Cretan Vista Site News Archive March 2009

Cretanvista Site News & Reviews - March 2009 Issue 73

No links to sites with adult content accepted.

MARCH WEATHER ..... Still cold, wet and windy! It should be better than this by now! We are all longing for the sunshine and hoping so much rain means there will be no water shortage this summer.
Chania Webcam Current Cretan Weather Link
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Dikti Caves - Story below...

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The myths and legends tour of nearly-open Crete

With Wilf and his lady wife meeting friends and doing a spot of window-shopping in Venice this month, Ann and Richard have been seconded into the driving seat.

'Driving seat' it really was for Richard, who was at the wheel for a tour of the island we did for our own visitors this month. Despite the weather, and the fact that accommodation is nearly impossible to find at this time of year, we set off for the other end of the island.

My usually reliable map-reading let us down badly on the way, as we failed to spot the turn-off to Arkadi Monastery. Nothing daunted, we resolved to visit on our return journey.

We got to Aghios Nikolaos and had lunch, then set off to see the wonderful frescoes in the church of Panagia Kera at nearby Kritsa. We arrived at 3 pm, only to find it closed at 3.

Not a good start to our tour! However, the next day was better - we went to Plaka to get a boat across to Spinalonga, and found we had timed things slightly better - it was the first day it was open this season! The sea was flat calm, and as always, the island was very atmospheric. We were thrilled to see the wonderful wild flowers everywhere, which make a lovely monument for all the un-named people who went there to die of their leprosy. We had the place to ourselves for an hour before the first disco-boat arrived from Aghios Nikolaos.

The Panagia Kera church was open on our second visit, and we spent ages poring over the Byzantine frescoes and identifying the different saints and painting styles in the three aisles of the church.

On then to the Lassithi plateau and the Dikti Cave - which also closed at 3pm! Fortunately we were there at 2.30, so after puffing our way up the hill - ignoring the offer of a donkey ride (for 20 euros!!!) - we still had half an hour to explore the cave.

It really is a wonderful place - the stalactites are amazing, and the steps wind down into Stygian gloom with the drip of water in your ears (and down your neck). It really is the stuff of legend, and it is obvious why it is reputed to be the birthplace of Zeus! The walk up would be arduous on a hot day, but the chill of the cave would be most welcome. The stalactites/mites are pleated and folded in places just like fabric, and it looks more like a set for Lord of the Rings than anything I have ever seen. I can really recommend a visit - especially if you have someone else to do the drive up to the plateau so you can enjoy the view. (Poor Richard!)

On the next day we visited Knossos, which I have always found to be a place that jars on my every nerve. I feel that Arthur Evans, who excavated and 'reconstructed' part of it, did more harm than good and was gratified to read the new signs at the excavations, which now seem to lean away from some of Evans's less believable ideas for the site. It is now thought to have been less of a palace and more of a temple. Makes sense to me! It is certainly a huge excavation and must have been very important in its period, but we may never know the true story because of the later 'reconstructions'.

Another stop, this time at the post-Minoan tombs on the road across the island behind Rethymnon. There is no charge for entrance at this site, and there are about 200 rock-cut tombs, very reminiscent of some of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. Could there have been a link between the civilisations?

And Arkadi Monastery? No, we didn't get to see it on the return journey either as it was raining cats and dogs and the journey up into the hills was a little daunting. We took pity on our driver and headed back home for a hot bath.

In the News Reviews...
Jail guard remanded in clinic...
A jail guard who was accused of opening fire at motorists, killing one and seriously injuring another, was transferred to the prison psychiatric clinic.
                                (item 4) Link to Story.

Tourism on the slide...
Greece has slid to 24th place in a Travel and Tourism Competitiveness report - and 18th in Europe.
                                             Link to Story.

More riots in Athens....
Hooded youths stormed through central Athens, destroying banks, storefronts and cars.
                                             Link to Story.

Tiger mosquito spotted...
A particularly nasty kind of mosquito, capable of carrying deadly viruses, has been spotted in Athens
                                             Link to Story.

Family feud causes another death...
Smoke from a bonfire led to a row which caused the death of one man and the injury of several others.
Link to Story.

Bank torched in Chania...
A petrol bomb destroyed a branch of the National Bank in Chania.
                                (item 5) Link to Story.

Lower spending on fun and food...
Most Greeks are spending less on clothes, fun and food, according to survey results.
                                             Link to Story.

Probe into ferry death...
A female drug addict died on a ferry, allegedly after being tied up by officers for the whole of the trip from Thebes to Crete.
                                             Link to Story.

Hospital supplier found hanged...
A sales rep for a firm providing medical supplies to hospitals was found hanged. It is believed he was driven to despair over money owed to his firm.
                                             Link to Story.

