Cretan Vista Site News Archive April 2012

Cretanvista Site News & Reviews - April 2012 Issue 112

No links to sites with adult content accepted.

APRIL WEATHER..... Moving on to summer mode now, but not before time. The spring flowers are definitely blooming across the hillsides, and the early tourists are beginning to arrive - but right now mostly from Scandinavia and eastern-bloc countries where it is much colder....

   Current Chania Webcam             Current Cretan Weather Link
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                    The Greek flag flying - well, yes, but....

Are these ferry boat passengers and cars coming in, or are they about to depart the country?....

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Astratigos Village Life.... Getting some.. XVII

'Das Boot'!....
When we first saw the ruined house in Astratigos which was, eventually, to become ours - well, after major renovations and a lot of money and heartache anyway - we were very well aware that taking large sums of money out of the country at the time was an almost impossibility. But then we were not concerned with taking money out since we had no intention of doing so. We were totally committed to bringing cash in to fund our dream in the sun. Needing to take it out was not on the cards. It still isn't...

It still isn't - just!

But eighteen years later we are beginning to wonder. Just when our building nightmares became our dream again, it seems that there are possibilities on the horizon which may make living in Crete an impossible dream once again. Even turn it back into a nightmare! A nightmare involving politically forced repatriation depriving us of our Cretan home. Or, looking on the bright side, we may be destined to join that band of wandering tinkers, the gypsies, searching endlessly for our utopia from the back of a rusty worn out dark blue Ford Transit van - selling clothes pegs or plastic chairs - or both. Anyone for a palm reading!...

Or perhaps arriving at some international airport only to discover that our passports had expired en-route and we were now stateless and penniless and possessed only airport facilities for our needs. A bit like 'The Terminal' (2004) where the central character in the Spielberg film, played by Tom Hanks, was refused entry to the US but could not go back to his fictional homeland due to a revolution. Stuck in JFK International Airport. Forever maybe...

Or even - stuck on board an international car ferry forever without enough money for a couple of hours on the internet! Oh' the stuff of dreams!!

Unlikely perhaps, but not impossible. The Golden Dawn political party has for the first time entered parliament in Greece with 21 seats on 21st May 2012. Among their promises - Greece for Greeks. No immigrants. All immigrants expelled! A bit like expelling all Bollington (Cheshire) folk from Macclesfield. I mean, Macclesfield for Macclesfielders - no exceptions permitted! Only much more serious. The Greek Golden Dawn'ers apparently mean it - seriously. If you are not from Greece - 'Das Boot'!

Mind, if every country were to follow the same idea to the logical limit, then as each parliament reached a majority they would have to start 'Das Booting' and they would need a big desert island to export everyone to. And if while we were organising ourselves in the new world we all became 'Golden Dawn'ers', we would be able to either stay where we were or go back home, just the way we always had done... No, that would be boring....

But such mad mental meanderings don't really help if one feels threatened by compulsory export. Only in America are we able to jack up our bricks and mortar, place our homes on board a mega-mover, and drive away into a golden sunset - albeit at such a slow pace (to prevent overbalancing and falling off) that it would take another forever to get there. Wherever that was... But to be quite honest, my anxiety stems from the fact that the 'Golden Dawn' does not include our home on Crete - nor paying us any compensation for losing it. Were I a real politician I would probably say that any compensation would be used to deliver us to our new address, (a very fair profit). And the rent charged to the new residents would be to cover expenses (an even better very fair profit)...

I continually recall, as I think about the not impossibility that one day we may be forced to leave Crete against our will - because of political imposition. Which is apparently what happened to another (Swedish) couple whose story we told in one of our book reviews several years ago. 'The Winds of Crete' by David McNiel Doran - the story of a couple attempting to find their ideal Cretan village in which to live - for them it became "A journey through their own lives; their excitement and joys on making new discoveries; meeting new friends; with Cretan Filoxenia. A journey though their realizations that some things were not all they seemed; that not everyone or everything was nice; through their misfortunes; ill health; sorrows and disasters. To the final realization that Crete was where they wanted, in the end, to remain. A wish that in the end was denied them by political circumstance".

That Journey came to a heart rending ending after six years or so of trying to build a new life for themselves on Crete - "Only, in the final moments, to have (their) rights to remain on Crete withdrawn by winds of political change".

Will we end up as did the McNiel Doren's? Standing on the deck of a ferry leaving Souda Bay as it departs into the sunset, will the 'Golden Dawn' become our own 'sinking (Hopefuly a pun!) sunset' ?...

