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Dear David, A Series of Letters to A Longtime Friend February 2008

 Hersonissos,

Crete,

Greece

February 2008

Dear David,

I don’t know really what possessed me to even think doing this, but never having been further than Sitia to the east of Hersonissos, I decided that I would take a ride out to Kato Zakros on the eastern coast of Crete. I suppose I do have the advantage of being able to travel to any part of the island whenever I want without the tourist traffic during the summer months, so it was a good a time as any to go! And I suppose even gay accommodation owners are allowed out for the day sometimes.

 Leaving my house on a bright and sunny, but rather blustery, February morning, I headed for St. Nicholas, a trip that takes about 25 minutes along the main road. Summer time it takes a bit longer because Malia is a bit of a bottleneck, a problem soon to be solved when the next stage of the New National Road opens, which will bypass Malia. (My latest road map is being a little optimistic and showing this as already complete, inevitably this will lead to several lost tourists during the next couple of years!)

 Beyond St. Nicholas the road turns into a single-track affair, but it is still quite a fast road as it is still the main road to Ierapetra. There are fewer villages along this way, but as the road climbs and twists there are some marvellous views over Mirabello Bay, and, of course, that stunning blue sea! From the Ierapetra junction, at Pachia Ammos, the road goes inland and twists and turns, passing through few villages on its way to Sitia. It is a while since I have been to Sitia so it was good to see that some of the corners have been ‘ironed out’ and the final plunge down into Sitia is going to be completely revamped! Current road works are still in place including what is going to be a spectacular flyover straight across one of the gorges, at present all that exists are some dizzying pillars which will support the road!

 I arrived in Sitia soon after noon, so about two hours drive from home, at a convenient time to stop for something to eat and a coffee.

 Sitia hadn’t changed much from my last visit about five years ago, but why should it? It is quite a busy place even in winter as a lot of people live there and it the main town in the eastern end of the island. In a way it is a bit predictable and like many other ‘seaside’ towns on Crete with a road that runs along the waterside, lined with cafes, a few shops, and hotels. And naturally the proverbial ‘tents’ between the road and the waterside for summer use as seating areas.

 Beyond Sitia the ‘wild country’ starts in earnest, there are only a couple of villages between Sitia and Palekastro, which is a large village with facilities for tourists and the local population, with supermarket and tavernas. Surprisingly there were a few foreign registered vehicles and hire cars about, according to the man in the kiosk these belonged to foreigners who have property there and in a way I can understand why someone should want to come all this way for a ‘get away from it all’ holiday!

 You will remember from our trips around Scotland in the Mini Cooper that I like to fit in at least two important things in a day, so I decided that I should also get to see Vai Beach while I was out this way.

 You know me and beaches, I don’t ‘do’ the beach and that is all there is to it, but when you are not far from one of the most famous beaches on Crete you do have to go and have a look! I must say I can see the attraction. A long sweep of sand in a beautiful proportioned curve and the palm trees behind give all the impression of a tropical beach, which is probably why it was used for the ‘Bounty Bar’ adverts all those years ago! There are some facilities at the back of the beach as well although these were closed because it was winter. And of course I was not the only person there as there was a ute parked as well. It never ceases to amaze me that you can go all over this island and even in the most deserted spot there will be a car parked in the middle of nowhere – This one belonged to a fisherman who was risking life and limb perched on the cliffs not much further up from where the surf was breaking. I guess that on a summer day the beach would get quite crowded in spite of the long drive from say, Hersonissos, but if you are into beaches then worth the effort.

 Heading back to Palekastro and south to Zakros, the road is surprisingly good although by no means a fast road, but then Kato Zakros is one of the important Minoan settlements on Crete, it is still a good forty-five minutes and more from Vai. By this time the wind had picked up and it was getting very gusty! Passing through several small villages including Zakros, the source of one of our best known mineral waters, it is obvious that some tourists come this far as there are various types of accommodation around as well as several tavernas and other shops.

 The final run into Kato Zakros was something of an experience as the road hangs on the edge of a mountain until it seems to be heading for open sky, (probably even more scary for a passenger), and then I realised there is a left hand bend, and suddenly I could look down and see huge rollers coming in from the east, and below a sheltered cove with Kato Zakros sitting at the edge of the beach. The road descends quite quickly with a couple of bends and on the way I passed a guard dog complete with kennel, although what it was guarding was not quite clear.

 Of course, everything was shut, or seemed to be, the shop and taverna by the beach certainly were and also the Minoan site (I suppose I could have climbed over the fence), but then I noticed that a couple of signs advertised apartments open all winter and there were a couple of hire cars parked, other than that not a soul in sight. I don’t know whether the grounded ship on the beach is a ‘permanent fixture’ as there was no one around to ask! Remembering our trips around Scotland, I think we could have had a holiday here as it is certainly a bit on the remote side, and if we had a place in winter here that had a nice big log fire I think we could probably have a good time. There are a few tavernas around this area, and we would certainly need a car to get around and driving on the winding roads could be a hazard after a few rakis. There are also caves around the area and a gorge and a couple of canyons that you can walk down so there would be enough to do for a few days staying in the area. It is a long way from the airport though and anybody coming here would need to do their shopping in Sitia on the way through!

 I have become insanely jealous of George who lives in the village! Once again I helped plant his potatoes, (if this seems early then remember that the gardening season starts about two months earlier that the UK), and spending two mornings in a row bent double in an olive grove gave me aching muscles in places where I had forgotten I had muscles! But why should this make me jealous? Well for a start he has oceans of space for planting crops, which for me alone would be too much, but it is the fact that he has a plough and the most wonderful tilth on his soil. It is mainly the plough that makes me jealous, well not so much a plough but a large rotary hoe, diesel powered, that whips through the ground at a quite respectable pace and there’s me that has to dig my garden by hand! Like all rotary hoes around here this one also looks like Noah probably used it, nobody here ever seems to have a new one and there is even a shop in the city that renovates and reconditions them. Actually I must admit they are quite useful things as most farmers around here have one and they even have trailers with a double seat at the front for driving around the area in real style.

 The last time I planted potatoes for George we did about six rows, this time there were more like sixteen as George’s mum who is in charge of cutting the large seed potatoes in to two and storing them while they ‘chit’, cut the seed potatoes even though they were only small enough to be sown whole. It didn’t help when I found out that he also has a new tractor that is somewhere between a rotary hoe and a Massey Ferguson! I suppose my jealousy was a little reduced when I found out that he has the same problem with his autumn sown broad beans as I do – lots of flowers and no beans!

 It was during the second day of planting that a man arrived at the field, on a big tractor, looking for George. Greeting me with a big wave he asked where George was, and I couldn’t help thinking that he looked very familiar, but what caught my eye more than anything was the amateur-ish lettering on the grille of the tractor, which said ‘Lamborghini’. Having my camera with me as always, I decided a quick shot of the grille would not go amiss, as someone was obviously having a laugh, and let’s face it the tractor is a bit of a museum piece in itself. It was only after I had finished chuckling to my self that I noticed the word ‘Lamborghini’ cast into the gearbox housing and I realised it actually was a Lamborghini tractor! Hands up all those who never knew that apart from very expensive sports cars there are also Lamborghini tractors.

 I realised later who the man on the tractor was, yes, the local priest, but of course wearing ‘civilian’ clothes, that’s why I didn’t recognise him. Reminds me of the old joke about not recognising you with your clothes on.

No doubt you heard about our disgusting weather? Three days of cold, just like it was four years ago when we first arrived here. February is never a good month at the best of times, and I can never understand why everyone thinks we bask in eternal sunshine all year round, we are after all in the northern hemisphere even if we are nearly the most southerly point in Europe, that honour goes to the island of Gavdos just off the south coast of Crete. Seven hundred people hit the web camera page on the 18th February, a record for any time of year, not that they could see much as the snow/sleet/hail were travelling horizontally past the camera. Fortunately it has warmed up a bit since then. I don’t know what the few tourists that were around thought of it, but it did give them the chance to take pictures of the snow on the mountains just behind the house. And they probably froze to death at night as their apartments would almost certainly be heated by reverse cycle air-con, and wouldn’t have double-glazed draught proof windows and central heating like I do at Villa Ralfa!

 Naturally, we have had the usual February rains. The Aposelemis river nearby has had more water in it than I have seen in the last few years and has actually broken through the sandbank at the western end of Analipsi to run out to sea, the wind and current then swept it eastwards so all along to Hersonissos there was a strip of brown muddy river water.

 For every minus there is a plus and already there is a promise of spring with wild anemones in the fields, and almond blossom in sheltered spots. With the days and nights still cool I am reminded of Tennyson’s ‘Laughing Chorus’

 ‘’ Oh, the pretty, brave things! Through the coldest days,

  Imprisoned in walls of brown, They never lost heart though the blast shriek loud,   And the sleet and the hail came down, But patiently each wrought her beautiful dress,   Or fashioned her beautiful crown; And now they are coming to brighten the world,   Still shadowed by winter’s frown; And well may they cheerily laugh, “Ha! ha!”   In a chorus soft and low, The millions of flowers hid under the ground–   Yes–millions–beginning to grow. ‘’

 Usually in February I could give you a report on Carnival season as well, but as our Easter is very late this year (last weekend in April) you will have to wait until next month.

 As usual I have given you a few picture and other bits of information, you will find them at www.villaralfa.com/zakros.html.

 Yours, as ever,

 

 FOOTNOTE: This article first appeared on the now defunct ‘gaylinkcontent.com’ web site in February 2008. It is republished here for the many fans who enjoyed them before. It is free for publication PROVIDED you include the link to my web site and the source of the article. Please do NOT splatter any of those horrible ‘in line’ links to sites that have nothing to do with me

 

About the Author

Born in England (in spite of the name!), in the last half of the last century when Sussex was Miss Marple country and you could leave yours door unlocked for days, the author is unashamedly gay and everyone seems to know in spite of the fact that he never ‘came out’!

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