CVNews January 2004

Cretanvista Site & Local News - JANUARY 30th 2004 Issue 13 New Year Edition
No links to sites with adult content accepted	JANUARY WEATHER WAS... Very Changeable. We were in the UK for the first half of the month. Since we returned the very stormy days and nights continued, alternating sporadically with some beautifully warm sunny days. The nights are cold. We are down to our last tonne of logs..... A WARM WELCOME to DAVID SMITH Cretanvista Book Reviewer Above: David Smith is an old friend whom we first met whilst attending "Greek School" in Lincoln in the UK. At the time it was held on Saturday mornings at the old Lincoln racecourse. We will be eternally grateful to the support we received from our Greek teachers. The school was really for Children of Greek descent whose parents wanted them to be able to speak Greek as well as English. Gambling was strictly off limits! A NEW YEAR.... For Cretanvista this means heading for our third anniversary at the end of June. The site has been developing continuously since June 2001. Looking back to the start it seems impossible that we have come this far and done so without having to take on advertising. Our information is provided free of charge to visitors - although copyright exists on all material. The main reason for this is to maintain our independence and objectivity. Also, because we do not need to generate income we do not seek to compete with others who may need to do so. However, the work needed to keep the site current and up-to-date is considerable, expensive and time consuming. It is the work of several people who give their time and expertise voluntarily. Paul Smith, who every month without fail shares his own Cretan bird-watching diary highlights... Eric Rowe, a very generous flower expert who lives in France provides unstinting advice and identification of flowers for the galleries we are building. Gudrun Harms - an unbeatable and very beautiful lady who lives in Germany and is currently translating the whole site into German. David Smith, a retired priest and hardened Grecophile in the UK who is taking over our book review page... Andy Davies - who seems to have taken over as driver for at least some driving days out - a super arrangement which lets me concentrate on the photography - difficult when you have to drive as well. To say nothing of the fact that together with his wife Sue (and daughter Ros) they undertook a day in Athens as outlined on the site. At their own expense! AND the site visitors who ask questions and or seek advice all help direct our site content. Best of all of course are the supportive comments many of our visitors make... To say nothing of those who actually visit us here in on Crete and who have and sometimes still do, contributed to the site. Several bird-watchers have allowed us to use their own photographs on the site. Off the top of my head and not in any order are Gerald Rozmejer and his wife - from Holland - who supplied several photographs (some still unused) and in particular a magnificent shot of a young buzzard (CVNAYBuzzard.htm). Bill and Heather Quinn, together with their accomplice (!) Dermott McCabe who visited Paul Smith whilst on a bird watching holiday from Ireland also provided us with some magical photographs - my favourite is of a griffon vulture... Chris Hobart from the UK provided a super picture of a Little Bittern which like the other contributions mentioned represented his own time, effort and money... Sincerely appreciated. There are many others - including personal visitors, who help to make life merrier for a little while. Last year we had four visitors from America (see site news archives) and several from the UK including (on two separate occasions) some very special (Top next Column)	people - old colleagues with whom my wife had trained over 45 years ago at Gt Ormond St hospital in London! News Archive Story/Photo - Anne & Terry Jenner(Col 3) and News Archive Story/Photo - Charmian & Derek Whitmell (Col 3). Shortly after these visits I said I was going to publish a photograph of the entire student group the ladies trained with - watch this space! LINKS... We don't have a vast number of links to other websites - but those we do have are tried and tested - in our opinion of the best. Never mind the width - view the quality! AND THOSE WHO ASKED FOR LINKS... Not everyone got them - there are several reasons for this - the first is that we are a kid-safe site. We need to be certain that we do not link indirectly with adult sites. That is sometimes very difficult and where we are not certain we simply don't link.. Sometimes we would dearly love a link proposal because it would probably bring us more traffic, but don't do so because the link is a round-about way of taking traffic to a commercial site. An indirect link to advertising. We are not a commercial site.. Sometimes a link request is automated. If it doesn't respond to our direct enquiry regarding safety/commercial activity we have to ignore it. Maybe we are throwing out the baby with the bathwater as far as numbers of links go, but there it is.. Sorry. Well, better safe than sorry!! ________________________
Accommodation in Astratigos FOR RENT.... After the holiday season, the first house on the left as you enter Astratigos from Afrata - a magnificent cream and green affair sporting two balconies and a small pool at the front and containing two holiday apartments - is now for rent. Winter in Astratigos maybe? Tel: + 28240 222243. You can see inside at: www.villa-Astratigos.co.uk Maybe More shortly.. Another local owner has carried out some superb traditional renovation on a ruined house - and is currently renovating what was his own accommodation - maybe for your holidays! The New hotel in Kolimbari is open... If you want information visit:- The Grand Bay Beach Hotel At Interdynamic's website.
FERRY SERVICES Both ANEK and Blue Star Ferries have car ferry services between Souda Bay and Piraeus. Although an obvious competitor to the resident Anek Lines the Blue Star service times do not conflict from Souda. Anek currently leaves Chania at 8.30pm whilst Blue Star leave at 11.30pm. WEBSITE LINKS
Moving to Crete - Practical Advice.. 'Notes on Greece' is a British Embassy publication which gives information on matters relating to Greece. Obtaining a copy first hand from the British Consulate in Iraklion (Heraklion) will ensure that you have the most recent edition - and professional contacts with up-to-date and wide ranging knowledge on matters relating to Crete. Contact the consulate via: crete@british-consulate.gr An e-mail copy is available as a Microsoft word file - a very fast email of very useful information. COPYRIGHT All material on the site is strictly copyright. Any use in mass distribution - in print or on websites for example, needs our consent. All the material on the site is original and represents considerable time; effort and no little expense.		MORE FUN & SERIOUS PLEASURE PLEASE! To our visitors who have taken the time to tell us that they have found our site enjoyable/ informative/ helpful/ or otherwise complimented the site - very many thanks. We are trying very hard and it's really good to know that you like it". Besides, my wife notes that many of you are ladies! Please don't stop!! GUEST BOOK LINK NB. But please don't use the Guest book to place website links - any URLs - or contact style messages, are automatically disabled/removed in the interests of minors. Questions can be sent to us privately at: cretanvista.gr ___________________ Here's another Guest Book comment.......... Remote User:23 Nov 2001 Time:22:15:33 comments: It is looking good and lots of info. Wish I was there. Judith. *Yes, but Judith..... We can't afford to keep you! (Sorry!- But I really enjoyed it...WB ____________________
Kid-safe. Free. Unbiased. Innovating. Informational.. Cretanvista! Mirror Sites at:- www.cretanvista.co.uk www.cretanvista.com www.cretanvista.info		Cretan Vista Calendars 2004......... Caused more than a little passing interest from some recipients.. Old cars! Wrecks! And with all that beautiful scenery!! The men liked them.. What can I say? Since I am the photographer and producer the blame is all mine. I will say that Crete, indeed much of Greece, has some stunning examples of really old vehicles standing in fields and by roadsides, but is already starting to collect and scrap them. Bits of history worth recording. Maybe when my pictures are really old - and of subjects which are really older, I will become rich and famous. My calendars - collectors items! 200 years maybe? Bird watching and wild flower calendars are already en route, together with our own site galleries. Meanwhile the 2004 calendar gallery will be online very shortly - watch this space.

