Easy Living

Dear Friends and Family, Well, Paradise was a little breezy and cloudy today (Saturday, 18 August). It really began early in the morning. We find ourselves, despite vacation mode, rising at about 4:45 to 5 am. Partly, it is such a wonderful time of the day. In this very rural setting, there are times when you can literally hear NOTHING! It is amazing. Also, the night sky, just about a hour before the first hints of light gather in the east, is so clear, the stars so bright and there is just this expansive canopy of darkness that is a wonder. And then, of course, you go through the various stages of morning light. In fact, I caught this photo this morning to give you a sense of, at least, one of the stages.

Saturday was an easy day. As I think I have said before, we are usually pretty wiped out after an extended day trip. Wasn’t quite as bad yesterday, but we did decide to take it even easier than we normally take it. I got a walk in and took our laundry down to the village and Polley and I just sat by the pool and read. I have been immersed in the 5th book of the Game of Thrones (been reading it ever since this trip began) and I was determined to finish before the day was out . . . and I did! But, of course, with the end came the certainty of a book 6! Despite the breeze, Polley and I did go into the village to check e-mail and see our friends at Ormos Café. They are very nice and certainly work hard. While there I took a cuple of more pictures of the harbor as I don’t think I have previously focused on the bathers in the bay.

Opposite us is an hotel and a kind of public beach where anyone can go and for the price of a beach chair and an umbrella, they can spend the day . . . and they do.

Sissi does not have any beach, so the majority of the swimming takes place in this bay. The absence of a beach is also one of the reasons that the town has not been developed more than it has After doing a big of grocery shopping, having lunch and, of course, our siesta, Polley and I returned to Ormos about sundown. Last night was particularly dramatic largely because there were some clouds in the sky that you see here playing across the sun as it is headed down.

The problem with sunsets is that you just don’t know when to stop shooting as, at times, they just get increasingly intense and colorful. I like this shot as I captured the silhouette of a couple with the setting sun as a backdrop.

Once we had tucked the sun away for the night, we headed up to Liofito, a family-run restaurant in a little garden setting

We have become regulars there. The food is very good and the family that runs it are very nice. It is also very inexpensive, which is a plus as well. There is also a pretty little waitress-busgirl(?), Manuela, seen here with Polley.

The first night I stopped to make a reservation, she was wearing a kind of off the shoulder, asymmetrical top with her hair braided and she looked to me like some sort of Greek goddess! She told us she is not part of the family, just an employee, but a very attractive addition to the atmosphere. We had a wonderful meal, especially some fried tomato fritters. Fabulous! Aside from eating and drinking a litre of wine, we mostly played with a couple of the family cats. I am not sure if I have mentioned “Charming Charlie” before, but charming he is.

He is a real delight and frisks about from table to table, but seemed especially drawn to Polley (Surprise, Surprise!) last evening.

He has a brother, whose name we don’t know. He is a bit more cautious, but eventually was in my lap for 30 minutes or so. Lastly, each time we have been there, about 10 minutes before we are ready to leave, these 3 musicians wander in

They are never playing anything Greek. Usually in is some Mexican number, like "Besa me mucho" that we recognize from PV. They are not really very good, but are most insistent that you make a contribution. If not, they threaten to keep on playing! Anyway, a lovely day and we hope to duplicate it tomorrow. Tune in to find out if we are able to do little or nothing two days in a row.

Running with the Cretans

Dear Friends and Family, Well, I provided only the briefest of glimpses of our adventures in the last blog. Now, I will overload you with visuals as we took another day trip yesterday. However, first I need to go back to Thursday evening. We had pretty much limited our eating to two restaurants in Sissi, Neromylos and Liofito. Both are family-run establishments that have lovely garden settings. Thursday night we thought we might try more touristy place located right down on the sea. It had been recommended, but I had stayed away because I am very suspicious of places that have glossy pictures of their food and menus the size of War and Peace, seeming to serve everything that anyone as ever thought of. I am pleased to report, I was right again! The food was not very good, but the setting was nice and most amazing was that just below our table, down maybe 10 feet on the sea rocks were 3 cats who seemed to ignore the crashing waves and sea spray in hopes of getting bits of fish thrown to them. Of course, they were right! It was obviously very dark where they were lounging, but I did catch a photo of this one fellow who just curls up on a rock and waits for food to be thrown his way.

