Site News February 2003

Cretanvista Site & Local News - February 2003 Issue2
No links to sites with adult content accepted	EGYPT - SANDS OF CRETE Whilst some of the local beaches might look nice with a little more sand, a small amount arrived by air on January 12th on the winds of a dust-storm which stepped across the Libyan Sea to give Crete a liberal dusting! Picture Courtesy of NASA EARTH OBSERVATORY Cyprus can be clearly seen in the top right quarter of the picture, whilst part of eastern Crete lies under the airborne sand on the top left. If you want a closer look try this link: http://naturalhazards.nasa.gov/shownh.php3?img_id=5337 The picture strip below shows Astratigos on the receiving end of a similar storm - that one was from the Sahara a little earlier - in 2002. It was raining sand! KOLIMBARI This morning Kolimbari is bright and sunny. Very warm. The western end of the bay of Chania - on which Kolimbari sits at the bottom of the Rodopos peninsula, contains at least 5 large merchant ships - probably because of the weather forecast of high winds and rain. A major storm is forecast for Thursday. Over the past week mainland Greece has been experiencing thunderstorms, serious flooding and snow, so I suppose we are doing pretty well here on Crete. The Omalos (White) Mountain range, directly facing us about 15 kilometers to the east are at last looking white with snow. This time last week they looked distinctly bereft of the usual amount! COPYRIGHT All material on the site is strictly copyright and any use in mass distribution - in print or on websites for example, needs our consent. We are aware of material being extracted and used without acknowledgement though not yet of commercial use. Maybe those infringing might like to ask?..........	Cretanvista Calendar 2002-2003 Something perhaps not generally known, Cretanvista annually publishes it's own site calendars and Christmas cards, in addition to the electronic card sent to friends of the site. Whilst none of these are for sale, we do publish the photographs on the site galleries and individuals are more than welcome to use these on a personal basis. Acknowledgement is nice! Later this year we intend making this years calendar files available for download so that enthusiasts (!) can, if they so wish, print their own copies. I am trying to solve the problem of downloading the card to print them on right now...
NEW HOTELS FOR KOLIMBARI Last month we reported that two new hotels are being built at Kolimbari. Perhaps it was not clear that the one to be built on the site of the old Kolimbari COOP supermarket and some land opposite - between Lefka's Taverna and the new fishing museum, has not yet started. The CO-OP is already closed however, and the site looks really derelict. The second hotel - right on the beach close to Irini Beach Apartments is looking good and will no doubt be open in time for the holiday season.
WINTER STORMS Crete is now in winter storm mode. Gale force winds - force 8/9/10 and tremendous thunder and lightening storms alternate - even on the same day sometimes, with sunshine and blue skies. Temperatures in the late twenties in the daytime drop rapidly after around 3pm. By 6pm the temperature can be heading for 8C. Earlier this week (Jan 27th) a storm swept a car containing seven people into the shipping harbour at Kastelli. Two children, a brother and sister aged 8 and 12 and the drivers wife, aged 24 years, drowned.		MORE FUN & SERIOUS PLEASURE PLEASE! I offer no apologies for repeating the next paragraph - published in last months news page............. 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 it's really good to know that you like it. Besides, my wife notes that many of you are ladies! Please don't stop!! En-route...Late February There are so many stories and health promotion projects based around olive oil that many people are unable to comprehend just how many olive based products there are. Green Olives; black olives; salted olives; canned; bottled; olive oil; olive oil soaps; face creams; soap suds and ever onwards, ad-lib - ad infinto! Our next new page and gallery gathers olives and makes oil with the Kolimbari Co-op..

Well, that's about it for now.....
I hope that this page is off to a good start and the information and news is proving to be of interest. If there is anything that you would like to see - particularly if you would like a picture included - please let me know. I enjoy photography and will willingly take and publish a picture of something that I know interests you if it is in this area. I can't mail photographs - but will certainly send a file by e-mail (free) if asked.

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.

Personal Information..
I have been asked in the past to help locate people - I would love to be able to assist but regret that I am unable to do this. There is no way that I can know that the person sought wants to be sought out. I can say that a letter to a person who lives in a village here, carrying your return address on the outside, sent to them at a local post office stands a very good chance of being delivered. They can then decide if they want contact you. Sorry.

Two reviews for the Books and Good Reading page are in progress and at least one of these will be added in the near future. In addition we intend to re-design the initial page layout page make selection a much easier process. Our selection of books waiting is becoming extensive as the site grows.

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

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?

        Volkswagen, GB, LF02 OXA, Chania Venetian Harbour.
         Seen in the Old Harbour - Chania - LF02 OXA

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