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Archive for October, 2007

Raindrops and Roses

Posted in Local Culture, tagged , , , , , , , on October 24, 2007 | Leave a Comment »

Well the rains have now come to northern Crete certainly. Although there were some hailstones falling in Iraklion, here in northwest Crete we have had just the gentle rains that always come every autumn. I love it when the rain comes.
The earth that summer baked hard is now soft and damp. A great time to [...]

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Moments in Souda Bay War Cemetery

Posted in History, Places, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 13, 2007 | 10 Comments »

I spent a while this afternoon in the Souda Bay War Cemetery. Sometimes I just like to go there to sit and stare across the many neatly lined graves to the sea of Souda. I am too young to actually remember the war because I wasn’t born until 1946, but from what I have read, [...]

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The Magical Mesara Plain.

Posted in History, Places, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 11, 2007 | Leave a Comment »

In the whole of the island of Crete, one area that is still magical today as well as being vitally important to the history of Crete, is the Mesara Plain. The  Mesara is in southern central Crete in the south of the Nomos of Iraklion. It is the biggest plain in Crete and very important [...]

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Agioi Deka, the ten saints of Crete.

Posted in History, Places, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment »

The road from Iraklion winds south through the town of Agia Barbara and descends to the Mesara Plain at a small village which is still called, to this day, Agioi Deka. Agioi Deka is built on the eastern part of the ancient city of Gortyn. Gortyn is one of my favourite sites in Crete and [...]

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Blogger to blogger in Crete

Posted in Life in Crete, tagged , , on October 7, 2007 | Leave a Comment »

I had the great pleasure today to meet Jane of Jane’s Vrahassi and spent a good time talking with her, her husband David and George who is apparently known by some as ‘little legs.’ David is a great guy and we got on with him very well and swapped some stories and enjoyed their excellent [...]

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Island with a Hundred Cities

Posted in History, tagged , , , , , , on October 3, 2007 | Leave a Comment »

After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the foundation of the new Greek Kingdoms, mostly in the east, the island of Crete rose in importance. Hellenistic Greece was a real bed of influence and threat as well as downright attacks on each other, kingdom verses kingdom, state against state.
The only way [...]

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Poem for Ersi

Posted in Poetry, tagged , , , , , , on October 2, 2007 | Leave a Comment »

It was all so long ago,
Days that never seemed to end,
The gentle rising of the sea in the harbour,
And the birds that came to my window
Just to sing.
And as a child I was warmed
By the sun and by the constancy
Of life among flowers
Brushed by the cooling summer wind.
But my childhood ended that summer
As the birds, [...]

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