The other two were gray tabby cats and were very hard to see, without a camera, let along with one. And since the food was not great, the cats made out pretty well. Friday morning we headed east. Our plan was to visit Kritsa, a town about 30 minutes from Sissi that according to our friend, Tom Mueller, in his book, Extra Virginity, has the highest per capita consumption of olive oil, more than 50 liters per year per person!

I had actually expected a sleepy little village, but, in fact, while not large, it seemed to be set up for tourists. We got there quite early and things were just opening up. We had a couple of frappes directly across from the village church

and then wandered the streets where olive oil seemed to be the primary feature.

Coach-loads of tourists began to arrive and the individual shop owners began to try to lure you in. There were a fair number of shops featuring linens

And, of course, olive oil products. The first shop we wandered into was owned by a British woman who told us the best buy on Kritsa olive oil was actually at the super market. So that is where we picked up can of olive oil from Kritsa

After securing our can of olive oil, we headed for a little village we had visited last year, called Mochlos. It was about an hour’s journey further east, winding itself dramatically around the eastern, south of a larger city called Ágios Nikólaos. Mochlos is really just some holiday rentals and 3 or 4 tavernas that sit right on the sea.

We had a favorite from last year, Taverna Bagozi and the owner, Manoli and his wife, Gabby, were still there. We were actually the first to arrive, but followed shortly after by a group of French tourists who were on some sort of kayaking trip and had just pulled in for lunch.

After ordering some wine, we selected something called Gemista which was described as a stuffed tomato, pepper and potato dish. Manoli, however, informed us that it would be 30 minutes until it would be ready. So, we ordered some tzatziki and decided to wait. It was worth it. It was actually a stuffed tomato, a stuffed egg plant and a stuffed zucchini with some cooked potatoes on the side. The stuffing was a delicious rice and meat mixture. Of course, the wait necessitated more wine, but with a clear skies and fresh sea breezes, who minded.

Being completely satisfied, the meal making the previous night’s disappointing dinner fade quickly from our minds, we headed back to the apartment. It is a very dramatic coastline

And we made several stops along the way to capture it

Including a side trip to a little beach we had heard about, called Tholos beach.

We arrived home about 4 and tried for a nap. Road trips in Crete are very stressful so you need a bit of down time after a day on the road with a bunch of Cretans! We did go down to the harbor for a drink, but decided to stay in. We actually poured ourselves a couple of ouzos and sat and watched the sunset from our own deck, just in front of the apartment. This photo is looking our to the west toward the very touristy town of Malia

It was a lovely, warm evening and we just sort of came down off a busy day at about the same pace as the sun set in the sea. Tomorrow we face reality as having been here a week, it will be time to get laundry done and do some house chores in the apartment. More to come on that later.

Slow Day in Paradise

Dear Friends and Family, Hard to believe that we have now been gone more than a week. Last Wednesday we left, but, of course, it took us until late Friday evening to arrive. So, the calendar of our minds is a bit confused. Yesterday was a kind of recovery day. Doing a day trip in Crete by car is an exhausting adventure. As our host, Stuart, says, when driving in Crete, don’t worry about the car next to you, or the car behind you, worry about the one headed for you! They are crazy and seemingly no rules apply: pass on double yellow, pass on the right on a two lane road, race through a narrow lane, it is always the first one to flinch loses. So, when you travel the smallest distance there is always a certain level of anxiety. When you do it for a whole day, you are done-in! So, it was a very relaxing day. In fact, it was so laid-back that I neglected to take a single photo. Actually, as I wrote that sentence, I was reminded that I did, in fact, take one. The requisite sunset photo! I will reveal that shortly. I did the usual morning walk. I did have one slight shock as I drove out of our apartment (I drive to the road leading down to Sissi, as the main highway is a bit scary to walk on – they don’t call their drivers Cretans for nothing!). As I came on to the gravel road leading to the highway, I saw a huge buck deer! It had a huge rack of antlers, but the car spooked him almost immediately and he ran off before I could get a picture. He was, however, seen later in the day nearby and nearly drove the Sturgis’ two dogs, Lia and Ollie, out of their tiny little minds! I got off on my walk a bit later than usual and, believe me, once the sun is up (right about 7 am now), it warns up very quickly. I was drenched upon my return an hour later. Polley and I chose to just sit around the pool all morning. As I said, it is already plenty warm by 8:30 or 9, so we were reading and jumping back and forth into the pool every 15 minutes or so. It was nice to just relax, enjoy the quiet (just the swoosh of the cars on the highway) and focus on our books. Very pleasant. About noon, Polley and I went down to Ormos Café. It is that lovely setting, right on the harbor and, of course, it is the opportunity to check e-mail. Most of what we get is junk, but we do hear from a friend now and then and send off a few notes of our own. Feels nice to be connected. Funny how something like access to a WiFi code sort of locks you into a place. We are now regulars at Ormos and the owner, Nikko, has been very kind to us, with plates of fruit, nuts and chips along with our beer or wine. We did need to do a little more grocery shopping yesterday as we had neglected that pretty much since Saturday, our first day here. Then it was home for lunch and siesta. The nap made it clear exactly how much the day trip had taken out of us. We were both out for about 3 hours. It was so deep a sleep that it took falling in the pool to bring us back to the living. About 7 we headed back into Sissi and sat and watched the sunset from the harbor.