Earthquakes....
No news this month of earthquakes affecting Crete or Greece in General.
________________________________

COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
It is a fact that copyright of any material - stories; books - the written word in any form; as well as graphics - drawings; paintings; photographs and the like, belong either to the creator or, if he or she is working for someone else who has commissioned a project or has sold the copyright on to another party, to the latter.

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 to be used for personal purposes. For example our calendar photographs can be used to reproduce the pictures for your own calendars or to hang on granny's bedroom wall.

We will however, take action against anyone we discover using in our materials in any mass distribution exercise, especially for financial gain, unless specifically authorised by us and we are acknowledged as the source in the reproduction.

________________________________

In the News...

Giants of Politics Retire....
Two of the best known and longest serving politicians in Greece are bowing out gracefully after many years of distinguished service, albeit in opposing parties, to their country.

Prime minister Costas Simitis, whose PASOK party I innocently cheered from a National Democratic stronghold when I first came to Crete, formally announced on the 29th January that he was bowing out after a very long and very distinguished career. Simitis took over the reins of PASOK after the death of the former Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, and although it is matter of opinion (or politics!) he has led the country brilliantly for many years.

He is succeeded as leader of the party by Yiorgos Papandreou, Who is also expected to become the next prime minister if PASOK win the forthcoming elections..

