Any (Venetian) Port in a(n Etesian) Storm

The window for a quick duck- and wine-related dash to Chania came down to Friday/Saturday 20th to 21st August, with the aim of being back for the Azogires tavli tournament and a birthday dinner on the Sunday.
We drove up in very hot weather, and the traditional 3-supermarket run was a sweaty affair! We stayed again at a small hotel on the Nea Chora :- not such a good room this time, and with a horrible view over to a flat roof where a German Shepherd dog was imprisoned with little shade and barked a great deal at free dogs below. We had a pleasant afternoon on the beach, and then went to Shanghai Lily's for the long-coveted duck! Next day the wind came up. We took a bus into the Old Town and went for a stroll around places we knew like the Market, and that we didn't. The beach now was OK but the sea very rough. We were uninspired for dinner and ended up with souvlaki. We had been monitoring the weather situation, and were not surprised when we got a SMS from Jeffri to say he wasn't going to do the Azogires expedition because of the wind, so we cancelled the dinner date and booked in for another night. In Chania there was no real wind problem, but there was a lot of cloud and the sea was very rough indeed. At the harbour there were no operational boat trips, and the waves were almost reaching restaurant tables. We had an interesting long lunch in one of the least aggressively marketed  places, and then walked back along the coast. Suddenly - a vision - the "French team" - the Kandonites - coming in the other direction! Later we had the most expensive bottles of Amstel in Crete. Grrr!

Monday morning saw clouds, rough seas and high humidity. We used the coast road, and in Maleme it rained! We stopped at the British Food Shop - which is a most depressing place (how could anyone crave most of these things?), and then went to the German War Cemetry, which we have been driving past for 22 years. It is high on a hill with a stunning view over the site of the battle of Crete in 1941. It was a moving experience - about 4,500 soldiers are buried there, and there is a very informative and peace-orientated exhibition. Halfway through our visit a large multi-national party arrived - many of whom we thought were showing insufficient interest and respect. When we left we saw that they had been brought up on two wally-trolleys, now branded as Fun Trains! Odd!
Going from North to South coast we were aware of clearing cloud and strengthening winds, and when we reache Paleo the talk was off the destruction on the Sunday. Women had been thrown from bicycles, palm trees had been uprooted and poles and road signs lay horizontal. Apparently there had been odd gusts at Beaufort 10. Our balcony and back patio were ankle-deep in foliage, plant debris and plastic. We made it down to the beach that day and saw drastic re-formation of the sand profile. The wind eased during the week. We feel we were quite clever and lucky to have been away during the devastation.
Click here for Chania habour webcam

A Reasonable Assumption

Early August in Paleochora became increasingly hot and humid, but with lowish tourism, although yet more friends arrived and the newly opened cantina saw regular long stays!
We had planned to get away for the dreaded 15th August, when the Assumption holiday can cause chaotic Greek traffic, beach noise and restaurant rudeness, but such was the lethargy following hot nights that we didn't organise anything. There was a beach party at the Jetee on the Saturday night, during which humidity reached 82% at 2am!

So we stayed in town,and survived, not least because on the Sunday - late afternoon - there was a sudden gust of wind and we realised that the Etesian (Meltemi) had arrived - a little late, but meaning business! It cleared the beach. As we also had to deal with three UK property-related crises (including getting Tesco to deliver a new washing machine) it may have been just as well! We then stayed around for a few days in order to be guests at Vicky's much-belated 60th birthday party with cake at the cantina, and hatched plans for a few days in Chania.

".. then two come along at the same time!"

Tuesday 10th was a major arrival day for Brits (and Irish!) that we know, so long hours have been spent at both the Jetee and the cantina catching up on news.
In particular Jo and Arvid are back after missing last year, and they approve of the new cantina. Yesterday they brought down the guitar, flute and harmonicas - alond with various gismos. It was as if the two years without the cantina had never happened! After some jamming with Professor Johnny - along came another British flautist. What are the odds on that?

So that was an unplanned twilight bottle of retsina!

Plain Sailing?

On Monday we celebrated our Silver Wedding Anniversary (and 27 years together). We had  a bucks fizz breakfast and a beautiful day on the beach, then we took sticky Greek cakes round to our neighbours and had dinner a deux at the Small Garden. Our main little party, however, was on Wednesday and involved dinner for 13 at the Corali :- this was about 60% of the YiaYiaGaGa Club (with Eva already departed and Charlie & Gaby not yet arrived), the French contingent and Eoin's brother & sister-in-law!

We had ordered a cake from the bakers, with instructions on the decoration. Bob picked it up before the "do" and reported that there was "something missing"! Breath was baited until presentation time. As expected we had sand- and sea-coloured stuff. some palm trees and parasols, and there -sitting on a pile of cream was a single male figure in white Speedos (looking like Barbie's Ken!). A strange celebration of "togetherness"! Great fun though, lovely gifts aand cards, and a long session afterwards at the former-Coconuts.

Since then - two developments - we have a Southampton-registered luxury yacht moored at the Skala port with red ensign flying - Shalimar II. We have tried to find out more about the owner - but suspect it is chartered by US contractors from the Souda NATO base, who were throwing money and voices around at Atoli's live music gig last night. Also our first two-storey bar has just opened (called SunSea or similar!) in an old house between Votsalo and Maria's. It is aimed at young people (!!) and thus of little interest to us. Yesterday we sat next door during an unbeachable windy afternoon and it was full of Chania folk down for the evening's (unremarkable) beach party.

Going up and Running on Empty

Last Saturday the wondrous Mick - he of the icons - drove us once again to Azogires. We should have been more numerous - but there has been a nasty bug doing the rounds. (Not too much information on that one I think!). When we got there Lucky at the Alpha had descended to Paleohora, so it was "serve yourself and leave the money" at the kafenion until his return. He had also left his father's (untaxed?) veteran Lincoln out on view. Magnificent!

Azogires is famous - not only for Lucky, his humour, the Lincoln and the special omelette - but for its long history, and a succession of Holy residents, Holy caves and Holy buildings, so this time Bob went with Mick to view a few of the more accessible ones. (Ruth stayed at the Alpha and consumed another Holy Mythos!) 

Within a few days there was a fair amount of invoking "blessed", "holiness" and some prayers even by atheists as the fuel supply situation deteriorated! By Tuesday - the main UK charter transfer day - things were getting a bit tight, and tempers a bit frayed. Many hire cars have had to be abandonned and the occupants "rescued". but there is now no fuel on public sale in the village. The truth is that the "blame" is not easy to assign! The government seems to have handled the problem of changing the status of the tanker and truck drivers with complete incompetence under pressure from EU and IMF. There is an excellent account of the issue - as well as news on progress on the disruptions "sticky" on the Living in Crete Forum.

By this Saturday supplies were getting through, and on Sunday all industrial action was suspended. There is no actual settlement of the truckers' dilemma, but we now have fuel, and with a heatwave too the village is pretty full and double/triple-parking is back with us! Maybe it is time to go back up the mountain!