The sunsets are very dramatic here as the sun becomes this intense orange ball. I recall that the finest sunsets we had every witnessed were on the island of Santorini. These are just as dramatic, but in Santorini you are sitting up on the edge of the caldera of an old volcano, so you are really looking down on the sun dipping down over the horizon so that it appears that you can actually peek over the horizon to see where Sol has done. It gives the illusion that you catch a glimpse of the sun behind the curtain of the horizon. Anyway, after that, we headed to dinner at Liofito. This is the restaurant and working farm. We were there last Sunday. It is such a nice, peaceful setting and the owner and his wife seem very nice that we wanted to return. Last evening we had a large red pepper that is soaked in olive oil and garlic along with a roasted pork omelet that is a regional peasant dish; both quite good. With a half liter of wine, our bill was 13 euros! It is almost cheaper to eat out than to buy things at the store. It was a leisurely two and half hour dinner. The night was warm, so we were in no hurry. We also enjoy the locals who seem to frequent the place. Last night was packed and the poor owner (as waiter) and his wife (as cook) were nearly run off their feet. Got home about 10:45 (that’s what the siesta does for you), poured a couple of ouzos and just sat out under the stars. Where the apartment is there is very little light, so the sky is a wonder. We are off on another day-trip tomorrow so you may need to wait for Saturday for an update. We are going to the little village of Kritsa which our friend who wrote the book on olive oil, visited in doing his research. The per capita consumption of olive oil in this village is more than 50 liters! Italy and Spain average 13 liters and the US, less than 1 liter per person. Also hope to have a little lunch in Moklos, a tiny village that we enjoyed last year. Hopefully, there will be some pictures, of something other than sunsets!

A Little Traveling Music, Please!

Dear Friends and Family, Sorry for the lack of communication yesterday, but we did quite a bit of traveling and there simply was no time for a blog. Hopefully, the interruption will be worth as we explored territory that we had not visited previously. About 9 am we headed west on the National Highway (actually the ONLY true highway on the island!). We were going to spend the day and have lunch in Réthymno, the 3rd largest city in Crete. It is about 78 kilometers west of Heraklion, on the north coast. From pictures, it appeared to be a charming seaside town. It took about 1:45 to get there, and as we pulled on the highway, we found ourselves in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Unfortunately, we immediately took a wrong turn and found ourselves headed out of the town in which we had barely arrived! But as so often happens in travels, the bad luck, turned good. In the heat of the morning and dust of construction and chaos of traffic, we pulled off to a little taverna to get some sense of where we needed to be. We found ourselves at the Taverna Athina

It was run by a plump, older woman (no doubt younger than us) who we found rattling around in the kitchen. We asked if she was open and she was. We ordered a glass of wine each and when she asked if we wanted “Weiss Wine”. Were we still in Greece? This lady was German, but, of course, understood my Greek (Krasai Aspro) and was very delightful, as she guided us to her vine-covered terrace for our respite.

In addition to the grape arbor, she had some wonderful flowers that were clustered together by the side of the road.

