Up, up, up!

July has been dominated for Greyrocks by the Wedding of the Year and the Wretched World Cup! As we reach the midpoint in our 2018 stay we also near A-Day when over 30 guests arrive from UK and Athens ahead of the event. This has meant a lot of liaison, strange purchases and fiddly handicraft :- all of which will be "worth it on the day". In between we have been gradually sinking into full "beach bum" mode as folk arrive and the sea improves
So with the theme of things going up, here is how it has been:


1. The Blue Flag is raised! This year about ten days early compared to recent years. It seems the whole administration of beaches has been streamlined! But today the Greek flag nearby is flying at half-mast as part of the three day mourning for the victims of the fires on the mainland. This has poignant meaning for Greyrocks as we pass in each direction the site of the Kineta fire beside the national road to Patras. Up in flames! - so sad!

2. The Spanish flag was raised and swiftly packed away! We are not great football fans., and are disgusted the Russia should have been allowed to host and benefit from the World Cup. (And Qatar next! - FIFA is a cesspool!) Also as ex-pats we wanted to distance ourselves from support for England having too close an association with Brexit! Chloë had drawn Spain in her work's sweepstake, so this - with our Canarian resident status - seemed a good enough reason to fish out the Spanish flag on the day of a significant match. We took it to our tree on the beach and to the cantina. On the way home - knowing nothing of the score - we dropped in at Zygos, and watched through to the end of the penalty shoot-out. On dear! Well it is back flying from our balcony now! In fact the Wretched World Cup had a serious impact on Greyrocks' social life. On match evenings only a tiny fraction of bars and restaurants did not have large (or in some cases) enormous screens. We discovered that Tassos' (Seagull)  was one, and on a couple of occasions spent time there even though we had eaten elsewhere. Germany's early exit took some of the general excitement in the main street away; but when England played Croatia the behaviour of Brits at Cosmogonia had us with our heads in our hands. Symbolic for us of why we left the country!

3. The raising of glasses of bubbly was investigated. The upcoming celebrations have led us into research on sparkling wine for the reception. We had committed to Prosecco but were having trouble sourcing it in quantity, so came upon the notion of a Cretan wine. One that interested us was Zazazu - light, fairly inexpensive, but was it too sweet? We tried it at Monika's Garden, and were offered the other expensive one at the Palm Tree. In the end, however, Manolis greeted us one evening at Atoli and beckoned us over to show a stash of Prosecco!

4. We made two trips up to Chania. The early one was principally for a blood test. We ambled down to the bus station for the 7.45 and were surprised to find ourselves rushed through the boarding process. The timetable had changed the day before and we were lucky to catch it! The bleeding process was completed efficiently and cheaply, so we spent the day wandering around. The only other serious aim was to buy bulk sugared almonds  of the right spec. and with some kind help we achieved this. We walked over to Nea Hora and were shocked and delighted! At last it is becoming traffic-free. We didn't venture into the sea but sat for a long time watching and hearing the angle-grinder, then had a long lunch at Akrogiali and took the 4 pm bus back! The second trip last week was really just to have a break, but we did want to locate some baskets. The latter failed and Plan B will come into force! The high season bus timetable gives the option of an 11 am departure, and one back at 20.00, which has significance for those flying in on afternoon flights. We used these two services. After abandoning the shopping we repeated the walking tour and lunch, discovering that the pedestrianisation has been largely suspended (for tourism reasons?) and got sunbeds for free! The bus that turned up for the return journey was not what we expected. It was a 22 seater and was full! It unnecessarily took the long route, and we had to stop for a child who threw up inside! Not the best end to a pleasant day!

5. The game has been raised on the culinary front. As reported in the previous post we have three new eateries and Greyrocks has now made an exploratory visit to each! Fuller critiques are destined for Trip Advisor, but in essence we have:

• Parasties: flash revamp of Kapetan Dimitri - food unremarkable, service professional but detached, signature dish is chips (!) and they were under-cooked twice!!
• Dionysos: reopened after several years closed - good service, helpful, and Ruth loved a cuttlefish stew!
• Dakos:  a new meze place - delightful! Several super dishes shared and charming service! - going to be favourite in our circle!

6. The level of sand over the rocks has risen. What more can one say? Early in the month it improved, but now we have a set-back with the strange weather since 21st  or so!

7. The sea temperature has risen. Thank goodness! Greyrocks has been happy to swim since about 2nd July - confirming a theory that this is about the earliest one can expect. It has sometimes been too rough since then - but always acceptably warm!