No links to sites with adult content accepted.
|
|
OCTOBER
WEATHER .....
Changeable now with temperatures overall gradually cooling. A few
notable storms and some superb summer like days, but overall the pattern is
clear - winter is en-route. When the summer-like days cool by 6 or more degrees
rapidly after lunch - well, get the logs in...
Latest
Crete Weather Link. _____________________________
Air Hotel - Forli - Italy
Air Hotel, Forli, Italy ©Burgess@ Cretanvista
Traveller's Tales - (below) has mention of this very nice hotel we found near Ancona
- and
it's exceptionally helpful staff - Elena (Reception), and Enricco Illotta.
Click picture to enlarge.
Astratigos Village Life - 'Traveller's
tales'...
And so, once again and with very mixed feelings (wanting to visit
our UK family, not wanting to relinquish Astratigos) we headed by road for Souda Bay and
the ANEK Lines good ship Lissos. For the second time this year we were the recipients of
several 'Kalo Taxidi's from our Cretan friends.
(The first occasion was a trip to Lia, on the Greek/Albanian border to visit the
village and former home of Eleni Gatzoyiannis - heroine of the book ('Eleni'
by her son Nicolas Gage)).
Before we returned from the present trip we would have covered around 5,000 Km -
(including at least 34 in the Swiss Gothard tunnel), passed through 7 countries
(including an unplanned foray into Germany!) and stayed in 6 hotels -
all of them different. To say nothing of the 6 ferries - Lissos; Olympic
Champion; Pride of Burgundy; Pride of York; Hellenic Spirit; and Ierapetra. (The
latter might have been ANEK - or Lane lines MV Talos - depending on where you
looked! Whatever, it was not part of our original plan and nor was it's
destination - Rethymnon. It is certainly one to avoid!!).
We left Astratigos with our CRV loaded to the gills with Cretan goodies for family and
friends in the UK. Kolimbari olive oil being the hot favourite - hot being the
case, as the Co-op was out of stock on completed cans and asked us to wait whilst
they canned more oil to fill our order! Can't get a longer 'best before' date
than that. Six cases please......
On boarding Lissos we found two friends from our own village going back to
Athens! (Strike one!) En route Patra Pam insisted on buying two gigantic water
melons for our grand
children (Strike 2)! Olympic Champion was late into Patra and
made a fast turn-around - we were on-board! (Strike 3)! Our first hotel
was near an absolutely superb restaurant (Strike 4!). Our second at Epinal had a
full garage but 'created' a space (Strike 5)!; our third - at Lille -
disappointed (missed ball); our Sat Nav refused to re-start at Dover -
absolutely dead - but then everyone thought we were lost foreigners.. and we spent
(it seemed, days on the M25 at 10Km an hour (Foul ball!). Our UK stay was
fine; our friends and family superb. But the Guinness was only average and the price
obtainable only from a mortgage lender. Then, an email from ANEK lines indicated that
the return ferry from Piraeus to Crete was now 6 hours earlier than our booking,
leaving just 60 minutes to get from Patra-Piraeus! No way! Strike Out! (And catch the boat from Hull
to Zeebrugge after a very special overnight with old friends)....
Sat Nav back on line we headed for Metz and the very nice Cecil hotel. Our favoured restaurant was closed. A new one to us
- practically next
door - was superb. No English (or Greek spoken) - now what was that Cordon-Bleu
shellfish again? (Strike 1); Next morning we head for Switzerland and our very
favourite stopover - the Postillon at Buochs (Lucerne). Fine! Enjoyable! Very!
(Strike 2); Next day we head for a new stopover at Forli, Italy en-route Ancona.
Our Sat Nav was on-form (a must for finding Italian hotels) - and took us to the
door. The hotel and it's staff ('photo above) outstanding. A Chinese restaurant
5 minutes walk away was a real jewel - every item of the meal on/in a separate
plate/dish. Magical decor. Magical atmosphere. Only Chinese and Italian spoken!!
What did it matter, Magic! (Strike 3); Next morning I lose my car keys whilst
actually loading the car! Panic - a full search failed - it had to be a black
hole!! It had to be 'strike out' too. But then the referee, Pam, stepped in with
the spare key she kept in her handbag. We then assumed the keys were in the car
(but
they weren't - and they have never turned up). But we were on the road to Ancona
and our ferry (Foul ball, not out); Our ferry (Olympic Champion, materialized in
the harbour as Hellenic Spirit (a googly but it missed) - but we still had a ferry.
After a very smooth ride down the Adriatic we arrived at Patra little early and had a
coffee after disembarking. With hindsight, we should have gone directly to Piraeus, because as
it turned out we were engulfed in a squall to end all squalls on the road - which stopped all
but the most determined traffic - about half an hour after starting out, (another googly ball),
but we were still moving towards our Piraeus ferry -'Not out!'. Had we moved
off immediately at disembarkation we would have likely missed the storm...
Piraeus traffic at rush hours is absolutely deadly. The route to the harbour
tortuous, narrow streets lined with parked cars, multiple small junctions from which
cars attempt to push out. We were lucky - at the worst junction a car and a
lorry had blocked the oncoming traffic juggling for a space - leaving only my
desired route - into the lane I had to reach - wide open with no traffic!
