DisCRETE Greece A 5-star view of an island that boasts it’s own culture STORY & PHOTOS BY AMY LAUGHINGHOUSE C Sailing on a catamaran, top photo, operated by the 5-star Daios Cove Luxury Resort and Villas, right, brings guests up close to the wonders found on Grete, like Spinalonga Island, above. Crete is even older than Greece itself. 38 www.travelife.ca RETE, GREECE — On a ter- race overlooking the moonlit Sea of Crete, a man strokes a bow across a delicate, pear-shaped lyra, deftly coaxing a song from its strings. Accompanied by his deep baritone, the ballad is borne on a breeze that carries with it the scent of wood smoke and flowers, per- fuming the night. Although the musician’s lips form words I do not know, he weaves an invis- ible tapestry that transcends language, conjur- ing images of faraway places where dark-eyed beauties undulate like a mirage over hot sands. Drawn by the melody, a troop of dancers emerge from the shadows. The women sway in long scarlet skirts, while the men kick their tall black boots high in the air, leaping like bil- ly goats and slapping their heels. Eventually, the group forms a whirling circle, recruiting me and other audience members to join them as their winding steps grow faster and faster,