TRAVELSCAPES

Ma Crozier has been on a brief trip to the homeland to catch up with Master Crozier and his other half before they set off on an eight month adventure to Canada and New Zealand. There was a lot of catching up to do, notes to write, keys to deliver and teabags to pack before waving them off to Gatwick early on Wednesday morning and trying to finish off at home before my flight from Manchester on Thursday. All went well; the weather in England had been reasonably fair without a lot of rain and I had managed to catch the first performance of a Tribute to Dinner Ladies by the Stone Revellers which was a treat. What an amazing amount of work goes into their productions … the scenery was so realistic that one of the audience wondered when we would be leaving the canteen and sitting down in the theatre! I, for one, will really miss Victoria Wood's comic genius and observation but full marks for the set builders and performers on the night!  

Back to Crete! I landed at sunset on Thursday and was delivered by wonderful Grigoris – the best taxi driver - who is almost like a member of the family these days! The journey from Heraklion went smoothly into the night, round the dark mountain bends along the national road so that we arrived in our village shortly after 11 pm. A few souls were waiting at the little kafeneon and the lovely Angeliki stirred herself to fetch welcoming drinks for everyone. We observed that the swallow families were still guarding their nests and that the weather was about 10 degrees warmer than when I had left a week before.

Today is 16 June and I deduce from the sound of Greek music coming from the big square of the village that it is the last day of school term and they will be having a party to celebrate! Sadly, K and I are too pooped to attend, but we know that they will have fun with Greek dancing,  popcorn sellers, balloons and a few tasty treats cooked on the barbecue.

We had a splendid week with visitors just before the journey to England when our friends Sally and Paul made their first visit to Crete. Paul had done a bit of swotting with his guide book and definitely wanted to go to Knossos – so we spent a lovely day looking at the archaeological remains and decided that paying for the guide was a good investment.

A few days later, we jumped in the car and made a trip to the Amari Valley. I was so pleased to have done this as I seem to have missed this treat and only skirted through it quickly on various journeys from North to South Crete and not taken any time in the lovely villages. We visited a magical mountain retreat in the village of Thronos with panoramic views. Paul had been reading a great book by Christopher Somerville called 'The Golden Step' about his three month journey on foot from the Eastern to the Western edges of Crete about 15 years ago and we were all enthralled to find some vistas we had never seen before. We deduced that the tucked-away inn must have been the place where the exhausted rambler from this book had stayed.

After a refreshing cup of mountain tea and/or fortifying frappe, we progressed on our journey to Amari village, where we trekked up to the peak where a Venetian bell tower lauded it over the surrounding countryside. Feeling in need of sustenance, we stopped at Fourfouras for a meal and had an interesting time searching for somewhere to eat and fastened upon the nearest thing to a Taverna that we could find. It was deserted (never a good sign) but the man of the house jumped on the phone to his wife who turned up (noticeably puffed) a few minutes later and we had a very nice meal made even better by dividing up our plates and having a taste of everything! The daughter of the house spoke very good English, the bill was modest and we went on our way to find the best road home.

The coasts of Crete are wonderful, but so our the mountains and the inland spaces, if you can get to them.  It was a wonderful peaceful day whilst all the tourists stampeded for the beaches.  I have earmarked the leaflets and cards for a trip during August, when the weather gets too hot to deal with!

Enjoy your Summer (or Winter) wherever you are!

ROLL ON SUMMER!

Spring has blossomed and unfurled just in time to show the best possible face for our visitors around the local villages for the last couple of weeks or so. Two weeks ago, the mountain peaks still had snow cover but steady warm sunshine has shown more and more areas of bare rock on the peaks of Mount Psiloritis and the wild flowers at the road edges have nodded their heads in glorious clouds of yellows, white and green while red poppies and wild irises are dotted here and there to delight the eye. There is a custom on May Day for families to take a picnic in the countryside, to gather armfuls of beautiful marguerite, daisies, chamomile and other colourful blooms and to make a posy or wreath to hang on the outside of the house by way of celebration. Sometimes, the posies dry as they hang there making a lovely dried flower display which can last for many months longer!

