It’s all balls!

Sometimes life here can have its more amusing moments, especially when it concerns struggling with the language.

I was at the Butcher’s shop in the village the other day, waiting my turn behind an elderly Greek couple who seemed to be stocking up for Armageddon. After ordering a kilo of this and three or four kilos of that, I thought they had finally reached the end, when Aroula, the (female) butcher brought out from the cold room a bag of what looked like the insides of some poor beast. However, none of the contents looked like anything I had seen before!

Aroula started dissecting the various bits, as butchers are want to do and put the tubes and fatty bits into one bag – για το σκύλο -  (for the dog), which I understood but what were these strange oval-shaped leftovers – smaller than a heart but larger than a kidney? I struggled to find the Greek for – what are they? However, before I could crank the old brain into action, Aroula had sliced them into strips and it was clear that they were neither hearts nor kidneys , nor indeed anything else that I had seen before (or so I thought!).

When her Greek customers had left, I tried to ask Aroula what they were but she speaks no English and my Greek failed me. She brought out various cuts of meat and offal but I just could not make her understand! At this point, the woman who runs the garden shop further along the road came into the shop. We had met her last week when we went to buy some fertiliser and her English is excellent, so I asked her to explain what I had been trying to say to Aroula.

The two of them then fell about laughing – much to my consternation as I had asked which part of the body the choice cuts related to and had nearly suggested that she point to whatever the relevant aspect was in relation to my own torso. After the mirth had subsided somewhat, she explained in a loud voice that they were pig’s balls! Apparently, they are considered a delicacy by Greek men who eat them fried (no doubt by their women folk) and drink a quantity of raki to wash them down. She explained that they are supposed to improve vigour!! I was very glad that I had not suggested that she indicate which part of my anatomy was relevant to the question – feeling somewhat inadequate in comparison with our seemingly well-endowed porky friends!

Aroula apologised that she had none left for me to try (was she implying something?) and I retreated rather quickly from the shop, leaving the women still giggling!

Last Sunday, we took the bikes on the back of the car to Xerokambos on the east coast and cycled along the coastal path to the village of Agia Irini. On the way over, the road drops 400m down a hairy descent to the sea, so Sheila cycled down, while I followed in the car – well to be truthful she held on to the brakes for what was clearly an exhilarating experience!

We then set off but it was a hot day and we needed our hats! After only about two miles, our path virtually disappeared at a cliff edge, so the bikes had to be abandoned and we took to Shank’s pony for the remaining mile or so.

 

Sheila went off exploring and discovered a vertical cave and a small beach, while I watched a distant bird of prey doing its thing.

We retraced our steps, collected the bikes and had what we considered to be a well-earned swim, followed by a late lunch at the Dolphin taverna. It was a fine day out!

Otherwise our week has not been half as much fun, because we have been out house hunting most days.

This can best be summed up as pretty tedious but at least we now know what we don’t want! We do not want to live in a hill village – too many twisty roads; we do not want to live in a town – too close to other people and we (or at least I) would prefer a more traditional house to one built-in the neo-concrete modern Greek style.

The problem is that we would like to be reasonably close to other people and reasonably close to the sea and there is very little available which meets our requirements! So we may have to buy some land and build what we want! Watch this space.

Next week, we are going on holiday! Now you may think (and you could be right) that these folk don’t need a holiday – surely they are on holiday all the time? We don’t see it like that and we need a break so we are meeting up with Bruce and Cathy for a few days in Chania followed by a visit to Santorini. Bonnie is going to stay with Hans and Hanneke and is assured of a good time, so we are foot-loose and fancy free. We will be in touch again on our return.

But before I go and back on subject of balls, I just need to mention my dear friend Ed (he of the aspiring Chancellor of the Exchequer variety). As a lifelong Labour Party member, I was appalled to read of the plans which the People’s Party are proposing for the welfare budget in the UK, including the further erosion of universal benefits. Nowadays, they never even seem to consider that the income tax system is a more cost effective way of spreading the load, rather than introducing still more means testing. Here in Greece, the Government has shut down the State Broadcasting Service (the equivalent of the BBC) which is pretty amazing but no doubt will continue to levy the tax (paid as part of the electricity bill) which funds it. Politicians both here and in the UK are, I am afraid, a spineless bunch offering no leadership and little imagination at a time when both are sorely needed. They and the bankers who created the mess get off scot-free whilst everyone else pays! Rant over.

