Cretan Vista Site News Archive March 2008

Cretanvista Site News & Reviews - MARCH 2008 Issue 61
No links to sites with adult content accepted.	MARCH WEATHER ..... Magic! A few wet and cold days and the nights were cool until the end of the month, but sunny and warm for the most part. Our fires were out completely by the end of the month - until maybe November... Current Cretan Weather Link. _____________________________ XTRA Springtime Growth - Rapaniana Beach Rapanianabeachx2 ©Burgess@ Cretanvista Magnificent & rapid... But this years growth immediately behind the beach at Rapaniana, NW Crete seems much larger then last year and very rapid. Click picture first - then Click here for more... Then read the news reviews... Astratigos Village Life - 'Traveller's tales III'... *Prelude to Part 2...The real beginning of our journey to Crete - getting married!* - started in this column last month.** That part of the story ended with the Groom, the best man and the Chief Usher still outside Willoughby Tailoring in Manchester Piccadilly - 10 miles or so from the wedding venue, the groom still lacking a tie and shoes for the wedding - with only an hour or so to go! (...No time now for shoes and tie, I would have to get them in Ashton... Part 1 Link ). PART 2 .... We reached the shoe shop in Ashton at 11am precisely. It was only two miles from the Sister's Home - my residence - at Ashton-U-Lyne General Hospital, from where the car was picking us up to take us to the church... at 11.30am! The shop was full. It had that gentle, cultured air, accompanied by the soft smell of waxed leather, that shoe shops once conveyed. Certainly no air of panic. Not even a sense of urgency... Harold (Chief Usher) was by this time definitely jittery and kept muttering (to himself I think) about me, the situation he was in, about God and about the church, though the years have dulled my memory of the precise order. My best man and I, still unshaven and looking definitely un-shoe shopper like, were quickly ushered to a first floor storeroom by the manager - who clearly knew a wedding party when he saw one. Or perhaps he didn't want us mingling with 'proper' customers. Either way our luck was in. We were getting changed in the Sisters Home by 11.15am.. We were going to make it. There were lots of helpers - something old, something new, something borrowed... No problem. I had a borrowed suit from Willoughby's; Jim's (Theatre Charge Nurse) new silver tie and his old (clean) socks; a super button hole flower from I know not where; a pair of Barker (reject) shoes (good price, no time to argue), and my best man, who had the ring. After that things became hectic. En-route to the church I panicked and offered the driver money (for me that is panic) to divert to Blackpool. He explained calmly that he would like to help, but since we had only one car, and we were the first trip, he would lose the money for the remaining contract. It would be better, he thought, that we stuck to the plan.. In the event he was to be inundated with work, as many of the guests had arrived by train. Trying to move the bride and groom plus 50 guests to the reception 3 miles away with only a five-seater car certainly cracked his icing. This became apparent immediately after the wedding when he started by driving us on a guided tour of Dukinfield... "in order to allow the others to get to the reception first"... In clearly misunderstood the situation! By the time everyone had arrived, we just had time to cut the cake (not a single crack in the icing); do the speeches and make a fairly rapid exit. We had only 15 minutes to make Manchester Central and the train. Would we make it? We did. The train left right on time - from Manchester Victoria! Would we make the 'plane at Speke (Liverpool) Airport now? We did. As we jumped from a very fast taxi at the airport a man in a posh uniform and peaked cap asked "where are we for?" When I told him he snatched our bags and ran, shouting "follow me!" He delivered us to a desk apparently staffed by an ex-Grenadier Guards Sergeant-Major (can't see you for the peak of his cap) - who declared that we had "left it a little late, hadn't we?". Before we could reply he had whisked us through a service door directly onto the tarmac by our waiting chariot. It was clearly waiting - the two white-overalled engineers about to remove the steps made this very clear by their gesticulations - we ran the last few yards. We had made it.. Apart from the gentleman who inundated us with hospitality both on the 'plane and later off it at our destination; the policemen who started to book me for illegal parking when we got lost looking for our accommodation - but who, on discovering that my hearing aid battery was flat (and I hadn't a spare) insisted on getting the owner of a large chemists to open his warehouse (it was Saturday night) to search for some; apart from the party celebrating something (we never knew what) we inadvertently joined and who seemed so keen on having us stay (when we wanted to be alone); apart from......... SEQUEL. When this story was written (and published in the Nottingham School of Nursing Magazine) we were about to retire. The final paragraphs read... "We held our 25th Wedding Anniversary Party on March 5th 1994 Pam says that we actually got married on March 1st, but I have always believed that it was March 9th - hence the date of the party! We are about to retire. For the start of the next 25 years (at least, we hope) we are driving across Europe to our home on Crete. Our planning has been.....Impeccable...." So here we are, in 2008, still on Crete, still in the UK, still traveling across and around Europe. Join us for more tales next time...	