Meanwhile, K and I have been out and about and taking on the heavy house cleaning to sweep away the soots and sands of winter, roll up the dusty rugs after a good beating, and take off the heavy covers needed for the winter to make room for summer sheets and warmer nights. All the winter knits and warm clothes have been put away with moth papers in suitcases under the beds and summer shirts and shorts retrieved for the ironing pile. In an island of extremes, these annual changeovers become the weft and weave of our seasonal life.

A poor wee cat, no more than a kitten turned out NOT to be a male as thought and deposited two tiny and rather sickly kittens under the wood pile. Sadly, we do not think they could have survived, despite trying to look after the little mother who began to look very downtrodden and frail. She and the kittens moved up the road but we did not hold out much hope for this little family. However, the villages are not short of alley cats and there will be many other litters of kittens who will survive better.

K and I had a lovely interlude in Panormo the other morning when a new fishing boat arrived by lorry and we spent a good hour gongoozling as the crew unhitched a crane and manoeuvred the boat off the lorry and alongside the jetty into the harbour. Then K listened with appreciation as they started up its diesel engine, flipped out the plastic fend-offs and puffed off out to sea on its maiden voyage with its proud little Greek flag streaming in the wind. I checked later in the week along the harbour wall and read that its name was Agiou Nicoloau … Saint Nicholas. It looks bright with new paint and well set up for some serious fishing excursions.

Outings with brother Chris and his better half Linda took us to the usual suspects of local haunts, Vinzi's delightful cafe overlooking Panormo harbour (our local), the Cafe Posto in Bali, Margarites for ceramics and for a real treat we drove up to the Wood Museum in Axos to see the sacred and dedicated work of the self-taught sculptor, George Koutantos who had the most magnificent wooden sculptures to admire. https://woodenmuseum.gr/en/the-sculptor/   After absorbing all the work involved from all angles and taking lots of photographs, we carried on further up the mountain road to eat a Sunday lunch in Anogia where the tavernas selling lamb cooked over the charcoal in their special way made an extra treat. We narrowly escaped forced purchase of Cretan andartes hairnets despite the strongest entreaties of the determined little old lady selling these and other home made lace items … but it was touch and go!  Chris and Linda visited Rethymnon and did a little shopping and eating and, I think enjoyed their week in Crete. It was the ideal time to visit. We tried to hold firm against large helpings, too much wine and sugary treats but again, it was touch and go!

On Saturday of the same week, John and Val, wonderful friends from Gravesend in Kent arrived at Heraklion airport and, as they have visited Crete a few times already, we could let them loose in Panormo after settling them into the lovely Philoxenia Apartments. Although not strictly open for a few days, the owners made an exception for them and gave them a beautiful premium apartment which was lovely and cool and overlooked the sea and the pool at the back. They were delighted and found the beds really comfortable after their long journey which started at silly o'clock from England. A first swim at the harbour beach lived up to its promise, and a lovely meal at the fish restaurant was a real treat. We would have hatched many more plans if K had not injured his foot somehow and might need a trip to the First Aid Health Centre in Perama first thing on Monday morning.

Tourists and hire cars are out in their hundreds and the season is well under way! As there are wedding anniversaries this year for our daughters … TEN YEARS … we can only say this month ... May the Fourth be with you. Kalomina!

LEARNING GREEK IN 25 YEARS ....

 Monday morning is the time for Greek Class. We rush through our breakfast and early morning chores and pack the bag with books and pencils. Our class is held a mile or two away in a small village Taverna where Dimitra, our teacher sets out her white board and pens and proposes “Prepositions”. This week, we are tackling prepositions of Time but before we start, we all have a cup of coffee or mountain tea and biscuits made with carob, grape juice and pistachio nuts.

Our lovely teacher

We scribble away and practice the sentences on the board in faltering speech trying to stress the correct syllables. From the distance, we hear some music from Greek loudspeakers and a few of us start feeling in our purses for change. Class stops as the Bread Van stops outside the taverna and several of us queue up for a loaf of bread and the driver sticks his head through the door, reads the board and says “Good Morning everyone” in exaggerated English with a cheeky grin! He is very interested as to what we are learning this week!