Hey, ho! We’re off on holiday. 

John

Back to normal

After all the excitement of recent weeks, for the past few days it has been back to normal with a vengeance here in Crete!

The chores have been sadly (but gladly) neglected of late but there were certain things which needed to be done – like the dog needed a shower! This particular task beloved by both participants (I don’t think) involves tying a reluctant dog to a handy tree stump and putting the garden hose on her. The job is best done wearing only Marks and Spencer underpants and a T-shirt because when suitably drenched, said dog shakes herself wildly, whilst all the time trying to escape! 

I suppose another brand of underwear might work but I find Markies to be tried and tested for the job!

Once wet, the Fairy Liquid is then applied to the bedraggled hound and a good lather created before turning back on the hose and washing her off. Again, she shakes wildly and at this point needs towelling off before drying. I am pleased to say that this is much more easily achieved under the Cretan sun than in the Scottish gloaming! The final result is one sleek-looking collie and one very wet pair of underpants (not to mention the owner).

This orgy of cleaning has also extended to the windows and floors in the house and to the car which was also given the ‘hose treatment’ this week. The big difference betwixt dog and car however, is that the car tends not to shake during the process so it is not necessary to don a specific pair of underpants for the job! Nevertheless, the end result is just as satisfying.

As mentioned in a previous post, a trip to the Bank was called for so that we could get a necessary form for the tax man relating to money which we have transferred from the UK. Unless you get the paperwork, the Greek tax man will assume that all such monies have been earned in the UK and tax you accordingly. As HM Revenue and Customs have already had their share, this seems somewhat unreasonable – hence the need for action. So earlier in the week, it was back to the bank for me while Sheila went to the toy shop for presents for her great-nephews. Armed with the name of the form, kindly provided by Giorgos the Estate Agent and an explanatory article from the internet (in English), I approached another ‘nice man’ at the Bank and after a number of discussions, in Greek of course (but in which I did not participate!), a charming lady duly printed off, stamped and signed each form (there being one for each transaction) and I was on my way – another job done.

The garden plants have also needed attention this week. At long last, I gave up the struggle to keep one of my tomato plants free from bugs and dumped it but the other now seems to be flourishing and some tomatoes have even appeared.

As we are surrounded by greenhouses full of the things, you may wonder (and you would not be alone!) why I feel to the need to produce something which in the market costs only 0.50 cents a kilo. There is no satisfactory answer but a man must do what a man must do!

We have also been hard at the Greek too, although both feel that we are again on a plateau and need more exposure to the spoken word rather than concentrating on the grammar as has been the case since we came back in November. Still, one step at a time and Sheila had a small breakthrough yesterday when she called someone on her mobile whom she did not know, to arrange a tennis game in a competition into which she has been entered. The women did not speak English but Sheila had worked out what she needed to say and more or less got there in the end. It is little things like this that make all the effort worthwhile. I was full of admiration because I am not sure that I could have carried it off.

In between times, it has not been all work. We are at the beach most days, although for those who are familiar with Ferma, we have transferred our allegiance to Walter’s Beach where it is easier to get into the water when there is sea running and we also avoid the grumpy Greek who controls access to Sheila’s beach. What Walter will say when he arrives back from Germany later in the month, is anyone’s guess!

Finally, we have been back to look at the house which we liked in Schinokapsala. There is much paperwork to be done before anything can happen but it looks like we will probably put in an offer when this has all been done.

It is a difficult house to photograph because it is built on a slope but from the start, we both felt very comfortable with it and could imagine ourselves living there. It is in the village but fairly private with beautiful views across open country down to the sea.

We are keeping our fingers crossed that it works out but it will not be the end of the world, if it does not.

John

Nice people

Yesterday evening, I was sent my kindle copy of ‘The Week’, the subscription provided kindly by Graham and Emily.  I really like it because although I do try to keep in touch with world affairs through the Guardian online, I am not as diligent as I might be.  ’The Week’ provides a summary of many different events  ranging from the trivial, to the aggravating and to the very serious. 