After a half an hour or so, she directed us to the waterfront and the central harbor. It was back the other way and suddenly my picturesque village was a swarming hornets nest of cars, scooters and jay-walking tourists. It as a nightmare! As we worked our way toward the harbor we managed to find a parking space. We grabbed it! It was only later that we discovered we were about ¾ of a mile from where we might want to be. So we began our trek toward the harbor and the old part of town.

The beaches that fronted the harbor was a mass of umbrellas placed as close together as was physically possible. The sidewalks were jammed and it was one restaurant after another, each manned with its own huckster, trying with the subtlety of a pimp, to haul you in. Finally, as we approached the Venetian fortress, we succumbed and stopped for lunch. Lunch, which consisted of some tzatziki and friend sardines was okay. Actually the tzatziki was quite good, but the sardines were not exactly this morning’s catch. A bit fishy for our taste. Following lunch we wandered (perhaps “fought” our way is more precise) up along the harbor where the end is designated by a wonderful old lighthouse.

From there we turned into the old town district which seemed more an 18th century mall as it was one shop after another. People were everywhere.

We are not really shoppers so much of the charm of this section was lost on us. Also, it felt as though it was about 100-degrees in the sunny areas. So after wandering a bit, we made our way back to the car and headed along the old National road, hoping to find the charming village setting we had looked for Réthymno. We visited a couple of hopeful looking spots along the way, but, alas, it is high season in Crete and it seems that if it is near the sea, it is packed with tourists. We committed to one little seaside village, Agia Pelagia and drove off the highway and down a couple of miles to the sea only to nearly be trapped in a parking lot that appeared to look a lot like a frozen tableau of bumper cars! We escaped without a scratch, but I am still unsure how we were so fortunate. So, it was back on the National Highway and we headed for home. A rather disappointing outing. However, it did make us appreciate the sleepy tranquility of Sissi much more. So after a deep and rather lengthy siesta, we headed down to the harbor in Sissi for a drink and to check in with e-mail. As we were running a bit later than usual because of the day trip, we were able to catch glow of the sea just after sunset

As well as the harbor itself as the lights came on and created its own romantic ambience.

With that, the dissatisfactions of the earlier part of the day, seemed to fade away and as we drove home for a Greek salad and some Retsina all, once again, appeared right with the world.

Our Continuing Recovery

Dear Friends and Family, Recovery Day 2. A pretty lazy day this Sunday. I got a nice walk in early in the morning. My memory of Sissi was that it woke up a bit earlier, but that certainly does not seem true this year. The village is very quiet. Some old Greek men sitting have coffee (Greek, I would guess), and shooting the proverbial bull, a few merchants out mopping and sweeping and preparing for another day. As someone told us, you need to make a year’s worth of money in 6 months. It is very quiet in the later fall to early spring when the weather is pretty much as it is in Oregon. You get a quite nice view of the sea and the edge of the village from the front deck of Stuart and Angela’s where we sit and have coffee every morning.

Yesterday, the morning hours were spent sitting by the pool and reading.

We had too busy getting settled in and napping to get much reading done since arriving although we were pretty much read out after 20 or more hours flying to Crete. Polley and I went down to the village around noon, mostly to check e-mail and post the daily blog. We don’t have internet at the apartment (its only failing) so a daily trip to the Ormos Café to check and post is a requirement. It is also a nice place to sit, have a drink and watch the tourist activity: kids swimming, lovers strolling PICTURE HERE And Ducks paddling in threes.

Actually, last year there were ducks paddling in a threesome, these appear and sound more like geese. After that action-packed morning, it was home for lunch and siesta. It is clear we still not fully acclimated as we slept another solid 4 hours in the afternoon. About 7 we went back down to the harbor to catch the sunset. We had missed it the evening before so we grabbed a later dinner reservation and sat until sol went into the sea. For those who follow the blog, you know how we are with sunsets. This one had great potential, what with the clouds and a bit of haze there to add some color.

While I am sure we have seen better, this one was not bad.

At 8:06 pm local time, the sun disappeared for the day and we headed off for dinner. The place is actually a working farm and restaurant called Liofito. It is another simple garden setting and the food is very simple but very good. We had an excellent Greek salad and a flavorful sausage, green pepper/red pepper, onion dish. It was kind of Southern where it has been cooked slowly until it is nearly mush, but the flavors blend beautifully. It was very good and we may, in fact, return tonight. Our bill with wine was about $18. Hard to beat that. Home about 10, talked a bit with Angela about the process of building there place and then it was time to continue our quest to catch up on our sleep. Tomorrow there most likely will not be a blog as we are doing a day trip to Réthymno, a coastal town about 1 ½ hours west of us. Looks charming and I hope to bring back lots of photos. More from us, Wednesday.

