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?

The eyes are the windows of the soul. -- Thomas Phaer (c.1510-1560

A smile is a window in your face to show your heart is at home. -- unknown 

The end.... for now

Learning about Greek Orthodoxy - A Primer

This entry should be consumed with a grain of caution.

Perhaps a handful of grains of caution.

I shall attempt to produce a primer on Greek Orthodoxy which forms the religious foundation for life on Crete.

This picture to the right is taken in Argyroupolis, a mountain village known for it's beautiful waterfalls.  The water for the village emerges in the back of this cave and then spills out into the villages waterfalls. This village's history goes to Mycenaean times as, according to legend, it was founded by Agamemnon, the king who led the Greek warriors against Troy about the same time Israel was in its first formative stage.

Eastern religion is not an area of study I can confidently claim much scholarly awareness about.  I studied it in seminary but it was quickly passed over in the interest of getting to western church theology, which is of more direct concern to Canadians.

As I explore Crete Orthodoxy I am becoming more familiar with it and patterns are emerging. Perhaps what I see, read and experience can be helpful to those of you equally curious about this large Eastern Christian faith.

Corrections of a factual nature to any of these entries will be most welcome!

The Christian Orthodox "Commonwealth", taken as a whole, constitutes the 2nd largest Christian body of believers in the world. In the past century migration has spread it to most countries. In Canada many of us now know people who are rooted in the orthodox traditions and still practice their belief through its traditions and rituals that may appear quite strange to us.

The icon is the most obvious distinguishing feature of Orthodoxy. I am coming to know that the icon is but one aspect of the Orthodox faith yet where my interest begins - so it shall be the focus of this first entry on Orthodoxy.


This icon is encased in a beautiful piece of carved woodwork, not uncommon in many churches. Notice the votives hanging on a string on the left side.

Votives  are   a form of prayer or request. This votive depicts a little girl. Is she ill, is  it a requested for a daughter? I have seen them for sale in numerous shops that offer religious items and these shops are common. Many shops offer icons or other religious items as a side aspect of the their business. 

The icons are ever present in Crete. Many stores offer them for sale. I can say, with some confidence, that most every home will have at least one icon placed in a spot of honour. We have one in our home in New Maryland, a gift from a devout friend who insisted it would bring us many blessings. Our farm cottage here has one in a beautiful niche in the living room wall, even though it is owned by a British ex-pat. Go into any store, restaurant, official building and look closely and the icon will usually be seen somewhere close by.





Yet if you had asked me a short time ago to explain the icon I would have been hard pressed to give an educated answer.

This is what I am beginning to appreciate about icons in general. We begin with the doctrine of the incarnation of Jesus the Christ. In this doctrine of faith Christians largely agree that God became particularly present in human form in the person of Jesus. Just how that was particular is an area of considerable debate but the agreement is generally accepted that Jesus embodied God in a human form.

The incarnation is the first step to understanding the icon.

In this church the icons are surrounded by murals - painting of religious scenes from the Bible or church history, especially Greek Orthodox history. Some are recognizable to me, such as the baptism of Jesus, or raising Lazarus from the dead. But others remain complete mysteries.




When we, or in this case Orthodox believers, accept this belief of Jesus embodying God as fact, yet also being present in human form, then it follows as a consequence of this logic, that the image of Jesus is reproducible.

Not only is Jesus' image reproducible but also the Saints of the Christian faith, the prophets, the Apostles, the ascetics, the martyrs, and theologians, patriarchs, matriarchs, leaders and heroes of the faith are all reproducible.

These are what the icons are. These are "portraits" of the persons who existed in historical time and yet whose lives point to the "world to come". These people existed in history but their faith and work was about that which is yet to be. This equation is vital to a proper understanding and appreciation of the icon.

This icon to the left is in a niche in a restaurant beside the fireplace and depicts Jesus and his mother Mary.




Greek Orthodoxy, like all the Orthodox faith, seeks to balance remembrances of concrete and factual history with the emotional, mystical and spiritual awareness or belief - or anticipation of the world to come.

The icons' function, I think, are similar to "touch stones" for this inter-relationship of this life and the next one.

