Market Day

What is there to say about market day that pictures can't say better. Every vendor is cutting cheese to offer the taste, pouring their raki in hope of a sale, handing you a spoonful of wonderful Cretan honey, scooping out unbelievable varieties of olives to try.

And then there are the vegetables. Fresh. Lush. Organic!

Imagine in December seeing this kind of fresh picked local vegetables, meats and others. 

Warning- this may not be suitable to everyone- reads further at your own risk

Here is a dish I would like to try - but have yet to found on a menu. I'm told I will get it in the village travinas. I shall let you know how sheep heads taste!

Sheeps Head

A Note about the Death of the Cretan the Jews of WW2

The Jewish Community in Chania was not large, relative to other Jewish centres, prior to WW2. However, there was a distinct community of Jewish people here. They had their own quarter, where I now stay. Perhaps my bedroom was one of their bedrooms. They had their own synagogue just around the corner.  When it "came their turn" they were rounded up and placed on a ship destined for the execution camps of northern Europe.

A British submarine, just off the harbour, torpedoed the ship thinking it carried weapons. It sank quickly. No one survived. The British tried in vain to deny their involvement in this terrible misjudgment. In more recent years the British had to admit this was, in fact,  the case.

The Cretans were horrified by this tragedy. A memorial depicting the  'hand reaching out of the sea for life", is their gift of dedication for those who, from their city, died this way.

The Jews however, put a rather poignant twist on the event. It was reframed by the Jewish survivors within the context of reflection upon the war years, that given the horrors and terrors that awaited these men, women and children in the camps, Yahweh 'took pity upon his children of God' in this sudden and merciful act of sudden death.

This adds an emphasis to the unfathomable complexities of the situation the Jewish people found themselves in after the holocaust. How does one account of such evil as was visited upon them? Does this kind of 'grace' give a meaningful answer?

I have visited many of these sites from Russia, the Ukraine, Belarus and the Check Republic. They never cease to give me pause-  as they should. 

Living in Chania

Sunday Evening, Post 2, Living in Chania, Dec 30, 2012, 8 p.m. local time.

Chania is a very old city dating from the Minoan period [2000 BCE] as an occupied major community on Crete.  Archaeological evidence shows it has been continuously occupied since the Palaeolithic. Its natural harbour surrounded by hills for protection would have been the attraction.

I'm staying in what became the " old Jewish quarter", in a 600 year old Venetian Manor House overlooking the old harbour. It has been completely modernized and is very functional and comfortable. I have one more day to spend here before picking up a rental car and moving to a villa in the village Almyrida [pronounced al-mer-eeda] overlooking the Cretan Sea. Driving appears to be a blood sport in Crete. Stop signs are definitely a suggestion. No doubt a blog will follow on this experience!

Look closely at the craftsmanship that went into restoring this manor house. The old stones are preserved within the upgrade walls.

  

This little niche probably dates from the Turkish period. It was a window since stoned over at the back. My apartment features these old architectural components beautifully blended with the modern renovations.

The real wonder and magic of Chania is being out and about. The Old Harbour cafes, restaurants and bars each offer different themes and attractions. I've learned the first key thing in choosing a cafe is first, the comfort of the chairs. Strangely, in a city that has overcome incredible challenges, the chairs often leave much to be desired!

This is the off season so the harbour and streets are quite easily navigated. In the summer Chania is packed with tourists.  Tables are hard to find. Everything is open. This is Christmas week obviously but that means more is open than will soon be the case. The Cretans observe Christmas on Dec 25 as we do, but their gift giving is on New Years Day. We have been enjoying all the open shops etc because the residents are completing their gift giving preparations today and tomorrow. 

It's the streets of the old town that offer the most interesting sites. Every little space is crammed with history ranging from the old Venetian houses - to Ottoman influences - to Nazi iron works from the occupation, through to modern necessities. It is hard to imagine all that is involved in renovating these centuries old structures.

An open door shows just how modern and well kept these old building are on the inside. Each open door offers  a glimpse into their living. 