`	In the News and News Reviews.. Government bill on zoning plan ... Is said by experts to represent a missed opportunity. This report sounds a bit like a 'Carry On' film title - 'Carry on Pouring' - concrete that is... Link to Story. Puts emphasis on nearby highways... Bad news if they run alongside undeveloped shoreline inhabited by protected species of flowers and mammals. Perhaps notices - 'Please don't tread on the flowers or turtles'... Link to Story. So it wasn't surprising.... That hundreds of Cretan residents and environmentalists managed to get their protests scheduled to be heard in the highest administrative court in Greece.. Link to Story. And then the Council of State ... Which was to hear the appeal against the Cavo Sidero project on Crete - which protestors claim will damage the environment and be a heavy drain on water resources (Anyone for golf?....) - did not do so. Link to Story. Hania lighthouse vandals.... One of the best known features in the Old Venetian Harbour and recently renovated has suffered several incidents of vandalisation - which have also affected the surrounding area. Popular with tourists... Link to Story. Even tax men are not safe... As armed men hold up an Iraklion tax office and make off with 10,000 euros or so.. Link to story. But Cretan bravery defies description... As the parents consented to the termination of life-support to their 20 year old daughter at Iraklion hospital - and the donation of her organs for transplantation. She had been critically injured in a car accident. Doctors at Iraklion praised the parents for having "greatness of heart, despite the pain, to give life to three (other) people and sight to a fourth." Link to story. Hania Archeological museum move... Hania's vast collection of it's archeological history is soon to be moved from Halidon St to a new home in the nearby Halepa quarter.. Link to story. And once more...the Olympic Flame... Monday, March 24th 2008 - the Olympic Torch- lighting ceremony took place at Ancient Olympia, Greece... The first step in the 130 days to the start of Beijing Games on August 8th. But everyone watching the very moving ceremony held their breath as high priestess Maria Nafpliotou held the torch to the centre of the mirror focusing the sun's rays - for many seconds - before the flame lit and all started breathing again... Link to story. ..Amid the tight security.... The tightest, it is reported, since the 1936 Berlin games - where the 'racially inferior Negro' Jesse Owens won four Gold medals for America! Brilliant... Link to story. The British balcony-death father... A Bristol (UK) Coroner has ruled the death of eight year old Liam Hogan, who died when pushed from a Crete hotel balcony by his father, unlawful killing..(Previous News item). (Item 7) Link to story. On a lighter note, another Greek first-twice! Again not for the first time, (no pun intended) since I started editing this news page, it has been a genuine and heartfelt pleasure to note another Greek 'First'... which this time is twice... Congratulations to Greek swimming team members to Yiannis Drymonakos (200 metre Butterfly) and Aris Grigoriadis (50 metre backstroke), who took a Gold medal each for Greece at the European Swimming Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands on 23rd March. Link to story. And Finally.... This column is not unknown for encouraging world leaders to 'right some wrongs,' and so it was with fervent hope that the opening of the New Acropolis Museum and UNESCO organized conference there 'on the return of antiquities to their country of origin' would bring the stolen 'Elgin' Parthenon marbles back home to Athens. So far I have read no reported sign of this... I had no luck exhorting Tony Blair, so here goes again... C'mon Gordon - the Parthenon was a bank - you know all about them - give back the stolen goods! 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 ________________________
FREE... Cretanvista is a free site. We accept neither cash nor gratuities and sell nothing. We don't carry paid for advertising. But we do try to give you information which you might want to know about. Accommodation in Astratigos - For rent/Sale again.... The first house on the left as you enter Astratigos from Afrata - a magnificent cream and green affair sporting two apartments two balconies and a small pool at the front and containing two holiday apartments. Live in Astratigos maybe? . TWO HOLIDAY VILLAS... .. Another local owner has carried out some superb traditional renovation on a ruined house - and has renovated what was his own accommodation - maybe for your holidays! Book and check availability at:- Holiday-rentals.com In Kolimbari - right on the beach near the tavernas:- The Grand Bay Beach Hotel Visit Interdynamic's website. ______________ www.provencebeyond.com Well worth a visit if you are interested in France, especially the southern parts.
FERRY SERVICES. SOUDA BAY - PIRAEUS (Chania-Athens). ANEK LINES operate daily return sailings. Souda - Piraeus 21.00Hrs 05.30Hrs Piraeus - Souda 21.00Hrs 05.30Hrs PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU SHOULD ALWAYS CHECK TIMETABLES WITH THE COMPANIES OR THEIR AGENTS. WEBSITE LINKS
Moving to Crete? Get Sound Practical Advice for free.. '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.