Τη Δευτέρα, όταν έρθει το φορτηγό ψωμιού όλοι αγοράζουν ψωμί

[On Monday when the Bread Van comes we all buy bread]

We all buy bread from the Bread Van!

We all settle down again, hanging our bags of bread on the back of our chairs and press on with prepositions.

Ο ταχυδρόμος είναι εδώ από τις 10.30 το πρωί έως τις 11.30 π.μ.

[The postman is here from 10:30 am to 11:30 a.m.]

Before long, a car screams to a halt outside the door and Michali the Post pops his curly head round the door with a couple of letters for the Taverna family. He stops to read the board and is interested to read that “I will visit my friends during my stay in their country”. Ah yes, he nods and sets off at a break neck pace to his next port of call.

Ο Μανάβης έρχεται στο χωριό τη Δευτέρα

[The Greengrocer comes to the village on Monday]

After twenty minutes or so of mind-cudgelling Greek grammar, a raucous jangling loud speaker announces that the greengrocer is outside. We all identify the loud message as from the expensive greengrocer and not the reasonably priced greengrocer who calls on Saturdays. Nobody moves and the Van eventually moves off again without any buyers.

Dimitra gives us homework for next week:

• On Monday I will go for shopping Τη Δευτέρα θα πάω για ψώνια
• We will eat lamb at Easter Θα τρώμε αρνί το Πάσχα
• The Doctor will be at his office from 9 am to 2 pm Ο γιατρός θα είναι στο γραφείο του από τις 9 π.μ. έως 2 μ.μ.

The Usual Suspects: Sirrku, John, Lesley, Carole, George

The waysides are full of flowers

On Wednesday, we had planned to go for a nice country walk but Cretan life got in the way and we ended up doing a beach cleaning expedition instead. The sun was out, so we off-loaded our raincoats fairly quickly and evoked some curious looks from passers by as we donned rubber gloves, a fist full of black sacks and the long picker uppery thing. It was enough to put you off plastic drinking straws, take-away coffees and water bottles for life as we tried to clear the beach and shingle from as much plastic and non-degradeable stuff as possible. I began to get expert at picking up the hard plastic bottle tops and bits of lego. There were huge plastic petrol cans and pieces of rope, old shoes, bits of tyre, drinks cans (which degrade into really nasty sharp debris) and all manner of detritus which gets washed up on the shore or blown out of the bins winding up on the beach. After a couple of hours and 3 enormous bin bags full, we called it a day and left the final two beaches of Panormo to a group of youngsters who were in Crete for a week from a Bible College in York. Not a holiday, obviously. We hope that the turtles who lay their eggs on Cretan beaches will remain a bit safer as a result. I am wondering if we need to do a weekly sweep to keep local coastline tidy!

I was just sitting down to draw breath when news reached us by telephone of the death of a dear friend in England who had been battling cancer for a good while. Oh dear, so glad that I got to see her in Devon last year. We still keep in our minds the hilarious picture of our lovely friend foraging for prickly pears on her visit to Crete and of the ensuing chaos which spread around the kitchen in her wake. We were gobsmacked by her decision to pack salt cod in her suitcase for the journey home. We had picnic'd together on the beach I had just finished cleaning. This morning's work seemed somehow symbolic and I have a tactile wooden cross in my pocket which she gave me recently. There are loads of events to remember with a smile and some tears.

Sto kallo, dear friends.

INDEPENDENCE DAY

Greek Independence Day holiday overlooking Panormo harbour

After a short spell in the UK, I have heard that there are people asking when the next blog will be and that I am under orders. So this blog is dedicated to Josie and her little dog Horatio (who I've never met) but they been waiting for the latest episode from our part of the world and becoming concerned that there seem to be large gaps between transmissions. I fear that Josie may be disappointed because I have just spent two weeks in and around Manchester! However, I did have some nice days in the UK and enjoyed varieties of Spring flowers which do not appear in Crete.

Daffs along the tow path in Stone

I had several illuminating conversations with people back in the UK. The first expression on hearing how anxious the Brexit decision has made those of us living abroad, prompted an almost identical response from most people:

(in a rather belligerent tone)

… “Well, what difference is it going to make to you then?” ...