"It was not until we stood on the deck of the ship that was to take us away from Crete that the reality of our departure hit home to us. As the ship moved away from the dock, Inga could not bear to look, and went down below decks to our cabin. But I wanted to see the retreating shoreline of the island that had seeped into our bloodstream, and become part of our flesh…………. I stood there long after darkness fell, until I could no longer see Crete but could only feel it, and finally I went down and joined Inga in the cabin."

Not a lot of difference, I suspect, between a 'Golden Dawn' and a 'Sinking Sunset' if we, because of political change, are forced to leave the country, and our hard won home and friends, behind.

Unlikely as it may seem today, it is not outside the bounds of possibility. History has a naughty way of repeating itself. We will just have to wait and see if there is to be a next chapter....

In the News Reviews...
More conflicts with Germany outlined...
Greece continues to press for WWII reparations, particularly but not exclusively related to the question of the forcibly obtained war loan, for which Greece seeks reparation, but related to other matters. Including the return of archeological treasures from areas, including Crete, to which "Greece never relinquished its claims"....
                                                      Link to Story.

Without wishing to appear facetious...
Perhaps the answer may lie with the 57 bags (14,334,000 Deutsch marks) that have been located in the Greek Treasury. Ask Germany to exchange them for euros perhaps.....?
                                                      Link to Story.

But whatever is done...
Greece should under no circumstances ask for payment in exchange for imported German potatoes.....?
                                                     Link to Story.

A two day shipping strike...
Threatened ferry connections ahead of the Geek Orthodox Easter, including passenger ferries and the transport of goods, particularly fresh produce from Cretan farms. The strike had been called by the PNO - the sailors union...
                                                      Link to Story.

Two day shipping strike - some effects...
"The strike, which has been held to protest the impact of the government's austerity drive on seamen's pensions and benefits, has fueled the exasperation of hoteliers and traders who had hoped to make up for sluggish business in Orthodox Easter week" One effect was the cancellation of 10,000 ferry passenger tickets - another 3000 had to change dates...
                                                      Link to Story.

The German Condor Airline...
Made a determined attempt to increase traffic to Greece by offering German passengers 50 euros off passenger flights to the country in an effort to boost holiday trade. Parent Airline Thomas Cook had reported a fall in German holiday traffic to Greece after a wave of anti-German protests against the Greek austerity measures...
                                                      Link to Story.

And many Russian tourists...
Are set, it is thought, to increase by 30 - 40% compared with 2011. As many as 100 million Russians are ready to visit Greece, according to a representative of the St Petersburg Chamber of Commerce..
                                                      Link to Story.

Whilst there are serious concerns...
To encourage the world to visit Santorini - in Thailand! A theme park and 80,000 meter shopping mall has been opened at Cha-am - a holiday area just a couple of hours from Bangkok. The developers, Penna House Group, are hoping that 4 million tourists will visit every year...
                                                      Link to Story.

Thailand is doing its very best...
That Greece is heading for the doldrums as tourism actually falls off, major attempts are being made to ensure that does not happen..
                                                      Link to Story.

But back at the IKA offices...
A nation-wide investigation was started after a scam at an Athens branch found that they had lost perhaps 20 million euros to false claimants. One of the branches under specific scrutiny is in Crete....
                                                      Link to Story.

Plus - Zoniana Back in the news...
The 'Notorious' Cretan village gained yet more headlines in April when ekathimerini filed a Skai report which said that "..hackers who gained access to The Health Ministry's online prescription database last week were based in the notoriously lawless Cretan mountain village of Zoniana. ....Around 1.5 million prescriptions were affected and patient files accessed... Doctors were unable to use the database...
                                                      Link to Story.

Editorial Comment: When we consider the serious difficulty that we have in simply staying connected to our local Otenet ISP - the Zoniana hackers must be very, very good. Perhaps they should hire them!

Meanwhile, at the time of this report...
A 62-year-old British marathon runner, John Lawton, from Alsager in Cheshire had been missing for more than a week after failing to appear after the fourth check-point of the Taygetos Marathon 2012. The search was continuing in the area of Mount Taygetos, near Kalamata in the Peloponnese...
                                                      Link to Story.

And an ancient warning...
May be a modern prophecy as the Greek village of Potidaea, saved from the Persian Invaders by a tsunami in 479 BC, is still prone to earthquakes...
                                                      Link to Story.

Turkey here I come!..
Says Greek actress Tonia Sotiropoulou about becoming the first Greek Bond-girl, some of which will be shot in Istanbul Turkey...
                                                      Link to Story.

