There’s more ground left to cover in Crete

We were first-time tourists to Crete in April, and found “Classic Crete” [Aug. 8] shallow and not perceptive. The author, Beverly Beyette, neglects both central and southern Crete.

Because she had a rented car she presumably knew that it is possible to drive from Heraklion to the extreme southeast of the island and back in a single day. She did an incomplete reporting job by visiting only the tourist traps on the north. It would be like visiting Avalon and writing about Catalina Island as if she knew of it.

The center of Crete is a glory. Every inch is cultivated up to the often-snow-covered mountains. One of those peaks, celebrated in mythology along with Knossos, is Mt. Ida, clearly visible from downtown Heraklion but not even mentioned in the article.

In history, Beyette does a good job of describing the Knossos but says little more about the wonderful but tragic history of Crete. What about the Venetian conquest, which led to some of the most beautiful and important monuments in the northern towns?

No one can cover everything in a newspaper piece, but balance is most advisable.

Mary and Gordon Reiter

Torrance