However it remains unclear to me just how the average person understands these as it appears they are objects of veneration in and off themselves. Entering a church, most will kiss the icon - but not everyone approaches the same one. Different icons have specific meanings to the devout. Perhaps it is the icon for which a person is named, for example. Or the icon of a saint known to specialize in healing, or bringing resolution to conflict.

It seems to me that the image the icon represents is used somewhat as a go-between God and the person. Or, if this is fair, one does business with the icon of choice in anticipation of the saint or spiritual leader depicted intervening in some way on one's behalf.

How are these icons to be understood as reputable images we might ask. After all, who knows what Jesus looked like, or how Mary appeared?

The answer exists in the heart of the faith of Orthodoxy, which hold that the there is an uninterrupted continuity of history and theology between the earliest church, namely the church in Jerusalem, the church of Peter and Mary, and today.

That is important.

The genuine tradition of the image has been passed on in a manner similar to Apostolic Succession in the Roman Catholic Church.

Thus, it is a matter of faith that these are accepted as actual likenesses.

This icon is in Chania





To the right are a series of icons displayed in the little chapel in the harbour at Almyrida. This chapel is only large enough for one person. Two would be a very very cozy fit.

How the accuracy of the images is conveyed still remains unclear to me but I now appreciate this is the premise that gives foundation to these images as genuine.

These are copies of copies of copies just as our scriptures are copies of copies of copies. An ancient icon attracts particular attention, not only for its age and artistic quality, but for the power vested in it through centuries of simple veneration. Similarly some artists are noted for their particular skill at reproduction. This area remains unclear to me.

Now if you are perceptive and your critical mind is in gear you may have perceived the question of idol worship. Are icons idols?

Well the Orthodox church first acknowledges that this is a risk and secondly a strong assertion that these are not idols and the Orthodox church does not participate in idol worship.

I learned today from a local retailer, when he became aware I was a protestant minister, that many western evangelicals are finding Crete a hard place as they try to convince the Cretans that they are idol worshippers and should abandon this tradition.

So again one Christian imposing beliefs of a certain variety on another continues. So sad.



So again, Jesus embodied God but that embodiment was not God.

Jesus pointed to God. His words pointed to God.
His actions pointed to God's kingdom to come.

This picture is from the Blessing of the Seas taken on Epiphany Sunday last January. For the full story on this scroll down through this blog archive to January 2013.

Notice here however the icon being held immediately behind the priest as he prepares to bless the waters of the harbour by throwing the gold cross far into the harbour.


To worship the image of Jesus is just wrong on every level but to look upon the iconoclastic image of Jesus and let your mind travel to God and God's kingdom, God's promises in life - that is the point.  In my mind, it is no different from singing a hymn or hearing sacred music that allows our minds and hearts to travel to God and the thoughts of God's kingdom.

The icon is a symbol to be engaged in such a manner as it points you to contemplation and engagement with God.

Does it really work this way - I do not know. But I am aware that many people I see on a regular basis have rather disjointed and foggy ideas about how prayer, worship and the basics of protestant theology actually work.

In conclusion I offer you these three pictures and side stories that are in addition to the story of the icons.

This is a photo of a church in Argyroupolis. Notice the step up to the gate. You see the the stone  step and on top of it a white marble raised stone. This marble stone is actually the cover for a sarcophagus in which a child was buried. To enter the courtyard of the church one has to step on it. It leaves an odd feeling as I whisper the thought "sorry little one."

This icon is of the "Five Virgins" buried in a tomb adjacent to the church site many years ago. According to legend they were five young unmarried women who refused to abandon their Christian faith during the persecutions and were executed. However archaeologists have determined that the remains buried here probably predate Christianity so whatever the story of these women and this site, it has evolved.  The fact that the site has been venerated for whatever reason or story, now infuses it with a evolving sense of sacredness.

This is the outside of the church of the Five Virgins which is reached after a several 100 meter walk down an old Roman road. Notice the tombs cut into the rock wall on the left. There are many hundreds of these tombs throughout this hillside. In the time of the civil war between Octavian and Anthony- 40 years before Jesus' birth, this village supported Octavian so Anthony had the village destroyed. 

Each day as I travel and explore more of these sites, as I read the books and engage the topics at hand I realize how incredibly rich this land is with history. Each bend in the roads and each village I visit, releases its rich history of life. What privilege it is to be able to explore this island and its treasures in peace. The Cretan people are wonderful hosts, proud of their history, culture and faith and only to pleased to share it with anyone who takes an interest.