Earthquake activity in March: A number of earthquakes this month - some quite powerful - leading to speculation about a 'Big' quake being imminent! Quickly rebuffed.

01 Mar:   4.6 Richter Scale, 02.00am. Siteia eastern Crete.
                                                               (item 6) Link to Story.

01 Mar:   4.6 Richter Scale, 02.00am. Undersea epicentre Island of
              Samos.
                                                                             Link to Story.

04 Mar:   Twin Quakes:-
              4.5 Richter Scale, 02.26am.
              4.3 Richter Scale, 02.53am. Undersea epicenter off south
              of Methoni, Southern Peloponnese.
                                                                  No Link to ERT Story.

05 Mar:   Twin Quakes:-
              5.1 Richter Scale, 06.11pm.
              5.1 Richter Scale, 06.14pm. Island of Rhodes.
                                                                            Link to Story.

10 Mar:   4.0 Richter Scale, 10.00am. Epicenter in the region of
              Loutraki, 50Km West of Athens.
                                                                (item 5) Link to Story.

14 Mar:   5.2 Richter Scale, 09.10am. Undersea epicenter off
              Methioni, 275Km South-West of Athens.
                                                                  No Link to ERT Story.

28 Mar:   5.7 Richter Scale, 02.17am. Undersea epicenter in the
              Libyan sea off the island of Gaidouronisi, South-Eastern
              Crete.
                                                                (item 5) Link to Story.

Earthquakes are a common feature of life in Greece and rarely cause damage or injury to people.

Recent comment has centered upon reassuring that whilst another Athens (1999) 'quake is unlikely (Link), a Tsunami caused by a 'quake occurs every 136 years Link to story.

However, scientists have recently suggested that Greece should assess it's Tsunami readiness Link to story.

States in the Balkan region are now cooperating in sharing information. Link To Story.

There are certain existing buildings considered to be at risk from major earthquakes. Link to story. These buildings, which include a number of schools, are being investigated with the objective of safety. Link to story. Engineers are also calling upon the government to institute checks on old bridges in Greece. Link (Item6.)
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A Little Extra News....
In the February column the increasing speed of emerging wild-flowers caused my comment - 'Slowly (maybe cautiously) at first, but gradually increasing speed and multiplying in number until, at the end of the month, the whole of north western Crete seemed ablaze with colour.

So what happened? Everything...! By the time we reached the end of March almost every competitor for a bit of space in the Cretan countryside had appeared.

The flower roll alone in our immediate environs would read like Oleg Polunin's field guide (THE wild flower bible) Flowers of Greece and the Balkans (OUP) - all 592 closely printed pages (not including the photographs) of it. But then, if you could see the local countryside, you wouldn't need the photographs!