Constantine Mitsotakis entered politics in 1943 and was prime minister of the New Democracy government from 1990 to 1993. Mitsotakis is a Cretan. He is the nephew of another great Cretan, Eleftherios Venizelos. Mitsotakis is 86 years old, but like most Cretans he does not look or act a bit of it.

His son is standing for election for the first time in the March General Elections whilst his daughter is Athens Mayor Dora Bakouyannis.....

Leader of the New Democrats is Costas Karamanlis - nephew of a another prime minister and president Constantine Karamanlis.
________________________________

Well, that's about it for now.....
Late again - on form! We were so late getting the Christmas edition edited and on-line that the January edition - although admittedly not due until the end of January - was into February before the compilation actually started...

Added to that our late return from spending Christmas in the UK meant that we had to update ourselves on what had actually been happening and also review our own intentions for the site in 2004, before we could actually start writing and photo-editing.

Better late than never - though I note that at least one magazine I read is about to send their April edition!

E-Mail Requests..
I receive some brilliant e-mails - really - and they are very welcome. But sometimes there is no acknowledgement that our answer has been received. We don't mind, but worry occasionally that someone may not have received an answer from us and think the worse of us! We will ALWAYS reply to e-mail so please, if you have mailed us and not received an answer - resend your mail - we didn't get it or have somehow overlooked it. Our response time is usually within 48 hours.

Personal Information..
We have been asked in the past to help locate people. We would love to be able to assist but regret that are unable to do this. There is fuller comment in previous issues of CV News.

Questions and Answers..
Quite a lot of questions are received here at Cretanvista and, as with e-mails and other forms of communication, we do our best to supply valid answers. We never respond "Off the Top of our Heads" but always research the answer - even if we already have one (things change) before passing the information on. We provide links to appropriate alternative sources where we have them. The answers are given with the proviso that recipients are responsible for any action taken by them.

Guest Book. E-mail links are accepted. Bulletin board and chat-room style links are not. Website links are removed automatically to prevent inclusion of sites without agreement.

Book Reviews.
Because each book review is original - we steal nothing from the book covers or the reviews of others - it takes a little longer to deal with each. No point our reviewing the reviews when what readers really want to know about is the content! 'Books and good reading'.

View Cretanvista Calendar Photos 2003
(2004 Calendar Photos en- route)

Bird Watchers.
Paul Smiths' bird watching diary page remains very popular and hopefully Paul is well into his February 2004 diary. We are sincerely indebted to visitors who have supplied photographs. Currently we are displaying these in CVNews, (no room again this month). Hopefully we will receive enough to start a gallery of Cretan sightings.
mailto:Webmaster@cretanvista.gr

Book Reviews - 2 current - *new book received...
The last recent review - 'Moments of Cretan Nature' by Anastasios Sakoulis, (ISBN: 960-91979-0-6) "Stigmotipa Tis Kritikis Freesis" in Greek - is a super book with some magnificent photographs. Our review is accompanied by a small photo gallery - our first review to do so. Our site pictures (from the book) are, we think, nice! The printed pictures in the book are in almost all cases very much bigger, nicer!

Books and Good Reading - Moments in Cretan Nature

Reviews in Preparation...
'Eleni' by Nicolas Gage. Published by Harvill - (ISBN 1 86046 346 0) first published 1983. Reprinted.

This is his true story of a son seeking to avenge his mothers murder by ELAS Guerillas during the Greek civil war. Real. Compelling. Harrowing in the extreme. Revealing the Greek psych as nothing I have ever read. But, unless you have no feelings, it could haunt you forever...... 'Eleni' (in preparation).

Books Received..
A gift from American visitors. 'LAND OF CRETE' 360^o
Panoramic Photographs. Meis Studio^©ISBN 960-86736-0-7. Absolutely Beautiful. Hope I can get permission to include a photograph. Thank you Jim & Karen.

Can this be you.....or yours?
Every so often when I am out and about taking photographs I come across someone who could be you - or something which could be yours (or theirs!!). Maybe passing in the opposite direction on a full tandem bicycle (yes, that happened); an unattended car with foreign plates; something which catches my eye and leaves me not knowing......... Either there was no one to ask or they were moving too quickly! I thought that perhaps site visitors might like to see or be able to help identify one or two 'unknowns' which have left me wondering who, or what I have missed.   Can this be yours?



                    Road to Afrata, Crete, Greece
         We couldn't see if the driver was still there...

Until next month, best wishes from here on Crete. WB