John Sooklaris /You Tube –Anthony Sooklaris was a trend setter in his day, and in 1961. He shot this 8mm movie as the boat was arriving in Souda Bay.
“This is our family’s first trip to Crete. We climbed aboard the Queen Frederica and went all the way to Crete for the beginnings of our 4 month vacation. This was part of the PanCretan Association of America excursion to Crete.
All of these people are waiting for us to arrive. They are family and friends. This happens much in the same way as it does today. Only back then, much fewer people travelled these great distances much less often, and they travelled from America to Europe by boat.
Pay careful attention, not only to the foreground, but the background. Crete will never look the same again. A very poor rural area at the time, people largely either walked or took a mule, or a bus for transportation.
This boat arrives in Crete around 5:30 AM, so when you see hoards of people, you must understand that they got themselves to Souda Bay to see and greet their relatives at a very early hour indeed.
And notice how people were dressed. They were wearing their best Sunday clothes to meet their loved ones. It’s a very happy moment in which not only family members came, but friends of family as well
Enjoy!”.