Gulp!  It was obvious that the average Brit was under the impression that ex pats are all living in Shang-ri-la and that we are all engaged in lounging around on yachts or by the side of our own swimming pools drinking gin and tonics being lazy and horrible! Oh no,  we are not! So, after sketching my worries over peace and stability within Europe, I began to explain that the drop in the pound had hit us instantly in the pocket so our pensions had devalued by 15-20%,   We had no peace of mind about our future lives/nationality/status and the likelihood of any sort of healthcare provision once the UK had left Europe, and that along with EU nationals settled in the UK and UK nationals settled throughout Europe, we were all bargaining chips in the forthcoming negotiations. For people who had quite legitimately sold up everything and gone to other places in Europe to try and make a living or a modest pension stretch a bit further, the future looked anything but rosy. I don't think people in the UK could imagine the position for overseas residents, near or far. In fact the divisiveness of the process has caused people to dig their heels in and behave in ways that they never would have, say, five years ago. As a seeker after truth and peace, I was a bit unnerved by the overt animosity of it all.

Fire window at Manchester Cathedral

Despite the long term worry over health care, we still have a year or so before everything closes in on us and our IKA health insurance books needed their annual renewal in March. In recent years, a group of us always used to organise a dawn raid on the IKA office with books, passports, a crib sheet form on which we copied our declaration in wobbly Greek letters saying that we did not earn any money in Greece and only received a pension from our home countries. After presenting these to the people behind the grills, if were lucky we would get our books back stamped for the forthcoming year in the midst of crowds of people who were all trying to do the same thing at the same time. ~What a scrum!  We learned that this year we needed an extra form from our Accountant to ensure that we had paid all our taxes due to the Greek government. I managed to renew my book but K's visit and 4 hour wait was in vain.  He needed an extra piece of paper from the UK Government before he can give it all to the IKA office and breathe a sigh of relief. Its a very frustrating process but ensures that if we do suddenly need medical treatment, we will be covered for this year at least. After Brexit – who knows what will happen?

It is a relief to arrive back in the homely Cretan village where our hard working neighbours' pensions have been reduced to one-third of the value they were five years ago. Despite all this, they set us a good example and soldier on honourably - all is quiet, orderly, peaceably traditional and the birds have not stopped singing this morning so, being here does have its homespun and home-grown compensations. I delivered a big box of Thorntons chocolates to my dear friend Angeliki at the kafeneon, who has a weakness for English chocolate, and was given a bag of eggs and a bottle of their home made wine a few minutes later! Her husband Kosta makes very good home made wine which tastes like sherry. So it is important to serve it in a small glass and only have the one! We are still in Lent, when Greek Orthodox faithfuls fast by giving up meat, fish, eggs, dairy food and exist on grains, pulses, fruit, vegetables and alternative sea foods such as shell fish, prawns, squid and octopus. I thought I would have a go at adopting the practice this Lent, which was easy in Crete but not at all easy in the UK. I did my best but lapsed on a few occasions!

Saturday was Greek Independence Day and a national holiday. The service at the village church was broadcast by loudspeaker to all the nearby houses and followed by a march of school children dressed in navy and white to the village square all carrying Greek flags. As it finished, we decided to go into Panormo for a cup of coffee since our favourite coffee bar opened for the first day of the new season in celebration. The sun was warm and we discovered other friends who were in Panormo for the morning and bumped into more friends making up an impromptu party for lunch at one of the few restaurants open yet, near the edge of the sea. It is still Lent, so the menu was predominantly sea food items and we tucked in adventurously to shrimp saganaki, salted cod with a garlic sauce or cuttlefish spaghetti, sampling the home-grown olive oil and house white wine as we waited and chatted.  It was a heaven sent opportunity to catch up with one another after emerging from the hibernation of winter. A brave tourist couple swam in the harbour and sunbathed on the sand, but it was too chilly for us still! The talk was of getting our homes cleaned after the soot and dust of the winter, damp problems and leaks caused by the heavy snowfall and getting gardens sorted. Phone numbers for handymen, painters or paint suppliers, taxi drivers and chimney sweeps were exchanged. All of us welcomed the contact and buzzing hive of industry to get us back to work again after the winter chills!