	Amazon.co.uk & Selected Cretan bookstores Living in Crete by Carol Palioudakis OUT NOW IN PAPERBACK! Price £9.50 GBP
Amazon.co.uk & Selected Cretan bookstores

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 large cream and green affair sporting two apartments two balconies and a small pool at the front . 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 once his own accommodation - maybe for your holidays! Book and check availability at:-
Crete-escapes.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

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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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Earthquake activity:
Most recent earthquakes in Greece - LINK

There were 32 local earthquakes in April - Link - Only 1 of any significance:-

23 Apr: 4.8 ML, 01.15am: Epicentre 38 km SE Pírgos (pop 1,134 ).
                                                                                                    Link to Story.

Although earthquakes most certainly are a common feature of life in Greece. It is however, unusual for deaths, injuries and or damage to buildings to occur, which could lead to a false sense of security.

The author of a ten year study at the National Technical University of Athens says that Greece is sitting waiting for the next major earthquake without doing anything to mitigate it's effects. (Our italics).
                                                                                                                                        Link to Report.

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 have also called upon the government to institute checks on old bridges in Greece. Link (Item6.)

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A Little Extra (Current) News - 'What, in God's name, was that'....
One of the best current questions it is possible to ask in Greece right now - well, apart from the more obvious 'Did anyone get the number of that car'? - as the guy who thought that he had been eaten by a combine harvester at speed in the dark asked afterwards, head still spinning....

To answer the question without further ado - 'That, was a Greek General election'.... It still is....

May 6th came and went. Lucas Papademos (temporary Prime Minister) , on cue, went - and following the complete disarray after the election dust had tried to settle, major upheaval of the political scene had ensued and not only did no party secure a majority, but previous PASOK government was now a minority party in third place, having been displaced by Syriza, who came in second behind ND. The shock results - ND 18.85% (108 Seats); Syriza 16.87% (52 Seats); PASOK 13.18% (41 Seats) and Golden Dawn 6.97% (21 Seats) speak for themselves.

The previous government (PASOK) ended up in third place; ND moved up to first place but still lost 14.6% of it's vote and SYRIZA gained 12.2% to become a second-placed major player. But that wasn't all - the biggest shock was perhaps that the Golden Dawn which has been described as a 'neo-nazi' but which says it is a 'Nationalist' party gained 21 seats in parliament. That 'Golden Dawn' could gain so many parliamentary seats in a democracy is a major shock to many more staid systems!

New Democracy 108 - Lost 14.6%; Syriza 52 - Gained 12.2%; Pasok 41 - Lost 30.7%; Independent Greeks 33 - No Change; KKE 26 - Gained 0.9%; Golden Dawn 21 Gained 6.7%; Democratic Left 19
Link - What They stand for.

A week or so further down the trail of nightmares, the three major (albeit by then minority) parties in turn attempted (and failed) to form a coalition government. In turn, the president himself attempted (and failed) the impossible and had to form a caretaker government pending a repeat General Election. Caretaker Goverment.

Another 30 million Euros worth of possible chaos. But was the first General Election result a surprise? Well, no it wasn't. And typically Greek, yes it was! It wasn't in the least surprising that the two previous majority parties PASOK and ND suffered so badly at the hands of voters beaten already almost insensible by the international money-lenders. To the point where an increasing number of the population were unable to meet the increasingly rigid austerity demands. And were being threatened, it seemed, with even greater austerity demands at a time of increasing job losses and reduced income. An apparent downward spiral into doom-land. Their reaction in rejecting what seemed to be these increasingly impossible demands is understandable. Syryza rejects the austerity measures out of hand, offering a possible way out. A lesson well learned by voters.

Made up of 16 ideologically diverse left-wing parties, SYRIZA includes "social democrats, radical ecologists, radical socialists, Trotskyists, and even anarchists", according to Matthaios Tsimitakis, a SYRIZA supporter and an editor of political blog Greek Left Review.

SYRIZA supports Greece's membership in the European Union, but rejects the austerity measures required by the memorandum. SYRIZA has made repeated overtures to other parties on the left inviting them to form an anti-bailout coalition. However, both the KKE and Democratic Left have rebuffed this proposal.
Source: Al Jazeera.

Also possibly understandable is the entry to parliament of Golden Dawn (21 Seats), which - whatever it wants people to call it, is probably closer to being neo-Nazi than any other definition. Many Greeks blame immigrants for their problems. Golden Dawn have promised to expel all immigrants. In addition they have been offering practical assistance, food and clothing et al, to members of the Greek population to whom others didn't. There is a second lesson there. Being increasingly well learned.

The far-right Golden Dawn party was founded by supporters of the military junta that ruled Greece from 1967-74. Now, for the first time, polls estimate that Golden Dawn will win five per cent of the vote, allowing the party to win seats in parliament. In 2009, the party won just 0.29 per cent of the vote.

