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Instead of being out to make a fast tourist buck, the people CATHERINE MACKmet on a family holiday on the Greek island were keen to show their hospitality and share their culture

CRETANS CONSIDER themselves to be one big family. Just as we can’t confuse the origins of anyone whose surname begins with O’, they can spot a fellow islander anywhere, as most Cretan family names end in “akis”. Locals say this dates from the 250-year Turkish rule of Crete, which finished in 1898; the occupiers forced islanders to add the insulting “akis”, or “little”, to their names. Cretans now consider the suffix a badge of honour.