“First of all, I would like to thank the Region of Crete and Branding Heritage for their kind invitation. I am sorry I could not be with you today, but the speakers present are better suited to talk about Crete. I personally visited Crete for the first time in 1962. I still have wonderful memories from that thrilling trip. That first visit, however, was not the last. Many more visits to this full of centuries-old culture and history island would follow, along with my mother, Françoise Gilot. I have vivid memories from a trip we took with our friends Yannis and Efi Sakellarakis. We visited their excavation site in Archanes and then ended up in a secluded area in the southeastern part of the island, where I felt at home. I also remember that on the Lassithi Plateau we had tasted the most delightful food, the most delicious “patatoules” in the whole world! The archaeological sites of astonishing beauty, the cordial hospitality of the kind and energetic Cretans, the ubiquitous ancient civilisation have been forever etched in my memory. I would like for you to see some of the artwork of my father, Pablo Picasso. Although Picasso never visited Greece nor Crete, he was inspired by the Minoan civilization. These are some of his creations, where the Minotaur in particular is depicted in paintings and engravings, along with some ceramic pieces that have been a kind of connecting link over the centuries.”