This week I was pleased to find out that my favourite car manufacturer, Skoda, was responsible for two of the most popular cars in Britain at present (trivial)!  Then I had a rant at Anne Robinson who tells me ‘that if you want to keep your job on telly, lose a stone and get a makeover’.  This is in relation to the fact that older women on TV seem to lose their jobs. I had thought the point was that women still seem to be judged on their looks, not on anything else.  But she says ‘she is doing her bit for the sisterhood just by being here’ by which I gather she means working on TV. Well, in community work, employers didn’t seem to require women to use Botox which is a good thing!  And then I found out that Brazil has wiped out the debt it is owed by African countries and is trading much more with their emerging economies.  Smart, I thought (but perhaps also a sign of the times with shades of neo-colonialism). One of the most serious articles was about the one child policy in China and it provided grim reading. Thank you, Graham and Emily, for this present.

Then I moved onto ‘reading’ the Cretan paper, Κρήτη, where the main headline was ’22% Η ΑΝΕΡΓΙΑ ΣΤΗΝ ΚΡΗΤΗ’ (22% unemployment in Crete).  These were part of the very disappointing  figures from Eurostat showing that in February, Greece has the largest unemployment figures in the European Union (27%) and had the largest rise in the jobless rate across the 27 nation bloc over the past year (it was 21.9% in February 2012).  The newspaper emphasised these statistics by saying dramatically that ‘beyond doubt, the European Champion of unemployment is Greece’.  That kind of sentence takes a while to translate even with Google translate!  It seems that young people are the most affected. I have found out little more than the statistics, but will continue with the translation in the hope of finding out the reasons for the rise.  Here in this part of Crete, there is little sign of unemployment, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.   

On a more positive note, John and I then discussed last night how as well as our friends, some local Greek people here had contributed to our life in significant ways. These people are individuals, often recommended by friends, who have helped us to build a life here.  They are a grocer, a butcher, a book salesman, a hairdresser, an agricultural and wood supplier, a retired teacher, a teacher of Greek and an estate agent.  We have mentioned them in the blog at various times but we would like to identify what it is that have made them special to us.

They are Greek and all live and work in South East Crete.  They all provide a particular service which we need and use.  We buy groceries and meat, order books and stationary, have a hair cut, buy wood and dog food, access the health service, learn the basics of Greek, and now try to find a house to buy or rent.  So we have met all of these people because of what they do.

But there are two characteristics which make them stand out in our eyes.  Firstly, they are all very friendly and ‘nice’ people. In fact, we called the book salesman, ‘the nice man’ ever since we first met him and now call him that to his face and have unfortunately forgotten now what his name is!  Most speak English but not exclusively.  Aurola, the butcher, speaks no English but is interested in us and makes us feel very welcome in her shop.  Last week, Fotini’s dad in the grocers, pointed to his skin and said σοκολάτα to me.  I knew the word meant chocolate but it took a few seconds before the penny dropped. He was talking about the colour of my skin!  Everyone laughed in the shop. Gregory, the hairdresser, discusses politics, his family, the local tennis club structure, his dog etc and appears to enjoy our company.   The ‘nice man’ at the book shop always greets us as if we were the most important people to him and last time I was in the shop, he told me a joke (a clean one!). Not only do we get wood from Spiros but also dog food. So John is in his shop quite a lot. He is good fun and insists always that some Greek is spoken but in a very supportive and pleasant way. On Wednesday we met Giorgos, an estate agent and builder.  He was charming because that is part of his job but it was more than that.  He was easy-going, friendly, informative, keen to communicate what was involved in buying a house and John and I both liked him.  Nikos, our Greek tutor, is so good-humoured and patient and that is hard given the standard of our Greek!  We speak about many things and learn about how he sees the world and that is hugely interesting.

Secondly,  if we want information or advice about something here that we don’t understand,  we will ask friends or we might approach one of this group of people.   We went to Gregory for advice about finding a doctor and it was him that made it possible for me to join the tennis club.  John had been to the bank and had been given a form that he knew was not for the purpose he wanted it for.  Giorgos gave him the information and wrote down the name of the correct form.  We met ‘the nice man’ at a demonstration and he told his views about what was happening.  Stavros helped us through the challenging process of becoming registered with the health service but he also gave us unrelated contacts which he thought would be useful to us.  Nikos phoned his sister, a pharmacist for advice about how John might get his prescription.  All of this is done because people genuinely want to help us and it is not necessarily related to their job.  They do simply because they are nice people. And I have just given a few examples.

So we feel good here, having made not only friends but met good people who have provided very important support to us.

