegant creature, Europa climbed onto its back, and Zeus swiftly carried her across the sea to the island of Crete. There, he revealed his true form, and Europa became the mother of three sons, including King Minos, the legendary ruler of Crete. This myth not only links Crete to the divine but also symbolizes the island's historical and cultural ties to Europe.

Shortly before the sunset we had to leave...

More plateau images as promised, after the recent rains ..

And even though I loved the road trip, I was so relieved to see the golden ocean from afar...

Hope you enjoyed the photos and my tour that I tried to guide you through the places I visited!