Perhaps this is an image you would rather not see. This is me, writing this very blog, on this very warm evening on our patio in Perivolia. We have just returned from Falassarna, a wonderful 3 km long beach on the western shore where we spent this very hot, 30 degree Saturday afternoon swimming and reading.

As we lay on the beach the ground began to roll back and forth with quite some power and this continued for quite some time- perhaps 30 seconds. Earthquake! We wondered where the epicentre might be. Returning home our neighbour, bringing in winter wood, asked if we felt the earthquake. It registered 6.5 he said. We said yes and asked where it was centred, expecting Athens or Santorini.

Falassarna,  he said!

A Canuck in Crete

It is wonderful to be back in Crete. This is an enchanted place and continues to be every bit as alluring and surprising as on my first visit in last winter. For this visit we have rented a small Cretan cottage in the village of Perivolia, an agricultural community, south of Chania and up against the White Mountains.

This is a great location from which to study and travel. We are quite private in this quiet little corner of the village yet we can be in the Old Town of Chania in 15 minutes.

Our cottage is an old farm house complete with stable door and traditional architecture and furnishings but a large modern bathroom and kitchen makes for very comfortable living quarters.  Our landlady, Sally, is lovely to deal with and we have the added bonus of our neighbour Nikos, the gregarious and very friendly taverna owner, just on the other side of our gate.  We have merely to lift the garden gate latch and stroll into his excellent taverna for a late night meal.







The village appears to be quite prosperous with many modern homes dominating the area yet it is dotted with older buildings that point to the way it was. Perivolia is known for it's produce. The village has good water and plenty of it making it  ideal for the orchards. 

Dotted around the village are remains of older buildings fallen down. These make for great pictures and insight into how these were constructed.

Resurrecting older homes in Crete is often not difficult. Once the debris is removed the old walls, being of stone construction, can simply be rebuilt or added to blending old and new in interesting combinations.  In these tough economic times, however, money is always the issue.

This is the path down to our cottage where we pass a newer home on the left and older buildings on the right. The community dogs welcome us loudly each time we pass but they seem to be getting more used to us and thus a little less standoffish and less noisy at our passing. Perhaps some dog treats will help.

 Everywhere the colours of the foliage and plants augment the sites. This is our front gate opening into the courtyard where we spend time writing and relaxing in the warm evenings. The weather here is still in the high 20s all the time and today will be over 30 again so maybe it will be a beach day as we explore the Gramvousa Peninsula on the west coast, about 45 minutes away. The beach at Phalasarna is well known and I am looking forward to exploring it.  At every turn on our daily exploration drives are fascinating churches, often dating back to the 11th century and decorated with exquisite frescoes and mosaics.

Here is something interesting to note. A cut piece of olive wood [above] has been interwoven in this fence and it has grown there surrounding the wire. I'll have to learn more about this wood as it has nothing but its internal resources to grow with.

Someone found this piece of olive wood. It is all one piece and forms the strikingly good outline of the kri kri, the native and increasingly rare wild mountain goat.

We went to Elafonisi on the southwest side of the island one particularly hot day. It is not an easy place to get to as both roads, either the cross country mountain road or the scenic coastal road involve negotiating difficult terrain and breathtakingly tight mountain switchbacks and thus slow travel. When you can peel your eyes from the roads, the views more than compensate for the lengthy journey. Here is the view of the Libyan Sea from a high mountain taverna. 

Elafonisi beach is a pink sand beach with gin clear water and panoramic views of mountain and sea. This picture above right shows the area from the mountain pass while the shore picture tries to capture the alluring pink colour that is subtle but ever present.

Snorkelling one of the reefs I found myself in a large school of barracuda type fish, although these were only about 10 inches long. This school of many hundreds of fish swam in a slow circle around me completely engulfing me in a world of their silvery glow.

Chania remains a favourite place for me. The Old  City, Venetian in origin, is wonderful at anytime, but has a special magic at night. This is the shoulder season so everything is open but without the pressing crowds of summer and also without the oppressive heat of summer that can often exceed 40C. 

Cool evenings and a late supper in a beautiful outdoor setting makes a nice end to another wonderful day on Crete.

Below, the harbour of Chania's Old Town at night