The Problem With Guidebooks, Or How I Came to Hate Lonely Planet On A Sunday in Crete

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I can assure you that Lonely Planet passed through that village after 1974. I visited it in 1999 when I researched and then wrote Lonely Planet's first edition of their Crete guidebook. To be honest, I have no recollection of that village but as I wrote nothing about traditional dress or any of the other deceptive descriptions I assume they were added later. I did mention the variety of weavings and embroidery and the "desperate" sales pitches but evidently the town did not much impress me. I can't absolve myself of all responsibility though! It was probably me that first added the town as a highlight, probably based on the weaving and "rebellious spirit". My guess is that a subsequent writer happened to land in town on a feast day or somebody's marriage when the townspeople happened to be dressed up. A more leisurely visit would have revealed that, but nothing, nothing in guidebook research is leisurely. I remember Crete as particularly hellish to research partly because of those lengthy drives on winding roads. Imagine having to visit two other villages about 50km apart on the same day and you'll understand the problem! That doesn't help you as a guidebook-buying traveller though. Lonely Planet does place a high priority on breadth of coverage. They want to cover every place that every competitor covers which is normal in a highly-competitive market. I know for a fact, though, that every (coherent) letter from every reader is read and reviewed. If enough people (maybe even just you!) write to say that Anogia is a waste, it will be dropped.

6-26-2012 @ 6:10PM

Paul Hellander said...

As Jean mentioned, it was a later Lonely Planet author that passed by Anogeia and that was me (in around 200)! Yes, my wife (Stella) and I did happen upon a wedding, did meet some very important people in the Cretan music scene, did attend the cultural Yakynthia Festival that took place in Anogeia that year, did interview renowned musician Vasilis Skoulas for the then upcoming second edition of LP's Crete guide and generally had a very genuine Cretan time. It helped that we both spoke Greek and knew how to get under the skin of a people who are - and I admit it - rather resilient to outsiders. With the passage of time I can honestly say that for Stella and me our time in Anogeia and on the surrounding mountain plains remains still one of the highlights of Crete. I grant that for an outsider to drop in and expect the magic to happen, it is a tall order: this is not ready-made Disney-culture; it has a to sought out and earned. Anogeia needs another mindset and if you've gone running from the boozy, Anglo-fixated rat traps of the North coast expecting instant Cretan karma, it ain't gonna happen overnight. My sympathy to the author Dave Seminara, but when it comes to real Cretan culture, you won't find it skin deep and it won't be waiting for you simply because you made the effort to drive there. The real task begins on arrival. Give it another go, Dave. If you want to find a chink in the armour try talking to Vasilis Skoulas at the Delina reception Centre outside of Anogeia (do you speak Greek?). Ask him to invite you to a wedding - a real Cretan wedding with nary a foreigner in sight. Ask him to take you to a midnight lamb BBQ at a Mitato (traditional stone shepherd hut) on the flanks of Psiloritis where Homeric is not an underused adjective to describe the magic that will ensue. Be patient. Anogeia will enter under your skin ... slowly.

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