CIRCULAR WALKS

Happily, we have been able to get out and about recently both in the car and, more excitingly, on foot as we have discovered some beautiful walks round and about which are almost magical in the early Spring sunshine.

Early February was spent on an excursion to Heraklion where shopping, eating and visiting the Archaeology Museum were on the programme. The museum is excellent and never fails to excite us with amazing exhibits from the Bronze Age with expertly written descriptions and in stunning condition. The ceramics, which look so contemporary in design and shape, always blow me away each time I see them. We enjoyed a visit to the Curry Restaurant (rare in Crete) and even returned from Heraklion with two new carpets in traditional designs. Check out the doorway we spotted from the Curry place … it didn't look very busy for some reason but when we read it twice, we realised that we were at fault!!

One of the nicer things that has happened recently is that I have found a way of getting a good regular country walk with a nice lady who has similar interest in wild life and wild flowers, so we can go for leisurely strolls – usually a circular walk – for two or three hours once per week and enjoy the joys of nature as Spring gets under way. 

 The first walk around Roumeli and Achlade took us down through quiet olive groves where anemones and wild cyclamen were in bloom under the trees and we picked oranges and lemons which were hanging off the trees over the fences. Olive picking is over for this year and the various farmers we passed are now busy tidying up their gardens, cutting down the dead wood and storing logs for firewood. I arrived home with fists full of wild parsley, sage and thyme and promised myself to take some small plastic bags with me next time to collect some wild herbs.

The next walk took us from Panormo down country lanes to the Geropotamos river and we examined various stippled plants, orchids and carpets of yellow clover-like flowers under the olive and fruit trees. On reaching the river, we realised that the recent rainfall and snow-melt meant that the water was much deeper than we had anticipated. Other routes were tried and failed so we had to return to the crossing point and trying to waterproof our trainers as best we could. Finding discarded poly bags and trying to encase my trainers looked hilarious … Milan fashion it was not … and we crossed over with only a little dampness to contend with. The stroll along the river bank was magical and we stopped as fresh water turtles plopped from the muddy river bank into the stream and were just about visible as the sun shone over the slow flowing water. Pressing on, we came to a second crossing point where an old pallet and a few carefully placed stepping stones helped us to return to the other bank with a minimum of wetness (for me) and bit more effort and scrambling and splashing for my energetic friend. Uphill from here, past two lots of greenhouse businesses where tomatoes could just be spied through the cloudy poly tunnels, we arrived full circle just to the South of the national road. Just under the bridge and past the school to get home again. On days like this, we are glad to be alive and living in Crete. Footsore and weary I trudged to the car and was amazed to hear that my chum was now off to play tennis! Oh to be young and fit again!

Yesterday, K and I had promised ourselves to take a journey to the Amari Valley and set off early with the sun shining and all well with the world. We had a hilarious time with the SatNav lady who was having terrible trouble with Greek pronunciation of road and place names. She kept telling us to turn left or right onto a gobbledygoop road name when the road simply went round a sharp or hairpin bend. The Amari is absolutely beautiful and we stopped for a spell by the newish reservoir and spent a coffee break just looking at the water and enjoying the sunshine on our skin. K was happy, so I started a little sketch in my water colour book and enjoyed myself. We returned home by driving round the whole perimeter of the lake up and around a few mountain bends avoiding all the sheep and goats that seem to be moving around at the moment to the accompaniment of little bells and birdsong in the breeze. K really enjoyed his outing but we realised we need to go back a little later to catch the wild flowers at their best.

Rethymno is preparing for Carnival at the weekend and we have been invited to a party with the theme of Cretan Agriculture for fancy dress. Pictures to follow! After this weekend, and the customary kite flying on Clean Monday, a restrictive Lenten fast will follow. Having delayed any “must go on a diet” feelings during January and through all the cold, snowy weather, I think I might try the Greek Orthodox tradition of no meat, fish, dairy or eggs until Easter. We may eat soups, beans, sea food such as squid and shrimp, lentils, veggies, pickles, chickpeas and unleavened bread.  Watch this space!  

