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