is the balm

 Treasures in the Fortress.

                                               
On a recent trip to Greece I was in search of a sweet, decadent taste for a possible new flavor for my lip balm line. From my previous travels and adventures, I have found that taking a trip out of town inspires many lip balm flavor ideas. However, this wasn't the case in Greece.

Don't get me wrong, the flavors that enrich Greece are incredible whether one is sampling feta cheese, olives or a local wine. Since being back, I often crave an authentic Greek meal as some of my favorite dishes are now from Greece (more on that later).

I found that the most often used sweet in Greek desserts is honey. I've experimented with all natural honey flavors for batches of my lip balms, but for one reason or another, honey has never mixed well into my recipe. The formula is just off. That is not to say that someday I may perfect a honey-infused recipe that works, but for now, it's not something I'm ready to spend time making possible. So, after a week, I gave up searching for lip balm flavors in Greece and focused on the art scene.

I soon embraced the artistry and craftsmanship of their jewelry. In Old Town Chania (pronounced H-ania), a Venetian fortress on the island of Crete, you can find many celebrated local Cretan artists. Their craftsmanship is impressive and I wished I would have had more change to spare for such treasures. The jewelry makers include a mix of Venetian glassblowers and jewelry designers crafting pieces by hand. Their art form significantly reflects the unique Grecian goddess style. Many of these jewelry artists use turquoise from the depths of the Turkish mountains. One of my favorite artists uses semi-precious gems intertwined in his jewelry in a kind of macramé style—so stunning. Each design and stone places a powerful energy in each piece with the stones embodying a particular mood and spirit.  I fell in love with each piece I purchased and have been wearing them often since I returned.

Now,  with a natural love for promoting all that I do and see, I would like to give names and websites to some of the artist shops I visited, but unfortunately most of these locally run shops sell only locally—most don't even have websites or email contacts. I do have a street address for one of my favorite shops called Po'sov. The main artist here is Christina Douka. You can find the shop (and the artist if you're lucky) at 19 Theotokopoulou Street located in Old Town Chania. If you start there, you'll see the cobblestone street that leads into a narrow walkway of many more fantastic shops.

I must warn you: finding one's way around Crete provides somewhat of a challenge, but with a little patience and determination, you'll end up finding treasures.