Golden Dawn, which is virulently anti-immigrant, has said that undocumented immigrants should be immediately deported - and that immigrants who are in Greece legally should eventually be removed as well. Golden Dawn has recently gained publicity for offering to accompany elderly people on grocery shopping trips if they feel unsafe leaving their homes alone.

The party is nostalgic for Nazism: its logo resembles a swastika, some party officials reportedly deny the Holocaust occurred, and video appears to show party leader Nikos Michaloliakos giving a Nazi salute in the Athens city council. He claims, however, that it was merely "the salute of the national youth organisation of [Greek dictator] Ioannis Metaxas", reports the Athens News.
Source: Al Jazeera.

Many Greeks may not agree with or like these lessons, but they are carrying apparently increasing weight with voters. And that is democracy....

There is growing support growing for the anti - austerity parties - mainly from the left, which in the event could well further unbalance the main current contender, ND. If that happens then it may well be that on June 17th Alexis Tsipras and the SYRIZA party could take the forthcoming general election, possibly in a landslide victory - if prevailing sentiment remains unchanged. Even if it only manages an increased majority without an outright mandate there may be sufficient centre-left parties out there to form a working coalition, if that was acceptable to them. Which would take Greece as far to the left of politics as it as ever been....

Alexis Tsipiras and his party say that they favour remaining within the eurozone, if they win the forthcoming election and formed a leftist coalition, where that will lead is more than likely an unknown quantity. In that event there would be no doubt that Greek politics will have moved so far to the left as to become unrecognizable.

As always in Greece, freedom of speech and expression will rule the day, whatever the party leaders have to say, and whatever they do say - that remains the key to democracy - even for non-believers in democracy!

Kalos Ithate Stin Kriti.
WB. Cretanvista. Bringing the sunshine, keeping the rain off!
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Site Content:- Last Change - additions to Wildflower galleries.

Notices.

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.

**Our 2012 Cretanvista Calendars all issued - Apologies! But you can always see them on our website :-
Link or browse the entire on-line wildflower galleries here.

Contacting Cretanvista..
We have now discontinued all direct email links. Our is here - Contact Link

Photo Galleries...
Calendar Photo Galleries:
A new one every year for the past decade! The 2012 Calendar gallery is complete and online now.. The 2009 calendar topic was 'Wild Flowers of Crete' (after our wild flower galleries) and the result was superb! Which is why we followed up the theme in 2010. And again in 2011! Because of our success we have already produced our 2012 wild flower calendar format - and our other themes continue. Cretanvista probably has the widest range of calendar galleries available in Crete. But we can reprint any issue with the any year's dates - whatever year that happens to be! Have a look at the 2012 wild flowers calendar Link.

Wild Flower Gallery - Now at 360 different wild flower photographs online - plus dozens in preparation - Galleries 13 - 15 are open. 360 flowers online. Gallery 16 is developing - which will mean 384 online.. Plus we are adding more reference information on redesigned pages - with more photos of each specimen to follow later. You may find an occasional duplicate, which we are keeping for the moment as the actual photographs will be different and will be used in a later planned re-organization of the galleries.

We are now well en-route to putting the first 50% of our target 1020 individual flowers on-line. But it all takes time. First find the flower (hopefully in full bloom); then get the photographs (sounds easy); put the photographs on-line (simply work); with basic information on each, making certain that it is accurate...

If you know the location of a rare flower please don't hesitate to help us photograph - we wont reveal your information to anyone else.

Please note also that All flower galleries have now been successfully re-coded to eliminate a bug which affected some Firefox browser versions. All the information will remain online at Cretanvista. With the advent of ipods, ipads, Blackberry's and other gizmos it will be much easier to take Cretanvista galleries on your field trips - and all the information that goes with them. **Your Amazon Kindle will display cretanvista perfectly - albeit in monochrome.

Wildlife Gallery - the first two pages - 48 unique photographs, including some rare specimens of the Cretan fauna. Some is quite beautiful, some a bit scary/creepy, but all now add to our wildlife page and the ornithology gallery pages. Remember that it is 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 37 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...

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.
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	Hotel - Taverna Lefka Kolimbari
	Offers - Unsere Preise - Οι προσφορές

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UK Nursing History - Schools of Nursing
Readers who have any interest in the history of the UK nursing profession might well be interested in looking at:-

www.schoolsofnursing.co.uk

There is a main site detailing every pre-university school of nursing, the hospitals used for training and badge awarded.
A forum covering all aspects of nursing history
A 'National' nursing badge collection containing more than 2000 photographs.
Badges, nurses, hospitals et al
Web space for your own nursing related photographs.
*Membership is Free
*Membership is necessary to use the forum and photograph Gallery areas.

Related Sites - also free.
'nursingbadges & historyofhospitals

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