40 Wonderful Photos Capture Everyday Life in Crete, Greece in the 1970s ~ Vintage Everyday

Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsica. It is located about 100 km (62 mi) south of the Peloponnese, and about 300 km (190 mi) southwest of Anatolia.

Crete has an area of 8,450 km2 (3,260 sq mi) and a coastline of 1,046 km (650 mi). It bounds the southern border of the Aegean Sea, with the Sea of Crete (or North Cretan Sea) to the north and the Libyan Sea (or South Cretan Sea) to the south. Crete covers 260 km from west to east but is narrow from north to south, spanning three longitudes but only half a latitude.

The island is mostly mountainous, and its character is defined by a high mountain range crossing from west to east. It includes Crete’s highest point, Mount Ida, and the range of the White Mountains (Lefka Ori) with 30 summits above 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) in altitude and the Samaria Gorge, a World Biosphere Reserve.

These wonderful photos were taken by John Handy that show everyday life in Crete in the 1970s.

“In May 1976, I arrived as a young USAF First Lieutenant at Iraklion Air Station, a now-closed United States Air Force Security Service installation on the Greek island of Crete. I was stationed there through December 1978. These photos are of the base, my house in the nearby village of Kokkini Hani, and of various places I visited on the island of Crete. All photos were taken on the island.”