Cretanvista Site & Local News - August 31st 2005 Issue 31 |
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No links to sites with adult content accepted. |
AUGUST
WEATHER ... _____________________________
Village Life... As a result of all the extra Greeks on the island, the roads are even more lethal than usual, the shops and tavernas are crowded and the beaches are heaving. Our tiny village – normally 59inhabitants – trebles its population, which is rather unfortunate as our water pressure has been very low (or non-existent) some days. We were due to get a new water main a couple of years ago, but then a new monastery was built down in the valley and our water main went there instead. “Ti na kanoume”, as they say over here – “What can we do?” Unfortunately, it’s not an expression of intent to do anything; it’s more a verbal shoulder shrug of resignation. But I digress. August is also a very big month for church name days, when the church’s patron saint celebrates his anniversary. Some of these festivals are huge, stretching over several days, and attract thousands of worshippers. Others are tiny and are attended by the Pappas (priest) and only a few of the faithful. We went to one right up on the top of the hill at Polyrrinia, taking along a tiny elderly lady from our village. She’s 84, has osteoporosis and cataracts and had a very bad fall about four weeks previously. She normally hobbles around on two sticks. But Polyrrinia was the village she grew up in, and she wanted to go to the name day. We drove the car as far up the hill as possible, but there was still an uphill struggle over a rocky path for about another half a mile. But she made it! And she tucked in very enthusiastically to all the food on offer – prawns, grapes, bread, wine and broad beans. You have to say that elderly Greek women are extremely tough – there must be ten or twelve in our village over eighty, and three over ninety. A friend from the village – Rena - told me one day she and her mother and mother in law would be making pasta the next day, and the following day she would be helping her aunt make hers. I expressed interest and two days later the pasta master class was held in my own kitchen. Recipe: 1 kilo flour, three eggs, half a litre of goat’s milk, half a handful of salt. Method: Mix with your hands. Roll out and cut up with a pasta maker. Rena and her aunt – the elderly lady we had taken to Polyrrinia – arrived in their pinnies, bringing eggs and goat’s milk. (Did you know that if you want creamy goat’s milk you milk in the morning – otherwise you milk in the evening?) They decided that three kilos of pasta (!) would probably be enough – but I didn’t have a bowl big enough. No problem. Rena trotted home and came back with her washing up bowl …. I wasn’t allowed to do anything except watch. It was
obviously a well-practiced routine. When the tagliatelli-like stuff eventually
started pouring out at the end of the production line, I was told to lay out
clean sheets over the sofa and chairs (and any other flat surface) and pretty
soon the house was festooned with yellow strips of pasta. I nervously enquired
how long it had to be left to dry like this – expecting to be told ‘until
evening’. Five days. Ah. Right. |
(Cont'
from previous col) Try it: www.cretanvista.co.uk really is no different to www.cretanvista.gr - except that you receive them from different parts of the world.
Books & Good Reading
Good examples are
'Patouchas' - Ioannis Kondylakis (Read the review)
and 'Who Pays The Ferryman' - Michael J. Bird (Read the review)
These profiles will be attached to relevant book reviews. Watch this
space...
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FREE... TWO HOLIDAY VILLAS... |
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FERRY SERVICES |
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Moving to Crete - Practical Advice.. An e-mail copy is available as a Microsoft word file - a very fast email of very useful information. |
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