Rosie and Mike left us on Monday but they had ordered us a book ‘Plants of Crete’.  I picked it up from the ’nice man’ in the bookshop on Friday and it is a wonderful book.  My only flower book is one from my parents from the 1970′s and the photos have faded so this a wonderful addition to our small library.

We have only a few photos this week.  We went house hunting and below are two pictures from the garden of one of the houses we visited.  Today is a beautiful day so we went to the beach to find that the sea was pretty wild.  It was wonderful to see but I was a bit disappointed as I had bought a lilo and was hoping to try it out!  Still we both finally did get into the sea and out of it without mishap.

Now we are off to our local taverna for some ‘nice’ food.  

Sheila

We was robbed but not by the Emperor Nero!

       

We have had a great spell of weather here in Crete of late, so Rosie and Mike, who arrived last week, were able to spend a lot of time on the beach and swimming in the rapidly warming up sea, as well as visiting the tried and tested tourist destinations and at least one new one. Rosie and Sheila were at Aberdeen together in the early-70′s so there was a lot to catch up with!

On Wednesday, we headed off for the Lassithi Plateau, which Sheila and I had visited last year when we were here for the winter. Then, there was still snow at the side of the roads.

On this occasion, it was probably the hottest day of the year so far, which was one reason why we decided to go, as being about 900m above sea level, the Plateau is obviously considerably cooler than the coast.

On the way, we stopped at the Minoan town of Gournia which has featured in a number of previous postings but remains one of our favourites, simply because it is so easy to imagine how a largish town once flourished here over 3500 years ago, when we were still living in mud huts in the UK.

By the time we arrived at Lassithi, it was time for lunch and attracted by what seemed to be a quiet spot, we decided to eat at a roadside taverna and to sample what the proprietor claimed to be the best food in Crete! The ‘special’ pork in lemon was indeed superb but the tranquility of the place was somewhat quickly impaired by the arrival of two tourist buses. It was lucky in a way that we got there when we did but we could have done without the French and the Russians.

We toured around the perimeter of the Plateau (about ten miles in all) and stopped to climb to a cave, which is alleged to be the birthplace of Zeus. Sheila and Mike climbed to the entrance even though they knew that it was closed – crazy people! Rosie and I had the good sense to bail out and people watch at the bottom. It was a long day and I badly needed a swim in the evening, while Sheila went off for her tennis lesson in Ierapetra.

On Thursday, we went to Etia and Sitia for the day but on the way, we called in at an estate agent in Makrigialos, to see what they had for sale in the area. We have still not decided if we will definitely buy but just want to spend a bit of time seeing what is available. We were given a key to a house in Skinokapsala, which is a village in the hills behind us – exciting times!

The big house in Etia was not open (as usual) but we spent some time looking around the abandoned village and then had lunch on the seafront in Sitia before climbing up to the Venetian fortress. This was a trip down lane for Rosie and Mike who had last been visited the town in 1978!

In the evening, the son of our neighbours in Pano Spiti, who has been staying with his wife and baby son, came over for a drink. The baby is called Vim and of course he was passed around from one to another. By the time, he got to me he was pretty fed up with all this and had taken to blowing raspberries.

Now I have a bit of a track record in that department so I took him on which was not in fact a huge success as he started to cry! I can’t say I blame him but at least it meant I could return to the serious matter of the raki!

On Friday, we went to Mirtos to visit the Minoan site at Pirgos and the Museum before going to look at the house in Skinokapsala.

The house seems to be a bit of a bargain but is right at the top of the village and is reached by a circuitous and steep road which adds quite a lot of time to a trip up from the coast. We are going to have another look later this week when we hope to able to open the electric windows and see the outside terraces and the views but it is probably not quite what we want.

Sunday saw us back at Zakros for our third trip down the gorge. It was a very hot day again and although there was occasionally a bit of a breeze as we wended our way between the high cliffs, we basically roasted for two hours so were all glad of a swim and a beer at the coast before tucking into the usual Greek Sunday lunch (served about 4.00pm) at a beachside taverna

When we got back, we called Liz T to give her many happy returns – she is a dyslexic 28 and then discovered that Sheila is a Great Aunt again, with the arrival of baby Rory Cowie in Stirling earlier the same day.

So having two reasons to celebrate, it was out with the raki again!

