Earthquakes. Wobbling Still.....

Earthquake activity in Greece continues as usual. There were only four reports of note reported during July, although the last was a little close to home:-

03 July: 4.3 Richter Scale - evening - Lefkada. The epicenter was reported to be off the south-western coast of the island.  Link to story.

15 July: 4.0 Richter Scale 03.40am - south of Lake Volvi.
15 July: 3.9 Richter Scale 07.10am - south of Lake Volvi.    Link to story.

12 July: 4.8 Richter Scale 02.30pm - Parga.  The undersea epicenter was reported to have been in the Ionian sea about 8 kilometres north-west of Paxos.  Link to story.

24 July: 4.9 Richter Scale 10.01pm - Prefecture of Chania (Hania) north-western Crete..  Link to story.

Earthquakes are a common feature of life  in Greece and rarely cause any damage. The problem is that the ones that do are unpredictable. However, at least one professor believes that there will be at least 4 major quakes in the future.  Story Link.

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Snippets...
E.U.  Cup Team win makes a half million for Burmese man...
William Hill Bookmakers in Woking, near London, along with a lot of other non-believers, obviously did not rate the Greek team highly prior to their EU Cup win.  

I mentioned last month that my mathematics were never very good, but turning an original bet of 4000 pounds into 332,625 ponds needs odds in the region of  1-83.61565....  Round about a half million Euros however you look at it.  

I can just see the bookie's face when I put on my 4000 'quid and ask for odds of 83.61565 - on Greece!  A big smile no doubt.  Paid up though - the man reputedly bought a holiday in Greece.  Link to Story.

Maleme military base... Won't lie down.
Sixty two years or so after Maleme airbase became the focus of the battle for Crete - the first part of Crete to be taken by German forces in WWII and made famous by the ferocity with which it's mainly Cretan defenders fought the invasion, the Maleme airfield in north-western Crete was finally closed...

Only to have it's re-opening announced shortly after the 63rd Anniversary of the Initial battle as a training base for anti-terrorist officers...  Link to Story.


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In the News...

We don't mean to rub this in, but...
Ekathimerini (English Edition) recently headlined the post - E.U. Cup victory with "Greek global village in a victory dance" telling of of the post match activities in various parts of the world outside Greece.  The story is still well worth a read and if you can read between the headline - you will quickly appreciate the unity felt by Greeks however far they are from their homeland.    Link to story.

And that includes Otto...
Meanwhile, quite apart from the magnificent welcome home-coming given from the time they emerged from the airport to their reception as heroes at the Panathenaic stadium - centre of the 1896 Olympics - their German coach Otto Rehhagel was urged by Greek President Costis Stephanopoulos made it clear that Greece would welcome a decision to remain here....

Germany wants him back to coach their national team for the 2008 world cup...  Stay here Otto!

Well, everything seems ready after all...
I finished the news round last month by pushing the latest Greek mega-achievements to hand - including their double sided, double flagged (Greek and Olympic) conquest of Mount Everest and by asking "Is that it?" And answering my own query with "Not even nearly"!

So What has happened in this backward under-developed nation of the (at that time) international, pessimistic, 'Press gangs' to make these Olympics the best ever, which is what they are about to become?

For example,
An entire new Athens community - the Olympic Village, was completed and handed over on 22nd July 2004. Link.

It was officially opened on 30th July 2004, to say nothing of the Olympic Network Control Centre and the International Broadcast Centre...  Link to Story.

Yes, but what about transport....
Well, getting to Greece is your problem, but with visitors from at least 202 countries arriving, once here getting around should be no problem.

Whether arriving by sea or air the new Athens integrated transport system - new Metro and suburban rail links, plus express bus routes; a new tramway; new roads - specially prepared Olympic lanes within the city have all been delivered on or before time and are now fully operational.  There are also the taxis and limousines for hire but be warned - only specially designated and marked taxis will be allowed to Olympic venues.

Live People...
Olympic volunteers can be found almost everywhere you can find people and their main objective is to assist visitors.

A word of Caution.
But do remember - no public official should ask you for payment of any kind.  Indeed, remembering cases such as fraudulent police; fraudulent bus inspectors; and unlicensed taxi drivers which have occurred, what you have in your wallet is entirely your own concern - don't let anyone 'help' you with it.  Keep your passport secure and make credit card payment for goods, especially in restaurants, only in your presence!! And don't forget the receipts.... 

I'm off to watch the Olympic opening ceremony!  If you miss it don't worry, it will be replayed for years to come!
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Well, that's about it for now.....
Not so very late now...!  Remembering that our aim is to publish CVNews at the end of each month, since we can't bring you the news before it happens, I am, as editor, completely responsible for the delays we have sometimes encountered.  Even where they have been unavoidable.  Maybe I should try a little buck-passing (could it become an Olympic event I wonder) but I can't seem to find anyone to pass it to. Come to think of it I don't really know what it looks like......

But I have noted, indeed I am still noting, a few names among the reporters who have commented on the Olympic preparations here in Greece who will have to pull a few rabbits out of hats - if that is not what they are to end up doing for the rest of their careers - if they ever have to justify their negative reporting prior to the Olympics....

If someone is telling you that Greece is not ready; that ticket sales are poor; or that Greece 2004 has not successfully completed it's own Herculean preparations and gained the gold - you are being addressed by the original inventor/s of the cuckoo clock!  Welcome to Athens 2004 - already the best prepared games of all time, and, just watch the action...  Kalos Ilthate Stin Ellada!
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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.  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.  There is fuller comment in previous issues of CV News.

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

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

Book Review News - No New Books this month.

Current Best:-

Making a Garden on a Greek Hillside - Jaqueline Tyrwhitt - Isn't this just what we all want to do?! Superb plant detail.  The story of buying a plot; building a house: moving in; making a garden; Greek life - feastings' fastings, festivals and name days are a real bonus.  Read the review.

Land of Crete - George Meis.  Brilliant photography, superb artwork.  Beautiful photographic genius from George Meis.  Unfortunately we can't show you as we have yet to receive permission to publish a few pictures.  But watch this space...   Read the review.

Still the Best Nature -  'Moments of Cretan Nature' by Anastasios Sakoulis, (ISBN: 960-91979-0-6) "Stigmotipa Tis Kritikis Freesis" in Greek -  is a super book with some magnificent photographs.  Our review is accompanied by a small photo gallery - our first review to do so.  Our site pictures (from the book) are, we think, nice!  The printed pictures in the book are in almost all cases very much bigger, nicer!

Books and Good Reading - Moments in Cretan Nature

Reviews in Preparation...
'Eleni' by Nicolas Gage.  Published by Harvill - (ISBN 1 86046 346 0) first published 1983.  Reprinted.
  
This is his true story of a son seeking to avenge his mothers murder by ELAS Guerillas during the Greek civil war.  Real.  Compelling.  Harrowing in the extreme.  Revealing the Greek psych as nothing I have ever read.  But, unless you have no feelings, it could haunt you forever......  'Eleni' (in preparation).

EDITOR: The above review of Eleni was, after several months work, interrupted by my recent illness... It seemed fated.  It will be completed - but meanwhile we have asked Ann Lisney to prepare a review which hopefully will not take nearly as long as my own has.

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 you?

       
              
               Honda Dealership, Chania, Crete

    Sorry - we cheated - Pam Burgess Accepting a new
       Honda CRV Automatic - from Honda's Yeorgos
            Atsalakis - the new Cretanvista car!

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