Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark

Getting around

Crete journey times and distances

In Crete, a journey across the island from the Mesara plain to Heraklion, a distance of approximately 60 km, took 24 hours with a brief overnight stop.

At the table

Modest Diet of Ordinary Families

Poor families in Greece often survived on little more than a handful of bitter olives, onions, or salted fish with bread.

What people wore

Festive attire with gold and coins

On feast days, well-to-do men wore crimson velvet jackets embroidered with gold, while women often accessorized with strings of coins and silver chains.

Music

Village dances and folk instruments

In rural villages, folk dances were held in squares or churchyards on Sundays and saints' days, often featuring circle or chain dances performed to the sounds of bagpipes, violins, or clarinets. If instruments were unavailable, dancers sang their own accompaniment to these communal celebrations.

Daily life

Democratic and Accessible Public Education

Schools of all grades were abundant and free to all, and it was common to see children from diverse social backgrounds, such as a cabdriver's daughter and a government official's child, sitting side by side in class.