And just in case you thought that we may have been robbed, don’t get worried – we haven’t! On Saturday night we went to watch the Final of the Champions League on TV in Makrigialos with Rosie and Mike and a whole bunch of Dutch and German friends, plus any number of other ‘foreigners’ whose nationality we never did discover! Suffice it to say that everyone except Peter (who is from Bavaria) was supporting the underdogs, Borussia Dortmund.

Of course, we all know now that Bayern Munich eventually won but roared on from the south-east coast of Crete, Dortmund gave a good account of themselves and hardly deserved to lose – hence the title!

The outing also gave at least one of the party, the opportunity to demonstrate the well-known propensity of the Scottish football fan to handle a large amount of alcohol at major football events!

It also demonstrated the relaxing effect of life here in Ferma. As the week progressed, so Mike in particular, strayed further and further from the vertical. Here he is wearing his Dortmund socks and all that was needed to complete the Nero tableau was a bunch of grapes! He had to make do with freshly picked apricots and cherries.

Mike did however use his civil engineering skills to good effect in retrieving a knife and spoon which had fallen down beside the cooker! 

Now having put Rosie and Mike on the bus in Ierapetra yesterday morning, we are back to our normal lives here. That said, there are more houses to look at this week, the car to be serviced and the dog booked in for her annual boosters at the vet. Today, I went to the bank and tried unsuccessfully to get some forms required by the taxman, so a further attempt is required for that. Thus, even though we do spend a lot of time on the beach in the sun (or sea) and in Sheila’s case, at the tennis court, there is still a lot to be done, including learning Greek, which is what I need to do now!

John

Tourism and quiet moments

Our friends, Richard and Jill, arrived a week past on Friday.  Their journey by train and ferry from London was completed by a bus journey from Heraklion to Ierapetra and we met them at the agreed time at the underwhelming bus station.  They said the journey had been great and now we know they had a safe return, I think it could be recommended as a possible way of coming to see us.  Throughout the days they stayed with us, we carried on with some of the weekly routine that is part of our normal life here.  We enjoyed a few social get-togethers, went to the market and had coffee at Symbols at 12 o’clock on Saturday, We also introduced Richard and Jill to ‘our’ beach, to one of our favourite walks and to Fotini at the Astron Supermarket.

We always enjoy the walk from Agios Ioannis to the little church and back again.  I love the smells of the herbs, the flowers and at this time of year the vines are devoping noticeably.

We went into the church and lit and a candle and made a wish.

and for some time we sat there watching an insect move slowly along the ground with a leaf as we sat outside. 

It was a wonderfully quiet moment.

Last year we went to Spinalonga on a Saturday in the winter and we were the only tourists on the island.  This time the tourist season was in full swing – much more so than here on the south coast. Elounda, which is the main gateway to the island, was transformed from the one we had seen in the winter.  And when we arrived in our small boat from Plaka, we realised that in addition to the interest in the island, we could indulge in some people watching!

It was a warmer experience than in the winter but as John wrote in his Greek diary, it is hard to shake off the feeling of sadness about the island. 

The little museum was open which gave some information about the history of the island before it was a leper colony. We went to Plaka and had a farewell meal before leaving Richard and Jill at Agios Niklaos bus station, to start their adventure back to Horsham. The meal was interrupted by a tap on my shoulder and I turned round to see a familiar face of someone I knew at university, who is originally from Perth and lives in Banchory.  He and his wife were on holiday and just happened to be in this small taverna at the same time us.  Just amazing!!!

We also found some new things to do. Ierapetra is somewhere we shop to some extent and I play tennis but we don’t normally pay it much attention.   But the sea front is very attractive.

I had made some attempt to locate a tourist office in Ierapetra but no success.  So I asked Gregory if he could tell me if there was a tourist office in Ierapetra.  He told me to try the Municipal office across the street and then said ‘Good luck’.  I just knew that meant information was not going to be easily accessible!  So I poked my head into the building and there was no sign of any information so I decided to wait till I felt stronger to see if I could track anything down! 

So I had very little information to offer on the Saturday when we walked along towards the harbour and discovered for the first time that the Venetian fort, near the harbour, was open. 

This and the fact that the trip boat to Chrissi Island has started is a sure sign that the tourist season has begun.  Again there was so information available at the site.  

But I did find out later on Wikapedia that in the early years of Venetian rule (which was between the 13th and the 17th centuries),  the Fortress of Kales was built and it was strengthened by Francesco Morosino in 1626 to protect the harbor. Local myth, however,  says it was built by the Genoese pirate Pescatore in 1212.   Anyway the fortress is quite attractive and provided a great backdrop to photos!

