Villa Calista Pages: A Window On Living on Crete

This blog entry is brief [or a window] on what it is like to live on Crete. Crete is an island with the Cretan Sea to the north and the Libyan Sea to the south. It is 250 km long not very wide at any point

This picture of Crete shows how mountainous it is and also how it sits at the bottom of the Greek Archipelago.

This blog entry is about the day to day necessities of learning to live here.

Our village, Periviola, is off the beaten track for tourists so we are an oddity in the village. People are beginning to recognize us. Neighbours greet us now, the village dogs come running for their treat [which we keep in our car] and the old men in the taverna wave to us as we pass.

We are living in a cottage and as such we shop, II I am learning Greek. I can count to 20, I know my colours and a few other words of politeness such as hello, thank you, please etc so I almost qualified to go to pre-school. A few days ago I ordered my meal entirely in Greek and got exactly what I expected! The local butcher practices his English with me and I work on my Greek with him. "micro" for little and "meso" for half and so on.

Learning to shop is one of the best ways to become accustomed to the Greek culture. A few days ago out cottage toilet seat broke and had to be replaced.

So first of all there are no big stores here such as Home Depot where you go for all household repairs. There is one store for wood, another for tiles, another for plumbing fixtures and another for plumbing hardware. It takes a long time to get anything done because everything involves a series of slow steps.

So when I found my new toilet seat I learned a lesson about doing business. It is slow, one person makes the sale and notifies another who makes up a receipt and brings it to me and I go to still another who the money. All this through a constant stream of interruptions and diversions. Nothing here happens quickly. I have to step back and enjoy the experience. "Saga saga", slowly slowly.

Accompanying the entries of the blog are some window pictures I have taken of new and old windows. Windows, like doors, [the last blog featured doors prominently] are physical features of our homes that are interesting and as this is a "window" on Crete for those not familiar with it, pictures of windows new and old will pepper this introduction to day to day life on Crete. So sit back and enjoy.

This is our window from last winter overlooking Chania harbour.

It can be helpful to become lost from time to time. We are living on the outskirts of Chania, the second largest city on Crete. It is similar in size to Fredericton. Being close to the city this trip has given me the opportunity to learn the streets and routes through it.

When I have time I take a new road, get disoriented and wander through the area until I find somehting I know and then I have learned a new road. It's fun and a real challenge at times as there are no blocks as we know them. Being 'lost' is the best way to become aware and to learn.

I remember when I studied chess my 'master' reminded me I could not learn in if I won- only if I lost. How true is that of life? Only when we are at a loss do we learn!

Wandering around a new culture is a form of being lost, observing and testing until I get it right.

Driving on Crete is an experience. It is a balance between staying far right at all times, as the guy behind may pass at any time and motorcycles weave around me at will, yet watching for the car door about to open in my path or pedestrian shoot out from between parked cars. Showing courtesy is a fast way to an accident. Pedestrians will walk straight at me but I do not stop as the guy behind will plow into me. The pedestrians, who are all over the road, simply look out for themselves. I learned to drive in Montreal in the days when driving was this crazy so it is a return to my roots and is still very familiar. Note this traffic light right.

Traffic lights [above]are surprisingly well obeyed, contrary to stop signs which are merely suggestions. The traffic lights are not positioned opposite as we have but on the same side so when I pull up I need to stay far enough back to be able to see the green. If I get too far forward the fellow behind will beep when it is green. Of course he may beep for many other reasons as well so being first in line is a moment of some angst.

Road signs are in Greek and English which is helpful. But the youth regularly spray paint over the English. These signs also help me learn to pronounce Greek words as well.

Food is one of the true delights of Crete. Whether it is eating out or going to the market, or even the grocery store the food is wonderful. We eat mostly a Cretan diet which is high in cheeses and vegetables.

We took our British ex-pat friends out for an antokristo meal at the taverna beside our cottage. Nikos, the owner-chef set up this authentic Cretan restaurant both as a passion and a business. Each night we have eaten there it has been full and on one evening stand room only

Pictured here is the modern Antokristo method that models an ancient time when meat was cooked beside the fire. This is a slow roast method that results in succulent meat. We had land, pork and chicken along with loads of wine, salads and of course raki. One can not have a proper Cretan table without raki.

The markets are everywhere and fresh food is readily available. The grocery stores are wonderful to shop in. First the number of items are not overwhelming but everything is here. Many products have enough English or a picture so they can be identified. Prices are very good.

To buy hamburger called mince here, I go the butcher and pick the piece of meat I wish and he grinds it right there. Like the way I remember as a kid but more to the point- I get to see the quality before it is rendered unrecognizable.

Sampling cheese or olives is expected. There is far less industrial food than we might expect to see and far more fresh. If I want two eggs I can but two eggs- fresh. Vegetables are not perfect- they are often blemished as healthy vegetables are and in the larger stores a clerk is standing by to weigh and price items at the scales.

There are few chain stores and no power centres. There is one road called the Souda Road where many speicality stores are spread out over several clicks but a drive down that road will bring you to most everything including the Ikea.

This pic on the right is of Naxos harbour taken from the window of the ambassador's office on the island of Naxos.

The pharmacy on Crete is an interesting case where the Cretan's are a long way ahead of us. First of all the signs are prominent and feature a green cross. Some are more elaborate such as this one with other images. But it is inside that is of interest. Pharmacists can hand out antibiotics and other drugs for readily recognizable symptoms, without a prescription, such as ear infections, bladder infections, sinus infections. Or they can send you directly to the hospital for a test to determine which of two or three things may be at issue. So no need to go to the doctor if you onow what is wrong. Makes sense does it not?