SNOWBALLS

Kostas with the Snowman!

Such excitement we have had in the village this week. Within the village, that is, because for a couple of days, all of us were snowbound … and spellbound! Our fabulous neighbours, most of whom are upwards of 75 years had never experienced the deep snow that began to fall over the weekend. Kostas and Angeliki came out of their little kafeneon and played snowballs, Steph made a snowman outside her house and, for a while, we were deliciously marooned with stunning photoshots of the mountains, olive groves and surrounding folded foothills all covered in the white stuff. The elderly of the village said that they had never seen anything like it in all their days!!

What a difference a day makes - a thaw beginning ..

K and I had never experienced storms quite like it either because it started with a couple of days and nights of thunder and lightning which kept tripping out the power, deluges of very heavy rain which magically turned into light snow overnight and dollops of heavy and even heavier snow throughout Sunday. Local Facebook photos of everybody's gardens, swimming pools and views covered in snow abounded. This was followed by footage and snaps of blocked highways, bulldozers and steam coming out of the sea with snow on the beaches. Unusual shots of palm trees bowed down by snow, sands white instead of golden etc, etc etc! The locals were completely entranced by it and we didn't stop snapping away.

Of course, we were fortunate in being in a solid windproof house with a big log pile, but we were very anxious for those who were without a home throughout Europe while this winter freeze is on. The photographs from refugee camps are desperate and we were wondering whether tents covered in snow had any insulation qualities which would make them similar to an igloo. Bearing in mind my cold nose and ears and the need for hats, scarves and mittens inside the house in the mornings, I couldn't help but pray that there were a few angels close by to offer warmth and hot food and clothing to those who are displaced and need support.

Quite a lot of yesterday was spent on the tiled terrace which forms the roof of our kitchen. Over the terrace is a large sail which had caught tons of snow and was heavily stretched and weighed down with its burden. We are not sure it will ever be the same again, but there is nothing we can do about it at the moment. As the sun was at its highest in the middle of the day, the snowmelt was raining through the canvas and causing a deep pool on top of the tiles and, rather than leaks into the kitchen, a long period of brushing and swooshing water into the drain holes and clearing them both with a sharp stick ensued. This was good exercise! I kept at it for a goodly while and the snowmelt was still coming until the sun went down. I got soaked and had wet clothes to dry, but the kitchen has mercifully stayed leak free! All the January start up occupations of this week such as the local school, singing, shopping, Greek class and Makers are on hold for a spell. We are fortunate that our power has not been too bad and that the log burner and large supply of Christmas candles were all available - now that the roof and walls of the house are full of damp coolth, the house needs a lot more heat to keep warm. Our candle powered radiator in the bathroom has used up a sizeable number and it will not be long before our supply runs out. We hope that the shops will be able to restock our stores, if and when we escape to civilization.

As the 'girouna' has large, chunky tyres, Kimon actually managed to get the quad bike out yesterday afternoon while I was making a casserole on top of the log burning stove. The stove is worth its weight in gold this weather and wonderful with our flat bottomed casserole tin. Old and battered, this old tin cooks stove-top stews and soups very well indeed. We are finding that we need to eat much more while the weather is cold to fuel us up in the mornings, so cooking is a great way to keep warm. On Friday 6^th January, Steph and I attacked all the oranges which had been given us for a batch of marmalade. “Marmalizing” made a good, sociable morning as we stirred our saucepans, designed labels and nattered away while our mix was thickening up. It does seem to be a sticky, fiddly mess in the kitchen for four jars of marmalade each, but we enjoyed our cooking session and have little gifts on hand, should anyone need some zingy breakfast spread. There is nothing as good as freshly made marmalade on toast! As it was Epiphany, we decided to call it Magi Marmalade.

So as we haven't been anywhere or done anything much of interest, it is perhaps time to take my leave for now. New Year blessings and 'keep warm' wishes to you all!