We then walked in the old part of Ierapetra where the roads are very narrow and there are nicely painted houses with flowers outside.

We also went for a new walk which was wonderful.  I drove to Oreino, described in an earlier posting.  But this time, John had looked a the map and we set out on a circular walk.  The first part was on the E4 path, which goes right across Crete.  Along the way, we came across by the side of the road large quantities of abandoned tomatoes and peppers.  We didn’t know why they were there and my Scottish ‘Waste not, want not’ mentality hoped that they would be eaten by somebody! They looked just wonderful.

We passed animals which reminded us of Sunnyside – goats, sheep and even a donkey.

as well as goat houses which looked remakably to similar to those built by John in the North East of Scotand!

We then turned off the E4 but hope one day to come back and walk to the next village Chrisopighi.  But on the next path, there were more flowers to admire, some familiar and some which looked familiar but in fact you couldn’t tell the time with these lookalike dandelions.

And then there were walnuts at an early stage.

What struck us most was the fertility of the area, the vines and the agriculture generally, clearly give a good living to those who live in this remote village.

The temperature has increased significantly since Richard and Jill left.  I played tennis at 5pm on Saturday and thought I would die!  So it was good that we could enjoy all of the above with great friends and in more moderate temperatures.

Sheila

The Bonster barks!

Hey – after all, this is not a bad life here in Greece! I still don’t understand Greek dogs – they seem mainly to live their lives chained up and they do bark a lot. However, I am beginning to find my voice here and it is really quite fun letting rip whenever anybody comes near the house and the best bit of all is that ‘they’ hate it! I get told off quite a lot but see it as a case of when in Rome…. I ask you – what do ‘they’ want from a dog?

I don’t get taken to the beach quite so much now. Apparently lots of people have arrived and unlikely though it seems, there is no longer room for a dog. Sounds like an excuse to me, particularly as ‘they’ seem to go quite often themselves! One rule for humans and another for we canines, is my view.

However, the upside of life here at the moment, is that there seem to be lots of folk around the place and most of them seem to like making friends with me. Liz T came to stay a few weeks back and it was good to see her – now there is a person who knows how dogs should be treated. Not only did she bring me some meaty strips but when she got home, she sent me some more through the post. Now I am looking forward to a regular food parcel!

Before that, there was Jane who wore her boots out she walked so much. I had lots of outings when she was here, including one very long walk from the house to Kato Xorio, which took all day and another with a whole lot of folk who spoke to me in various strange languages.

Then came Sarah and Mark and while they were here, ‘they’ started early morning walks from the house which I really like and I hope they keep it up because now that the weather is hot, it is a much better time to go walking, for we dogs with thick coats. Call me cynical if you like but I confidently expect that the novelty of this will soon wear a bit thin.

Still, apparently, ‘he’ needs to get fit for a long walk they are planning, when I am not being allowed to go, so who knows? In any event, I am going to stay with my friend Hanneke, while they are away and she is another human who knows what dogs need.

These visitors do seem to like walking in the hills and I say, the more the merrier as I usually get to go too! Richard and Jill have just left and they were great walkers. I only got to go on one of the walks but I had a great time (and I think they did too!).

Of course, I still don’t get all the attention that I should. ’He’ has been busy growing plants – this one is apparently an avocado pear and they do spend a lot of time just looking at flowers. I can’t see the attraction personally but the garden here is good for me because no one ever bothers to cut the grass or do any weeding so there are lots of places for a dog to go, to do what dogs need to do – if you get my drift?

 

So, all in all, I have to rate my life here as pretty good but please keep the meaty strip parcels coming as I never get anything but dental sticks from ’them’.

Just one black cloud on the horizon though – I did hear ‘him’ talking about a trip to the vet for my annual boosters. I don’t think ‘he’ is very confident about trying to explain all this in his pigeon Greek so maybe, just maybe, I will get away with it for a while yet!

