It never rains but it pours!

This has not been a good week for the village.
Kosmar guests all got away on Tues 16th - one way or another, but then the (justified) worry amongst room-owners spead and a fair number of people with another week to go were "evicted" and taken to Georgiopolis on the North Coast. This was once comparable to Paleo as a large village, but is no more! Apparently some of those moved discharged themselves and came back!

Then on Wednesday - as foretold by the meteo- it rained. Not a great deal and the first since May - but it was in the context of increasingly cloudy, hazy or overcast days that were only just beachable!

Saturday was foul! We ventured out in the evening, and the main street was wintery. We sat outside and the temperature was allegedly 21 degrees, but with a bitter wind chill we didn't stay long. On Sunday and Monday there was more rain, thunder and lightning. Today it has been a little better, and some time was spent on the beach. The sand has been moved agin by the high tides and wind - so that the plate rocks are exposed as earlier in the year.

This evening the last Kosmar clients left. The end of an era!

Just what we needed - not!

Whilst we were away camping on the North Coast we blithely checked email and saw the news that XL and associated companies had collapsed,

Kosmar is by far the larger of the two British companies with a package-holiday presence in the village, and XL is widely used for flight-only deals through Chania. Flight day is Tuesday so this has given a bit of time for arrangement of alternative flights for the Kosmar people. The rep has been working her (possibly unpaid) socks off to keep them infomed and the assumption is that those due to leave today will have done so - though with disruption to time and/or possible UK destination.

Flight-only people are getting no help! They should get their money back if they paid by credit card. The three couples we have met so far in this situation have extended their stay by a few days and will be flying back through Heraklion or Athens. All were remarkably cheerful!

The only villainy we have heard of is a room-owner (un-named but we have suspicions) who has been refusing to clean since the announcement.

Of course it means a clear reduction in September tourists- even if some re-book, and there are plenty of businesses that were counting on them (more money- better tase!) to help after a poor summer. So - if you have the chance - get out here soon. Barry's blog has advice on how to get here.http://calypsocrete.blogspot.com

We will fight them on the beaches!

A theme through the peak season has been changes and conflict on the northern part of the sandy beach.

For at least 25 years there has been a length of beach where naturism is tolerated (despite being technically illegal in Greece). The end points are well-understood to be two large rocks. At the far end this boundary is reinforced by two notices like this. As for many years there has also been a thriving kantina beyond the border and accessible from a car park there has been very little confusion about where clothes are required.

This year, however, there has been trouble!

First, following the fire, there were very few sunbeds and umbrellas in the "textile" area in front of the kantina ruins. Then far mre were set up and managed along the whole "naturist" length of beach. In early August following some complaints the first block of beds etc was designated "textile" by the placing of notices on posts at either end. Edmond - the fabulous sunbed man - said it would probably only be for the month. It certainly implied that naturism was at least tolerated beyond that point. Towards the end of the month those few items left at the kantina site were unceremoniously removed in the middle of the day. Nevertheless all seemed clear and everyone seemed content, but on a Sunday - when we were not on the beach at all - there was a raid! Up until five or so years ago this would happen on one August Sunday each year, but for many it was a new event! The reason was explained to us by Noreen (Irish - not Brit - sorry!) who has a great spot for her party under the tree near the kantina site. It seems a Greek-Canadian had been getting increasingly agitated about unwanted views of dangly bits and was raving about all the depravity with which this was - in her mind - clearly associated. It is she or partner who re-painted the sign! She rang the mayor and/or Port Police, who had to do something. They spoke to everyone who was even topless and would take no pleas about "custom and practice" or "toleration". They did not however come back, and normality soon resumed. Later in the week they repeated the process causing further distress to the simply topless who just like that bit of shore!

We don't know where the mayor actually stands on this. One look at the numbers involved in the context of falling tourism ought to bring all to their senses, and presumably next year with a functioning kantina there will be more clarity about it all.

Gone to Gavdos!

In July we had the pleasure of meeting Dick and Jane at the bus stop. They have sold their house in Suffolk and now spend winters in India and summers wherever they fancy.

This year it was Paleochora!

We could not compete on the ageing hippie front (although of course competition doesn't figure in those stakes!)