Bermudan Buttercup - Oxalis pes - fields full of glorious bright yellow; The pastel purple/pink/white flowers of Mathiola tricuspidata and the egg yolk yellows and light green foliage of Anthemis rigida (A Cress) and near the beaches, were the purple white Malcomia Flexuosa (another Cress ). Climbing upwards Anemone coronaria - predominantly pastel blues and purples and the occasional red and yellow of Turban Buttercups - Ranunculus asiaticus, persisted well into the first two weeks of March. In the Garrigue (Phrygana) and olive groves at the base of Rodopos peninsula proper the early Orchids (Barlia robertiana; Orchis Lactea) were replaced by the light green stalks and leaves and pretty yellow/brown flowers of Ophrys Lutea - yellow Bee Orchids while the beautiful Pink Butterfly Orchid - Orchis papilionacea continued on in sheer multitude.

And then they appeared! The Asphodels; the Compositae - especially the purples of cardus pynocephalus; Notobasis syriana (Syrian Thistle); Galactites tomentosa and the early Red Star-Thistle - Centaurea calcitrapa. A bit like family favourites! name that family...

The daisy family; the Bellflowers; Valerians; Figworts; Mints (spectacular); the Buttercups; Borages; Primroses; Carrots; Rock Roses; St Johns Worts (What a name!); Malleus's; Spurges; Geraniums; Caltrops; Sorrels; Peas; Cress's: the (superb) Poppy's - but a bit early for the opium variety flowers; to name but some family groups. Seen together, and this is the best time of the year to see the show here - they are collectively - dazzling! Absolutely magnificent...

Add the birds and the bees, and the icing is on the cake!

Cretanvista - Bringing the sunshine, keeping the rain off...
Kalos Ilthate Stin Kriti
WB.
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New! Commenced as planned last month - A wildlife diary from Andrew Bell - "Countryman in Crete".

We are now into our third month of a major upgrading of the entire site. Our gallery pages are being updated, in some cases are already updated, and new galleries added. Two new galleries went on-line last month** - our 2007 Calendar (Wild flowers - our best yet) - is about to follow.

Photo Galleries...
Calendar Photo Galleries:
A new one every year! 2008 Calendar gallery is complete and being uploaded now.. BUT, (and this one has really been well worth anyone's wait), the 2008 calendar topic finally became 'Wild Flowers of Crete' and the result superb! Sorry, there are no calendars left..... But we might yet reprint the issue with next year's dates! Link.

January Addition...
Cretanvista Wildlife Gallery - the first two pages - the first 48 unique photographs, including some rare specimens of the Cretan fauna. Some of is quite beautiful, some a bit scary/creepy, but all now add to our wildlife page and the ornithology gallery pages. Not all sun, sea and sand maybe, but everything depicted really is here. Always worth checking where you walk or sit! Start here.

Plus...
A Chania Photo Gallery.
Our long planned Chania photograph galleries commence with a presentation from Klaus Dieter Thill, whose photographs of some old buildings in the area of the Venetian Harbour show a little of what we all sometimes miss. Have a look. Start here.

Klaus will be adding a little text in the near future, but the gallery itself has been uploaded for appraisal. Do have a look, especially if you are familiar with Chania - you might just see that which you so far have not!

Still on-line - Miniature Chapels of Crete.
Klaus-Dieter Thill - author of Minaturkapellen auf Krista, a printed photo album detailing some of those enigmatic roadside shrines of Crete, has now contributed the first page of his Chania on-line gallery. Klaus has supplied photographs for this gallery which is about to go on-line here at Cretanvista. Our review of the printed book - which we have already - is still planned. Klaus is still not keen on that, as the book is not publicly available, but we hope still to persuade him!

Cretan Art and crafts - Weaving...
Our updated hand-weaving page is now on-line. This revision includes the first full project - start to finish! A beautiful traditional craft producing beautiful products. And much more to follow. *Weaving is in full swing and dyes are being made up and the photographs taken to add to this section - and we will be adding our pages on new looms, equipment and new projects started as soon as we can.