Bonnie

Summer’s arrived and so have the visitors! (Part 2)

While John was lying on a nice beach near Heraklion airport waiting for our friends Sarah and Mark, I was busy at home, getting a little insight into what it is like to have a changeover of visitors on the same day.  As most of you know I can take or leave housework so I was a little concerned about my abilities in this field!  There was a lot to do – wash sheets, clean the bathroom, hoover the floors, dust the surfaces, make beds, do some shopping, make a meal and water the plants. But it felt OK, particularly as the washing dried virtually instantly in the hot sun and the house is cool inside so I cannot complain of heat exhaustion.  Added to that, I have found a nice Greek radio station which is virtually all music. Every so often there are Greek words I recognise from the songs and even sentences if the same words are repeated many times and occasionally an English song.

Sarah, Mark and John arrived and immediately we went to a nearby beach, had a swim and then a beer at the beach taverna.  You can’t get a much better introduction to life here.  As usual, there are lots of fresh tomatoes and lemons, so I had made a chicken dish, which included loads of tomatoes and lemons, many fresh herbs, small onions and honey (among other things) and it was served with a pilaf with green lentils and followed by a lemon meringue pie, an old favourite of mine but improved by the very fresh lemons. We caught up with some news and retired to our newly cleaned sheets!

The next day, there was some manual work to be done.  Our water comes to us in a black plastic pipe and should be under the road surface.  However a vehicle taking concrete to a nearby building had unearthed our pipe.  So our neighbour Walter and his son, John and Mark were all on duty to bury the pipe.  Good job done!

There has been wall to wall hot sunshine all week and the sea has warmed up beautifully, so there have had to be some adjustments to routines.  If it is my dog walking turn, I  have been taking Bonnie out for a walk as early in the morning as I can manage and then she stays indoors until the evening when sometimes she is offered a run on the beach whilst we have a swim.  We have eaten outdoors all this week and that feels really nice.  We now shower in the afternoon, rather than putting on the immersion heater first thing in the morning.  There are solar panels on the house and for the past couple of weeks, there has been hot water later in the day at no cost.

That being said it rained yesterday!

Last weekend was the Greek Orthodox Church Easter.  We dipped into the occasion in a couple of ways.  Our neighbours, Walter and Brigitte, invited us for a drink on Saturday evening.  They are delightful and very interesting people.  They had been to a religious procession on Good Friday and were going to the celebration of the Resurrection at a small village called Makrilia near Ierapetra.  John and I joined them. The village and the church were lovely.  We did not have to wait long before the priest in a very beautiful red robe lit his candle and soon everyone with their candles walked out of the church. Above is a very bad picture of the priest as he walked outside! 

There was a speech by someone who might have been the mayor, the priest announced ‘Christos anesti’ (Jesus is risen) and a woman rang the two bells with two ropes.  Everyone said to each other χρόνια πολλά.  

There was an alternative attraction nearby as some very noisy bombs and fireworks were let off by the local youths.  Our Greek tutor Nikos told us that young people make these and it is best to be well away from them as people lose limbs every year.  They certainly were loud!

The following day we went back to Xerocambos and enjoyed meeting Evagelia, who we became very friendly with last year. We ate the traditional lamb on a spit at her parents taverna. 

There were painted red eggs on the table, apparently symbolising the blood of Christ. 

In Scotland we paint our eggs with faces on them and throw them down a hill which I think is more fun!  I had left my glasses at the taverna the previous weekend so by the end of the meal Evagelia had taught me how to pronounce the Greek word for specs which is τα γυαλιά with some melody. 

The next day, Fotini at the supermarket,  kindly gave us some traditional Easter cakes which were delicious.

The rest of the week passed by quickly but one of the highlights was again the gorge walk at Zakros. As you can see the flowers continue to be wonderful.  John and I had walked down this gorge with Jane a couple of weeks ago and there were flowers but not wonderful, prolific oleanders or delphiniums.  There is constant change.

We went to Mirtos on Monday, a public holiday so everywhere was busy.  But it was a day the museum was open.  It was very interesting, made all the more so by the enthusiasm and knowledge of the curator, who had lived in Crete for 27 years but was originally from Burnley.  He is a potter, knows a lot about the Minoans and had built a model of a Minoan nearby village. He said that it was an exact miniature replica of what the archaeologists found. This is Sarah and Mark having a seat very near the museum.

Sarah and Mark returned to Heraklion by bus and I started playing tennis again and maybe spending more time learning Greek.  However, it is such a great thing to have friends staying with us (much better than an email)  and to show them what we like about living here.  Richard and Jill are on their way now by train, boat and bus from London and hopefully will arrive in Ierapetra at 10 tomorrow morning.  I look forward to an account of that journey!

Sheila