The animals have a rough life here. There are many feral cats that often do not belong to anyone but are never the less cared for by the local residents. People want the cats around that are good mousers. It is a "live and let live"balance. Their lives are short. The dogs do not fare as well as the cats as they are more dependent on the kindness of others. The dogs 'hang out' at the souvlaki stands and other such places where people feed them. 

So that's a little something of living in Chania. Because the streets are narrow there is no curb side garbage pick up as such. That means I can't let it build up. So moderate size garbage bags are carried in the a.m. to the edges of Old Town- or parts that can be accessed by vehicles, where communal garbage bins are located. 

Enjoy your snow shovelling if you are reading this tonight. I'm enjoying a "May" kind of evening on the waterfront and being very grateful for this blessing of travel. The Chippewa have a saying that "to travel is to dance". I'm dancing!

Sunday Evening, Dec 30, 2012

The sun is setting over the Aegean and I'm back in my apartment overlooking the old harbour. Now, about food. Cretan food is a grand experience! Here's a brief introduction to what I'm enjoying.  All food is very very fresh. Very little frozen food here! Every season is a growing season so seeds are continually going into the ground and harvest is continually rolling into the city.

I had a vegetarian lunch while you were, no doubt, shovelling again. I feel for you but...

Below are slow roasted potatoes in garlic oil - even potatoes here taste better. Stuffed grape vine leaves on the left with a spicy sour cream sauce. Of course wine and local honey beer served chilled.

Dining is a way of life here. It is slow. It is exquisite. It takes hours to eat. The waiters chat and everyone is friendly. It was a vegetarian lunch today. The salad was the main dish. It was served in a philo bowl that went well with raisins, nuts, cranberries, beets, corn and fresh great tasting tomatoes in a very subtle honey mustard based dressing. Uuuuummmm

Each meal followed by the "Gift of the House". The gift is presented when you try to leave and the waiter will say "stay for just one more thing". It is free. It always comes with raki. For lunch it was raki served with an angel food cake soaked in Cretan honey and served by chocolate covered ice cream. The ice cream, like the yogurt, is better than anything I've ever tasted before.

Raki is a drink everyone makes. After the wine is made, and everyone here makes wine from local grapes, the pomace [pieces of the grape left over the wine making process], are aged in barrels and distilled. Often it is 40-65 proof. It is served cold with fruits and sweets. The taste is hard to describe. Imagine pure alcohol with a little turpentine and you are close. It reminded me of Newfoundland screech the first time I tasted it. Often it is tempered with honey.

In the wee hours- when its time to call it a night, it is time for souvlaki. The street vendors have little store front operations and I went to the busiest one and was not disappointed. Even at 2:30 a.m. the streets are crowded.

These wraps come with the french fries inside the wrap with lettuce, tomato, sauce etc. The bread is full, hot and delcious. The pork is prepared in a most surprising yet practical manner. Marinated pork slices are stacked on a vertical spit a couple of feet high and cooked in a vertical rotisserie. The server shaves the thin layer of cooked pork off using a razor type instrument. The slowly turning meat keeps presenting freshly cooked, hot, juicy meat to the customer. Ingenious! And GOOOODDD.

So that is a brief introduction to eating in Chania. This is truly a world of different culinary delights. I'm going to have to keep walking if I'm not to come home even more overweight then I am now. 

It is Sunday Dec 30, the last Sunday of the year and I'm sitting in my apartment window overlooking the old harbour of Chania listening to CBC news in Canada give updates on a winter storm impacting New Brunswick again. It is sunny and warm here. The coffee is great and my breakfast is fresh fruit just picked yesterday.

Chania [pronounced hon-YA], is an ancient Venetian fortified city in the Aegean from which each empire exerted naval power for over a 1000 years. Below is the entrance to my apartment. No cars can get anywhere near here. It's a long walk through ancient streets to Fountain Square, passing great shops and wonderful restaurants of all kinds. Many of these houses date back to the old city dating from 1300's. My own apartment is an old Venetian Manor house over 600 years old.

With this simple post I conclude my first blog. It has been an experience to get it going. More to follow and to my friends and family in Canada, stay warm and safe as this storm passes by. Happy New Year to all.