Tales from Crete | 42

At the beginning of July, you could see a post on several Facebook pages that called for people to keep an eye out for a missing female American molecular biologist who was last seen on a run in western Crete. Thanks to the social media, which are often just time wasters, the search among private local residents and tourists was launched immediately, but without much success. After a few days, still without a trace or sign of life, large numbers of police, the military, search dogs, helicopters and even more volunteers were deployed to search the otherwise impassable terrain near Kolimbari, where they thought she might be, and the bulletins poured into various Facebook groups so that everyone could follow along. It is not unusual for people to go missing and be wanted, but there are usually other reasons than what was the case with the American 60-year-old woman. People who get the bright idea to go for a walk in the mountains from east to west or vice versa disappear from time to time, and it's not something you just have to put up with. At an altitude of two thousand meters, as some of the mountain peaks are, and without the right equipment, the right training and, not least, a good local knowledge, it is not at all something to throw yourself into. Even the Cretans shake their heads and warn against doing it, and if you do it anyway, it usually ends badly. In addition, there are those who just want to disappear and are attracted by a free life in Crete. For a very few it succeeds, but most are happy to return after some time.

But there was no indication that the American woman had any of these plans. She had been to a conference in Chania and was relaxing for a few days before returning to her work in Germany, where she lived. Less than a few weeks after she disappeared, she was found dead in an old World War II bunker. It was very obvious that she had neither been in an accident nor taken care of herself, for her body was neatly covered with a cloth. A few days later, the police were able to arrest and charge a local 27-year-old man with the murder of the American woman, who confessed after questioning.

It's not a particularly encouraging or good Friday story on my little blog here, but I think you should have it anyway, because unfortunately this kind of thing also happens in Crete, even if it's one of the rarities, and of course there are also rotten vessels among Cretans. After all, they are only flesh and blood human beings like all sorts of others. But it is an incredibly sad incident that the Cretans themselves are very affected by, because this kind of thing is miles away, and is a direct contrast to the philotimo they cherish so much, and which I mentioned last week.