THE WRONG SORT OF CRACKERS

Greetings from chilled and wintry Crete. It had to happen eventually and the rains which had evaded us all year arrived a few days before Christmas with a vengeance along with violent crashes of thunder and lightning turning to sleet and snow over the past 48 hours! Fortunately, we had all our winter stores in and a good supply of logs, so we were as well prepared as possible. The biggest problem from our point of view is the power supply which cuts out very frequently during cold weather and needs someone to go out to the electricity meter and push a small red button to switch it all back on again. Through some antiquated rearrangement of our house and the one next door, our meter is on our wall which borders their garden, so we need to get into next door's garden to access the red button. Since that house has been empty, the gate has been locked shut, so we need to release the lower bolt and … sort of … break in two or three times a week, usually in driving rain. This is all highly inconvenient, so we made enquiries to get the meter moved. The electrician would charge us 100-200 euros for doing the work; the electricity company would charge us 500 euros for connecting it all back up again and doing next to no work. Such are the ways of living here and we are used to it. I could get into the whys and wherefores of getting a house that was legal five years ago, legalised due to a change in the law of property in the meantime, but it is all too expensive and depressing at the moment and Greece is too much in debt to worry about insignificant details like the passing of retrospective laws.

We had tried to think of something new to do over Christmas and, as previous Christmases had been reasonably warm and sunny, a short trip to the South of Crete seemed like an adventurous plan. We booked an apartment and tried to contact various tavernas in advance of our trip to see if we could book a table for our Christmas lunch and got no reply (which should have warned us) but the lady renting out the villas said that there would be a few places open. Short answer, there were not. Not on Christmas day, which would be spent with families (who can blame them?) The apartments we had booked were very nice, the owner turned up with a small Christmas tree for each of us on arrival and was very sweet. We had all sorts of bother trying to get the door locks to work and, as the weather closed in, we sat rather grimly in front of a radiant fire watching Greek TV, wondering what we were doing there. By some fluke of second sight, I had taken a scratch meal with us in foil containers which we put in the landlady's oven and cooked for 45 minutes after a bowl of mushroom soup and by some miracle it turned out OK. We had bubbles, we had loads to eat and mince pies to follow. It was OK but not really Christmas as we know it, although the discussion over crackers caused a bit of hilarity. We had crackers, but not the exploding kind.

Boxing Day was a bit brighter and we set off to the Youth Hostel in Plakias.  This has the accolade of being the best in Europe … and I can see why. It is in a lovely spot in amongst ancient olive trees which look like characters from “Lord of the Rings”. We were amused to see one of the notices attached to a tree which said “Please do not smoke in the hammocks!” (obviously put away for the winter as all we could see were olive trees.) The Plakias Lending Library were having a Boxing Day Party at the Youth Hostel and we met up with a goodly number of ex-pats who were in the mood for celebrating. Loads of buffet food and glasses of wine later, and armed with our raffle prize, we enjoyed our morning and scouted around to see one or two places open. Our saving grace was the Bakery Cafe on the corner with wonderful views of the snow covered mountains on one side and the sea at the other fringed with Tamarisk trees bent double in the cold winds. The kindly Baker opened every morning and we shared space with the elderly gents, all well wrapped in scarves and coats, who turned up early each day to drink their little “elleniko” coffees and yarn away for an hour or two. A large farm 4x4 truck pulled up to give one of the fellows a lift home and after a quick discussion, the Baker went out with a plastic bag and gathered armfuls of mandarins from the back of the truck to fill the bag. Returning to the cafe he put one orange in front of each person sitting. It made my Christmas because the fruit was straight from the tree smelling and tasting gorgeous. The Cretan version of a Christmas stocking!

Christmas goodies arrived in time for the New Year!

As there was a fine weather window on 27^th Jan, we decided to head for home early. All the forecasts were for the temperatures to go very low and for lots of snow, so we thanked and paid the lady, packed up our Christmas stuff and left earlyish to get home just after lunchtime. We were so glad we did this because back at home, the early thunderstorms had tripped the main fuse box in the house and as soon as we turned everything back on, there was an ominous bleeping from the freezer!

However, all was not lost as everything defrosted was lovely and cool and has been cooked between Christmas and New Year.    2017 will begin with a fresh start. 

Chronia Polla … Happy New Year to you all.