Hesitate not to accept such gifts! We were there! (Strike 4!).
The boat was a disaster area, like a disused Romany caravan on water. It had two
names and apparently two owners. It was scruffy and loaded to the gills. The
cabin was a nonsense. No room to swing a cat? You couldn't have got a cat
in!! The only consolation (to mitigate the storm; the crying child and all-night
retching adult next door) was that our cabin was next to an exit if the thing
sank!! Strike OUT? Well not quite...
We made Rethymnon, car loaded with desired goodies, to Crete, in the land of the
gods, just before sunrise. Kalos Ithate! It's gorgeous!! Strike Home!!! We
win!!!! Plus, plus! |
|
In the News and News Reviews..
El Greco returns ...
Perhaps the most famous Cretan after El Venizelos is now starring at
the Syntagma Square metro station in Athens - 'Moments from El Greco: The Film'.
The British star - Nick Ashdon said that he came to see his part through the
"Cretan soul"....
Link
to Story.
And Queen Sophia attends the opening...
Queen Sophia of Spain is also Greek - she not only attended the El Greco
Exhibition opening but also watched the film along with other dignitaries... El
Greco died in Spain - where he had a large workshop at Toledo - in 1614 ...
Link
to Story.
But back on Crete...
Life often continues, with modern adjustments, in a sometimes raw and very
direct way.... (item
4)
Link
to Story.
Murder is not unknown...
And those suspected of such crime are frequently apprehended...
Link
to story.
Ongoing Story (Item 6) -
Second Link.
And university staff have safety fears...
To the extent that heads lifted the 'University Asylum' rules and allowed
police onto the University of Crete campus...
Link
to story.
And traditions can have tragic consequence...
Which were never their intended result...
Link
to story.
Road accidents continue...
One involving a car which collided with a (thankfully empty) school bus,
injuring two...
Link
to story.
British teenager in Kos balcony fall...
Another young Briton loses his life whilst on holiday in Greece....
(item 3)
Link
to story.
Focus is on missing children...
As international experts point out salient facts and discuss police
training.
Link
to story.
And missing child alert is successful...
Fifteen year old German teenager found after reportedly running away from
her parents following an argument. It could have ended very differently...
Link
to story.
Easyjet airline enters Greek islands...
At last! The recent acquisition of GB Airways by Easyjet heralds. By March
2008 (probably before) the Easyjet colours will arrive at Iraklion (Heraklion)
Crete; Corfu; Myconos; and Rhodes. Possibly from Gatwick. Hopefully they will
bring low fares with them.
(Item 2)
Link
to story.
Kos flight lands at Athens...
Landing, at the same time, a 49 year old man before a prosecutor on the
Island of Kos accused of making a malicious telephone call - starting a bomb
alert on an Amsterdam bound charter flight.
Link
to story.
And another Athens cabbie..
Becomes the 155th to be taken to court and fined for attempting to charge
a tourist 978.88 euros for a short (5Km ride) from Syntagma Square to Liosion St
bus station.
Taken for a ride?
Link
to story.
Plus, our man in Athens...
British Ambassador Simon Gass was summoned to the Greek Foreign Ministry in
Athens to receive the Greek 'displeasure' at the British government's decision
to sign a 'strategic partnership agreement' with Turkey. The agreement referred
to the Turkish occupied area of Cyprus as the "TRNC" (Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus) - which only Turkey itself recognizes as self proclaimed
state... Diplomacy...
Link
to story.
Greek ministers house problem...
Work on an 'out of town' house of the public Works Minister Giorgos Souflias
was suspended because of missing building permit. Apparently the civil engineer
responsible for work on the house had had failed to apply for renewal of the
permit.
Link
to story.
And after Easyjet? - Easycruise!...
Stelios Haji-Ioanniou, founder and chairman of Easyjet, is now
introducing three cruises on the Greek seas... Join now - if Easyjet is an
example, everyone and his donkey will..
Link
to story.
But no one can beat this...
Dire-straights leader Mark Knopffler will star at Athens Lycabettus Theatre
on June 13th, 2008.. I for one hope to be there. Ticket link at end of story...
Link
to story.
________________________
COPYRIGHT
INFRINGEMENT
All of the material produced by Cretanvista is
copyright and belongs to someone who has spent time, effort and money to
produce it. We are often willing to allow the use of our material for personal
(non-commercial) purposes. For example our calendar photographs can be used to
reproduce the pictures for your own
individual calendars, or to hang on granny's bedroom wall.
We will however, take action against anyone we discover using our materials
in any mass distribution exercise, especially for financial gain,
unless specifically authorized by us and we are acknowledged as the source in
the reproduction.
________________________
The Cretanvista Review of
Carol Palioudaki's
'Cool Guide to
Living in Crete'
(A gold mine of information)
is, like the book, available now.
Out Now - Get it
at www.livingincrete.net
Or visit www.coolpublications.co.uk
________________________
|