Dear Friends and Family, Well, we have completed our first full day in Crete and it was lovely. Perhaps a bit busier than we might have wished, but the settling-in phase is always that way. In fact, I got to wondering, for those of you who have been reading these blogs over the years (yes, now 5 years!), how many times you have heard the old “settling-in” used. But there is that period of orienting your self to the new surroundings and gathering in supplies. However, I must confess that Angela spoils us when we arrive. There is always a pound of coffee, a couple of beers, some wine, fruit, eggs, bacon and butter in stock so that come the first morning you don’t have to run about. Very nice! After having turned in about 1:30 in the morning on Saturday, we awoke about 5:45 am. You don’t want to miss the mornings in Crete. They are splendid! Also, at this time of year, temperatures have been in the 90s and 100s, so it is best to get an early start and escape the heat of the mid-afternoon. I got my walk in about 7 and, believe me, by the time I got back, about 8, I was drenched in perspiration. The sun here comes up about 7:15 and an hour later you can already begin to feel it. Fortunately, upon returning from the hike, there is the pool to just sort of fall into. We then unpacked and arranged things before heading to the village of Sissi. Wanting to get some connection with home, we headed for a little bar that we enjoyed last year, Ormos Cafe. It is a lovely setting right on the harbor.

We discovered Ormos because it was one of the few places that offered WiFi. Now there is WiFi available in a variety of locations. Once we sat down at Ormos, Nikos, the bartender, came to take our order and immediately remembered us. So much of traveling is about people and it was nice to see him. We sat and watched the crowds of kids swimming in the harbor.

Sissi is much livelier in August than it was in late May and early June, a year ago. Except for the crowds, Sissi was pretty much the same. A couple of restaurants have closed, a couple new one have opened, but nothing dramatic seems to have happened. I told Polley that the town seemed the same, even the building projects that weren’t done last year, still aren’t done! After a drink (or two) we went to the market to stock in supplies before heading back to the apartment for lunch. Polley made us a delicious Greek salad. How else should you embark on a stay in Greece. We were able to wash the salad down with glasses of Retsina. A perfect beginning. You probably not be surprised by the fact that it was then naptime. We really were feeling the jet lag. However, having arrived here late at night and getting up on schedule, I think we will adjust quite quickly to the 10-hour time difference. Of course, having said that, I must confess that we were out for 4 solid hours, not rising until a bit after 6 in the evening. We had wanted to catch the sunset at the harbor, but were running a little late. We also had an 8 pm dinner reservation at one of our favorite restaurants from last year, Neromylos. It is a lovely place with very good Greek comfort food that sits in a charming garden.

We, of course, ordered too much food, but it was very good. We had some Tzatziki (which I must confess was not as good as ours – not enough garlic!), some delicious and tender friend calamari and goat that had been cooked in a tomato sauce for 4 hours. It was marvelous. It was sooo tender, it just fell off the bone. It is an excellent restaurant and was very busy.

It also helps that the husband and wife who run it are delightful. They remembered us as well. Such a pleasant evening. However, the highlight of the meal was the electrical short that created a small explosion and a kind of fireworks display just a few feet from our table. All the restaurant watched as the wire just sparked and then burned. However, no one seemed to panic, including the German family that was sitting directing under the fire and sparks. The owners just moved their table and we all watched the spectacle. Twice the light went completely out. In fact, the second time was as we were leaving and we learned that it was nearly a half hour before the power was restored. Ah, but that is just Greece! Home for a good rest and more tomorrow.

A Long Day, but a Lovely Reward

Dear Family and Friends, I often feel that one should anticipate the worst because chances are that in actuality it won’t be as bad as you thought. How true. On Wednesday morning at 6 am, we left for our extended “Last Grand European Tour.” The idea is to visit most of the wonderful people we have met over the last 4 years of phased retirement. So with that in mind, we headed off. First stop, Houston! Now we actually don’t know anyone in Houston and, at least politically, had no interest meeting anyone from Houston, or Texas for that matter. But the reality was that to us our free miles, the only seats we could find to Europe necessitated an overnight in Houston. So, to Houston it was.