Wild Flower Gallery - Still at 216 different wild flowers - but almost ready at 240 - and... We are now adding much reference information on redesigned pages!
99% of the photographs have been taken right here at the base of the Rodopos peninsula. We are now adding the promised revisions - including more detailed references on each page and more photos of each specimen to follow. We will be publishing our book - but all the information will remain on line.

Bird Galleries: Gallery Page 5 developing...
The first pages of our bird photograph gallery went on line in March 2006. We are now working hard on adding page 5 - another 12 bird photographs - which will bring the number up to 60 so far. A short delay in the supply chain, but we can now proceed.

We still, of course, have our very first nature gallery...
Contributed by Anastasios Sakoulis, whose book on Cretan wildlife Moments of Cretan Nature is also on our site as a book review. Anastasios contributed 18 pictures of birds for addition to a gallery some time ago now. We will attach these to our bird-watching pages as soon as possible.

Another Gallery in the offing...
The Naturally...Crete a second gallery by Anastasios, is still in the works - still long overdue and causing a couple of headaches because of colour match problems but it is progressing and will be worth the effort. If you can't wait. the book of the same name is readily available from bookstores.

GENERAL: There are now 17 galleries featuring aspects of Cretan life, including sunrise and sunset pictures; Souda Bay War Cemetery; the gallery of magnificent wild-life pictures by Anastasios Sakoulis; our own new wildlife gallery; the wild flowers; Chania; Mhlia (Milia) traditional village; etc.. etc... etc.... And we have not even nearly started further new galleries for which the photography is now complete, including a WWII museum Gallery - watch this space!!

Creating our galleries entails a vast amount of work and is expensive on expertise, time, effort and not least money. Projects must be chosen; locations reached; photographs taken; pages developed... A great deal of printing is also involved. Why? Well... if (for example) you have never been horizontal with a camera taking wild life pictures on it's a bit difficult to explain, but...

...27000 plus (and rising) monthly unique visitor figures to Cretanvista websites were achieved last year. Reward in itself.
Taking nothing for granted, we are all hard at work - working on updates and getting out and about - obtaining the new information and photographs we need to keep Cretanvista well to the forefront of websites about Crete. We treasure our visitors...Really!
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E-Mail Requests..
We 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.

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

The Cretan Vista Calendar Photos - Birds.
We are trying to build a specialist calendar of birds - whilst we are building our own library photographs - contributions are always welcome. They will always be acknowledged and copyright will remain your own. (Please email us before sending pictures).

Bird Watchers Extra Note - Paul Smith "Birdwatching".

We have been working extremely hard attempting to fill the huge gap left by Paul's death last year. There is now reason to believe that we have succeeded in our quest.

Paul was a highly competent and often uncompromising diarist - even attempting to find another expert to fill his spot was, to say the least, a little daunting.

We now believe that, without revealing at this stage precisely who will, more than likely, be taking up the reins - let me just say that it looks certain to be an acknowledged expert.

mailto:Webmaster@cretanvista.gr

Best Books..
Check out our easy to use 'Book Shelves' containing all our book reviews. Just point the mouse and left click in the boxes below. Bookshelf 3 is the latest....

BookShelf1

BookShelf2

BookShelf3

More reviews are in preparation, but meanwhile, summer being on the way, perhaps re-visiting an established favourite is in order..

Countryside Book Reviews.... Possibly the best Nature...

Moments of Cretan Nature
Anastasios Sakoulis

The 'Bookshelf' links (yellow) above contain all books.
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Can this be you..... or yours... or mine?.. This Month - Wilf B.
Yet another interesting twist on the 'Can this be you, yours or mine?' theme this month.

We are now in possession of photographic evidence relating to a previous occurrence reported in this column - the lobbing of a box of Tetley teabags either over, or through, our locked gates last year whilst we were on holiday...   Picture Link

Here we can reveal what appears to be a northern European couple with an empty blue fairy carrier bag. We know that only tea bags are carried in such an item, and since they are standing in our gateway with an empty carrier, the supposition that they had emptied the contents onto our front porch seems irrefutable....

Doesn't it? Answers on a postcard please... Leigh and Viv Jones!


We believe that they will be back - hopefully with more Tetley's..!

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