Crete is full of contrasts, and every bend in the road reveals a surprise. Changes of landscape are customary; it can be hot, mild or tropical. It can include rugged, wild regions, tough and rocky, reminiscent of the heroes of Kazantzakis and El Greco.The coasts too can be peaceful beaches in some places and craggy cliffs battered by the waves in others. But the plains of Crete are verdant and serene, and its mountains with their celebrated gorges are impregnable strongholds that have always protected every form of freedom.