Our first emergency occurred during our going from one plane to another in Seattle ( you must always go north to go south you know. Polley broke the thong part of her sandal, and was caught here trying to secure it with several band aids

Thank goodness for the old Johnson and Johnson shoe repair kit! Eventually, she abandoned shoes all together (all her other footwear was in checked luggage) which got us thrown out of some of the better airport establishments: “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service.” Once in the plane we were ready for our first trip to Houston. All went well We caught an airport shuttle to a Ramada Inn. It was one of about a dozen hotels that sit on busy JFK Boulevard, surrounded by absolutely nothing but other hotels. There was not a grocery store, a convenience store, a liquor store, anything. Even the hotels really didn’t have restaurants. There were these small areas that were set up for businessmen to get there Continental Breakfast in the morning and then they magically turned into small bars in the evening so the tired American professional could get his drink. Actually, we did find a restaurant at the Holiday Inn a couple of blocks down the boulevard. They had a place called “Good Eats,” which nearly lived up to its name. We had a wonderful cheese soup with bits of smoked chicken and roasted onion and poblano chile. It was very good. Also had a turkey/bacon Panini that could have served about 8. It was good, but I think we could choke down about a quarter of it before boxing it up and taking it back to the room where it sat in the refrigerator. Why we think we will eat the things we box up, I never know. I swear that nearly half of what I end up throwing out of our refrigerator is moldy containers of food we brought back from restaurants and forgot about. Anyway, our time in Houston was restful, but we did find that checkout time was 11 am, with a $40 fee for staying beyond checkout time. So, we found ourselves at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport at about 11:30 for a 4 pm flight. There we were at the practically empty Mickey Leland International Terminal. So a photo op with Mickey seemed appropriate

Our Air France check-in desk wasn’t even open. So we found a small bar and waited over glasses of wine for it to open at 12:30. Because of the nature of our itinerary, I was a little nervous about getting bags checked all the way through to Heraklion, in Crete. But a wonderful little Mexican girl made it work and with no luggage fees. So, the “Day from Hell” began. However, as I said, think the worst and it will most likely not be as bad. And it wasn’t. So starting at 4:10 pm on 9 August, we had a 9 hour flight from Houston to Paris. The plane was not very crowded and Polley and I had all 3 seats to ourselves. Air France does a lovely job of keeping you primed with complimentary beverages. We started with champagne, with a couple of glasses of wine with dinner and a little cognac for a digestif. Polley and I mostly read out Kindles and never even ventured into watching a film. We slept a bit, but mostly read and walked about a bit. We landed in Paris at 8:30 am (now 10 August) . with a leisurely 4 hour layover. The terminal at Charles De Gualle was a madhouse when we first arrived, but by the time we were to catch our flight to Athens all was very quiet. AT 12:35 we left for Athens. It was about a 3 hour flight and we were, in fact, a bit early in arriving. However, it was another lengthy layover (3 hours)

and the only bump in the long road of a day was in the final leg when our flight to Crete was about a half an hour late. That put us into Heraklion about 9 pm. In waiting for our luggage there was a moment of panic as I luggage failed to appear. I had been nervous as we had 3 luggage transfers on the day. But after failing to find our bags, I went to Olympic Airlines lost luggage and there they were! Apparently they had started to unload bags (ours) on one carousel and then switched to another. All was well, but now I was stressing about the rental car because I knew the small agency closed at 9:30. The girl, however, had hung on and with minimal fuss and bother(I do recommend Best Car Rental in Crete; run by two women who are very personable and prompt) we were on our way down the Crete National Highway, headed for Angela and Stuart in the little village of Sissi. It was nearly 10:30 when we arrived. You might remember that we stayed with the Sturgis’ last year for two weeks in June. They are great and we were thrilled to be back. They, of course, had waited up and we, in fact, chatted with them to well after midnight. It was one when we finally came crashing down. But what a lovely beginning. The night was warm and we just wanted to sit in the dark and take in the lovely breeze and the quiet country sounds of Crete. It is great to be back and I will keep you up to date on our 17 days here. More to come