Koumos! Art? Genius? Kitsch?
One day in 1990, a woman named Evangelia (Evaggelia) suggested to her husband that she'd like him to built a table for her, made of stone. At the time, it seemed a rather innocent request, but for Yorgos Khavaledakis it turned out to be the beginning of a strange obsession. For the next 15 years, more and more stones were collected in the Lefka Ori (White Mountains) and brought to Koumos, where we can now wonder at all the things Yorgos has created from them: a house, a church, a shepherds' hut, an olive press, a flour mill, an artificial cave, chimneys, toilets ... you name it. And the stones he used are not simple, everyday stones - they are all special, weirdly shaped by wind and water, each one unique.
The man's fantasy also turned away from stones sometimes to other materials. He took, for example, a tree and suspended it, upside down, in the air so it would make a beautifully surrealist lamp.
The place, which now also includes a Taverna with decent food and wine, is a paradise for photographers and I can only suggest every visitor to take along their camera. There is no entrance fee, and - if you order some drink or food in the Taverna - you are free to walk around the grounds like a child in a dream.
It is all very amazing, one moment there is something beautiful, then you encounter something truly traditionally Cretan item, then again you may suddenly think you're in a very kitsch theme park dedicated to all mad people of the world.
I won't say more ... words just cannot cover the experience. You can glimpse some of what to expect in the gallery of our own photographs, but if you ever find yourself in the vicinity of Kalyves, Kalami, Armeni (Apokoronas) just plan at least an hour for a visit to Koumos.
there is a sign saying Koumos Taverna very close to the INKA supermarket between Kalami and Kalyves ... just follow it through the Cretan countryside and after a few kilometres you'll find a large parking spot and the weirdest place in all of Crete.
The accompanying gallery opens in a new window ...
For more information about Koumos and the Apokoronas region, try to get hold of the following Guide-Book:
