Sfakion

Last weekend we drove over the mountains a bit east of Chania to the south coast. It's much cooler in the mountains and was a very refreshing drive. The church is in a high mountain valley town.

The Venetians built the castle Fragokastelo. They built it to protect the island from pirates but also from the Sfakians, who were their worst enemy. After each day's work the Sfakians would come at night and tear down what they built plus do their best to kill the solders guarding the castle at night. Eventually we can tell that the Venetians succeeded building the caste, because we can take pictures of it today, even if they never succeeded in bringing the Sfakians into submission. The Sfakians seem to be the most stubbornly independent group on Crete. They have lots of guns witnessed by the road signs with all the bullet holes (looks a bit like the signs and outhouses I remember from Wyoming when I was a kid).

We went swimming at the lovely beach near the castle, but only for a short time, The winds of Crete were acting out and the sand blast effect on the beach was rather painful.

Then we went to dinner in the town of Chora Sfakion along the shore where we watched the ferry come in and unload what looked like hundreds of hikers heading for busses that were waiting for them. The hikers came from the Samaria Gorge outlet. People are dropped off at the top and hike to the bottom. There are no roads to the outlet so they have to ride the ferry to a town with roads. I would like to do that hike but need to wait until cooler weather. The Imbros Gorge is the one we took pictures of I would like to walk down that one too. It used to be the only way to get to Chora Sfakion. But need to wait for cooler weather.

We ate Sfakion pies at a rest stop, wonderful homemade goat cheese baked in pastry and covered with honey.

I'm going to attach a bunch of pictures now, and get ready to go on an evening adventure to Rethymno. We are becoming night dwellers when we get a chance. Much too hot in the day time to move around very much!

Forgot to mention the tiny churches and other buildings, and fountains in Vrisis. Vrisis is on the road in the foothills just as start the go over the mountains. The town is a wonderful oasis form the sun. I think I might try to get a tiny church. The ones in Vrisis are especially beautiful.

Another sign

Here is another sign; one we spotted in Kissamou. We're not sure if this sign means "Do not tie your donkey to a stop sign" or "Parking for Democrats Only". Maybe the most straight forward translation is: "Don't park your ass here".

Some Travels and Challenges

Last weekend we went on our first camping trip. No problem. No really, "No Problem". That was the name of the campground. And it really was. It reminded me a bit of a KOA campground, complete with pool, shade trees, and a mini market. I'm including a picture of our camp site. We went to see two Minoan archeological sites and one Roman site. They are all located in central south Crete near the "No Problem" campground. Festos, Agia Triadha, and Gortyn .

Gortyn is the Roman site. I say Roman but the Roman ruins here are very new, even newer is the Basilica of St. Titus (the really big church with only the apse remaining). St. Titus brought Christianity to Crete under the direction of St. Paul. An older part of Gortyn is from the Greek Dorians. The Romans preserved part of that city inside a Roman covered walk way, (because it was so old and important) called the Law Code of Gortyn. The picture of the Greek writing on the stones is the law code. The Dorians were none other than Spartan conquerers from Sparta, this was around 800 to 300 BC. The Dorians were a grim bunch, not as lively as the Minoans, the really old guys that lived in Gortyn from about 2900-1150 BC. So the Minoans were about as far back in time from the Romans as we are from the Romans. Then in 900 AD the Saracens came and destroyed the whole thing. Too bad.

Festos and Agia Triadha are Minoan sites. Except that Agia Triadha is somewhat covered by some Greek Mycenaean construction projects. Festos is a palace rumored to be the home of King Minos' brother. King Minos being the ruler at Knossos. Festos and Agia Triadha have spectacular stairways that you can actually walk on.

We stopped in a lovely mountain town called Spilli on our way home. There are many hiking trails that lead into the mountains from there and springs that feed a refreshing fountain. Also, what looked like a seminary or Greek Orthodox school of some sort.

We've been going swimming after I get home from work each day. It's great exercise and very refreshing except when you get out of the salt water, are sticky with salt and get some sand stuck to you. But nothing that a nice shower won't take care of and a nice meal with a glass of wine.

So those are our travels from last weekend. You might ask what challenges? TECHNOLOGY! First there was our malfunctioning remote keyboard with the annoying flashing blue light that stopped working. So we were crippled by having to used a dreaded touch screen keyboard. I am reduced to hunting and pecking on those types of keyboards. Come to find out it had some thing to do with a blue tooth setting. I for one have white teeth. From whence came this blue tooth thing? Then there was the challenge of getting pictures from my incredibly complicated smart phone (that becomes dumb in my hands and came with no instructions I might add) to the iPad. Figured that out a couple days ago, only to find out that something mysterious happened to my smart phone (likely exacerbated by the dumb operator I admit) that caused my phone to be locked out of our WiFi. After much staring at my phone and trying many things, I finally decided to try the Password listed on the sticker on the Wireless transmitter, after all one message I got asked for the password. Smart you might think. But not so. I then go in search of the box that the Wireless came in to get the phone number so that I can call for help. This number gets you to a Greek language menu, and if you push "9" and are not calling from a land line you might get someone that can hear you and can speak English. After three calls, you ask your question and are told to use the set of numbers and letters beside the "WPA" and not the set of numbers and letters beside the word "Password" even though the phone asked for a "PASSWORD". Well any way, I did get the pictures off my phone and my camera into the iPad so that I could attach them to this Blog!

The last picture is an example of someone taking the law into their own hands. This sign is at the end of our block. I have notice that some people sometimes stop at it! So there is hope.

Quick Greek

Living abroad can be risky and Crete is no exception. Fortunately there is "Quick Greek for Tourists" by Dr. Athan. J. Delicostopoulos (Formerly Professor at the University of Athens) readily available in many locations, the bus station in Hania, for example, to help out with your Greek when you need it quick.

It would be a bad day indeed in which you would need all these "emergency" phases, but it is always good to be prepared:

Help!
Help me!
I am wounded.
Bring help.
Bring a doctor.
Quick!
Stop!
Stop that man!
Thief! Thief!
Halt!
Fire! Fire!
The house is on fire!
Call the police.
Take me to the doctor.
Take me to a hospital.
Take me to a police station.
I am lost.
Go away!
Leave me alone!
I will scream!
I am ill.
Someone has fallen into the sea!
He can't swim!

It is especially gratifying to know you don't have to just stand there mute, like the other tourists, when someone falls into the sea, but can confidently call out "kapios epese sti thalasa!", and add "dhen kseri kolimpi!", as he goes down for the third time.