Toddler burned by hot oil..
A 14 month old girl was sent to the burns unit at an Athens hospital after being burned by hot oil at her home in Chania.
                                (item 5) Link to Story.

Deadly mistake..
A man was killed near Chania when he tried to cut a metal barrel in half. The lid flew off and struck him on the head.
                                (item 4) Link to Story.

Prison unrest on Crete...
Prisoners demonstrated against overcrowding at Chania Prison.
                                             Link to Story.

High failure rate in Civil Service exams....
Less than half the 103,530 candidates in recent Civil Service entrance exams had sufficient general knowledge to reach the 50% pass mark.
                                             Link to Story.

Building penalty could affect many..
Families who have enclosed areas of their homes which were formerly balconies may have to pay thousands of euros in fines.
                                             Link to Story.

Two held on child porn charge..
A Scottish man based in Crete and a man from Athens were detained on charges of trading in hardcore child pornography.
                                             Link to Story.

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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.
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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?

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HOLIDAY VILLAS...
Another local owner has carried out some superb traditional renovations in Astratigos 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, is:-

The Grand Bay Beach Hotel

Visit Interdynamic's website.

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http://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.

Birthplace of Zeus...

Panagia Kera - Kritsa...

Spinalonga Island...

..Entrance to Spinalonga..

Earthquake activity in March:
Just the two quivers; one at 4.2 on the Richter scale, on the morning of 17th March, near Kalamata in the Peloponnese! No injuries or damage were reported. The second was at 4.8 on the Richter scale in the afternoon of 19th March, off the coast of Crete.

Earthquakes are a common feature of life in Greece and it is unusual for deaths, injuries and or damage to buildings to occur.

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....
Everyone with a mobile phone is serious inconvenienced in the nearby town of Kastelli Kissamos at the moment.

Apparently a local environmental group had taken Cosmote, Vodafone and Wind to court on the grounds that mobile phone aerials are supposed to be 300m or more from schools. All the telephone companies had aerials in town, all within 300m of two schools. The court hearing was last October, and the decision went against the phone companies, but for some reason they had not taken any action.

Suddenly, at the end of March, the aerials ceased to work and all service stopped. General confusion ensued, as many small businessmen rely totally on their mobiles for business and many homes do not have landline phones.

The latest information is that the mobile phone companies have said that the aerials in town are only repeater aerials and not the dangerous kind, which have to be located on remote hilltops. And the environmental group have had their ears bent/been seriously leaned on and have gone back to court to say they withdraw the complaint. However, the court says it is too late and the process would have to start again from the beginning, which would take some considerable time.

If new aerials are required, the negotiations for and purchase of land for them and the other infrastructure required could take many months.

Anyone know the Greek for "a standoff"?

Watch this space - but don't phone home.

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E-Mail Requests..
We receive some brilliant e-mails - really - and they are very welcome. 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.

Site News:
We are still undertaking our upgrade of the site. Changes here have left some pages outdated - new houses; hotels; supermarkets; roads and all. But it all takes time; please bear with us.

Contacting Cretanvista..
We have now discontinued all direct email links. You can still reach us directly using our new Contact form, and will still receive direct replies, but if you see an email address please ignore it.

Photo Galleries...
Calendar Photo Galleries:
A new one every year for the past decade! The 2009 Calendar gallery is complete and online now.. The 2008 calendar topic was 'Wild Flowers of Crete' and the result was superb! Which is why we followed up the theme in 2009. Sorry, there are no calendars left..... Because of our success we have already produced our 2010 wild flower calendar (and our other themes continue). But we can reprint any issue with next year's dates - whatever year that happens to be! Link.

Wild Flower Gallery - Now at 288 different wild flower photographs - plus dozens in preparation... We have now added more reference information on redesigned pages - with more photos of each specimen to follow. All the information will remain online at Cretanvista. With the advent of ipods, Blackberry's and other gizmos it will be much easier to take Cretan vista on your field trips - and all the information that goes with it.

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. Always worth checking where you walk or sit before you do! Start here.

Chania Photo Gallery.
Our Chania photograph galleries commenced 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 - it's worth it. Start here.

Miniature Chapels of Crete Gallery.
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.

Cretan Art and crafts - Weaving pages...
Weaving is in full swing and natural dyes are being made up and the photographs taken to add to this section. We will be adding our pages on our new looms, equipment and new projects started as soon as we can. The weaving tends to take the time right now..

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.

GENERAL: There are now 19 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 wildlife gallery; the wild flowers; Chania; Mhlia (Milia) traditional village; etc.. etc... etc....

Our improvements continue. We sincerely hope that you notice little - apart from increased enjoyment and ease of use. Keep visiting - your presence is what make all worthwhile.