X-Outposts are a legendary part of the X-Team culture. This June, thirty X-Teamers and their significant others traveled to the island of the Minotaur myth, a land of epic battles, amazing stories, and incredible food: Crete.
I could dedicate a whole post to all the beautiful beaches we visited in Crete. To name only a few: Akrotiri, Valos, Macherida, Kalathas, and Falasarna. Don't those names all just sound epic and mythological either?
When the opportunity presented itself to explore some of these clear waters, we couldn't resist and went snorkeling and diving.
Of course, as with all X-Outposts, we balanced our time between work and exploration. After a morning sunbath, we found a spot in the shadows and worked. When we took a break, we spent time getting to know each other.
There were a few Wizards on this trip too. These are the X-Teamers who ensure all X-Team engineers are doing okay, both at work and at home. It was really interesting to better understand their role and what their day-to-day looked like.
What's an X-Outpost if you don't eat the local foods? We ate gyros, moussaka, souvlaki, raki, and much more. No Cretan/Greek dish went untouched, and they were all incredibly tasty.
There were more than a few special moments too. We celebrated a birthday and, most incredibly, one of our X-Teamers proposed to his girlfriend on Elafonisi beach. She said yes! If that's not a sign that X-Outposts create lasting memories, then I don't know what is.
As per tradition, we also shared gifts that we'd brought from all over the world. It's a great way to connect with each other and understand everyone's culture a little bit better.
So far, we organized one X-Outpost a month in 2023. Now it's time to take a short break. In August, we return with a highly-anticipated X-Outpost to Barcelona. Crete was fantastic; let's see if Barcelona can outshine it!