They asked what we knew about Gavdos so we lent them this article from Travel Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/jul/05/greece.beach and pointed them towards Stelios at the Almyrida.

They bought a tent and spent a blissful month there. We missed their eventual departure and so never got their full run-down on Goa for February.

The Golden Kri-kri

The Annual Paleochora Tavli Tournament
Order of Merit

Winner of the Golden Kri-Kri for 2008:

………Ruth…………………………………

Sponored by the Paleochora Yia-yia Ga-Ga Club
& Yanni’s Place

(The Kri-kri Poo was awarded to Chloe for the lowest score)

Tavli is essentially backgammon! Ruth taught Felix and Lucas to play many years ago. Now they are better at it, so it was great surprise when in this three-round contest she emerged as winner following a "gammon" against Chloe. (We may need to revise the scoring pattern!) As a consolation we allowed the boys to take the actual trophy back to Germany for the year.

The kri-kri is a goat with distinctive horns which is native to Crete. Not everyone finds goats benign. For example a former resident of our apartment has a conspiracy theory that is worth a look! http://evilgoats.blogspot.com

Live Music 2 - "Well I woke up this morning!"

Felix and Lucas performed alternate evenings on the seafront as they had last year - making a similar amount from unsolicited donations!

For larger sessions they chose the new grill room opened this year by Mima and Giorgos. All the instruments were brought into use and extra customers were drawn in.

On one occasion we/they were joined by a young French couple from the campsite, who offered a bizarre but charming French number about life being full of cacti!


Later all present (including a mystery Scots singer - Alan - not seen since!) were asked to offer a verse of blues. Topics covered included muesli and yoghurt, sunbeds, snow in Kandanos, goats, camping.... etc etc. Sadly it was not recorded!

During this period the glorious Angel Skordalis and his band returned for a second session at the Atoli.

Live Music 1 - birthdays on the beach

Tuesday 26th August - Felix reaches 17 and Arvid reaches some rather larger figure! He and Jo also arrive for their holiday.

The Hains planned a magnificent party on one of the small hidden beaches before Gramenon.

We were taken out there in the camper van and found a huge bonfire, delicious food cooked at the campsite, punch in a watermelon, but not much light!

As well as the birthday boys and family and ourselves there were Eion and Julia from Surrey and Felix and Antonia from Vienna. We were treated to great jamming, setting the tone for the next two weeks.

Reluctant Hero (and half of a pair of plonkers!)

Friends Rainer, Doris, Felix and Lucas arrived from Germany in their new camper van for an extended stay from 22nd August. Many Brownie points were awarded for their itinerary:- by land all the way to Piraeus passing though a handful of Balkan countries.

Points were then forfeited by the boys for gross stupidity on their first night here! On their way back to the van they played volley ball with the keys using telephone wires as the net. Inevitably the keys got caught up there, and the boys then threw up a wallet to dislodge them. This (containing inter alia passport and a very valuable travel pass) landed on a random balcony. It was about 1 a.m.! Disaster! Many fruitless strategies were adopted but eventually young Nikos from Yanni's Place - not known for his proactive behaiour stepped in, found a ladder from somewhere (no questions asked!) and retrived the items. He wallowed in the praise!

Harvest moon!

A full moon again, so time to update! Chloe joined us from 3rd to 13th September filling the gap between her gap year and going to Brighton Uni.

It was the first time she had seen the new apartment and she was particularly taken with the bougainvillea and view on our balcony.

We had a week in Paleo with plenty of beach time, wind-driven days at Anidri and the Viena, good meals and stories from Chloe of Cuba, S America, Morocco, our flat in Fuerte, Tribe of Doris Festival and Oxford japes. She made a collection of photos around the village to share on Facebook with all those similarly-aged guys and gals who no longer loaf around here in August.

We then had three days camping at Mithimna (see earlier postings) - very quiet and a bit windy! On the Friday we went to do some business in Chania and had a Chinese meal - with duck!- bliss! On Saturday we investigated the Akrotiri and found a very pleasant beach at Kalathas. Then Chloe took the ferry back to Piraeus and we drove back to Mithimna.

Yesterday we came back home to Paleo. The weather had apparently been very good whilst we were away. The main topic of conversation in the village - of course - is the collapse of XL and Kosmar.