It Wasn't Supposed to Be Like This

I had sworn a hard line, was bound and determined to stick to the directives issued by my landlord in his household manual not to feed the cats under any circumstances!

I don't know what changed, whether the old softy in me poked through, whether Betti's compassionate comments about their sad state finally got to me, whether it's out of some subliminal sense of homage to Merit, who desperately wanted to feed them.

At any rate, the skinniest of the three showed up this evening, after I had already fed Pip and Huck. I hadn't seen Elf (I'm pretty sure I've got their names straight...Merit bestowed one on each of them and I know for sure that Pip is the pregnant one, I'm assuming Huck is the middle-weight and that Elf is the scrawny, pathetic starving one). I've made it a policy to only put the food down once....them that gets it gets it...but when I saw the hip bones jutting out on this one tonight, I made an exception. Immediately after putting the food down, the other two showed up, but I was effective at chasing them off to the sidelines while Elf got her share. She ate almost all of it, then turned and looked at Huck as if to say, "OK, I'm done...you can have the rest" and went and sat up on the wall.

Pip has an appointment with the vet in Souda Bay on Thursday. They took her on short notice due to the fact that she's pregnant. Since I have no idea where I'm going, I'll make a dry run tomorrow to establish the route, so I'm not driving all over the place with a freaked out feral cat on Thursday.

Next Tuesday it's Huck's turn. I'll see if Elf keeps coming around, and work her in eventually.

Today's Work

I've never been a "pebble beach" kind of girl, always preferred sand and shells. However, the beach near my house has a nice mixture of sand and stones, and I find myself drawn to picking up the more interesting ones as I go along.

These are the first in my official collection. I plan to have a big jar by the time I'm done. (Yes, the astute among you probably noticed that there's a piece of glass in there. Couldn't help it, it was pretty and looked like it wanted to be a stone).

Sunday Mornings

Back in the US, the sound of Sunday morning was Fox News Sunday hosted by Chris Wallace, followed by Chris Matthews and then Meet the Press.

Here in Drapanias it is church bells, amplified Orthodox chants, and the dog across the street bellowing to all of it. It's quite amusing to hear the dog. He begins exactly when the bells begin to chime at 8am, and he uses a distinct, drawn out howl for the duration of the chimes that I don't hear at any other time.

Milia

I took an overnight trip to Milia, a small community I had read about in my Rough Guide, which sounded absolutely enchanting. It was. Their website does it better justice than I could here (or rather, than I feel like trying to...I'm somwhat run-down right now, feel like I might be coming down with a cold or something). Here's the link, I've attached a bunch of photos I took along with some brief comments: http://www.milia.gr/english.html

This was not the road to Milia. This was just part of the road on a wrong turn, which took me about 45 minutes out of my way. Still, I liked the foreboding look of the clouds, and thought that it seemed more like the Scottish Highlands than Crete (not that I've ever been to the Scottish Highlands).




I finally arrived at the parking area, and proceeded down the path towards the restaurant/reception area, meeting up with a few goats along the way.






This is where I stayed.












































These are just some other buildings in the community.

















After a lunch of horta (boiled greens) and smoked meat, I took the short hike that Jorgos had recommended to me. Jorgos is one of the founding members of the community, and he joined me for a few glasses of Raki after my meal. He doesn't speak much English, but it was fun trying to converse with him in Greek. He's an incredibly nice guy with a very gentle nature, who made me feel very welcome.


When I first encountered this guy, I must admit I was a little frightened. The moment he saw me come around the bend, he headed straight towards me and I wondered if he was going to bite me or kick me or throw me off the side of the mountain. Turns out he had no evil designs in mind for me, and I petted him and told him what a nice donkey he was. I've admitted in a previous post that I'm afraid of big dogs. My fear extends to equine creatures as well, apparently.


Cresting a ridge...











I'm brought into a meadow/plateau with more views of the distant mountains ahead...







and and that spectacular sea-view that I was hoping for on my right.







Heading back now, before the sun goes down.








I could see the road that I drove in on, across the valley.











Just thought this was a nice picture.











This is the path leading back from the parking area to the village. It's incredibly lush, and far different from the rest of Crete that I've experienced so far. The forest here is cool and green...a very nice place to come to escape the heat of summer.





Walking around the grounds, I got to meet some of the critters who may someday end up on the menu at the restaurant. With few exceptions, the community is completely self-sustaining.















Took this one for Merit. These kitties were completely wild and feral, not the usual hybrid you run into in the more populated towns on the island. I like this situation better, because they almost seemed like real wild animals, like a baby lion you'd see in a game park or something. They also wanted nothing to do with me, which was a welcome relief. Better than the beseeching stares from all the other cats I've run into.


Getting ready to hit the hay. There is no electricity in the village, just some solar powered lights and hot water. The lights in the room were so dim that the candle light seemed better.

I had a good nights sleep, happy for the quiet in which I was surrounded.

I really liked this place, it feels very natural and peaceful and I plan to go back again, if for no other reason than another quiet night's sleep.

Random Images from the Last Few Days

Yesterday evening I took a walk up the "Old Road" to visit Tsouris, the owner of a wood-carving shop. Betti and I had stopped into his store while she was visiting, and we left with not only a necklace for me and some keychains for her, but a host of tall tales and an invitation to come back again for some coffee some time. Tsouris is quite a character, a barrel chested Cretan with a mass of thick hair on his head and a beard to match. Eccentric and friendly, he spent a great deal of time helping us pick out peices that weren't "ugly" to use his word, but "strange" was OK. He then proceeded to make an elaborate ordeal out of making us creative "handbags" in which to carry home our purchases.


He seemed surprised to see me when I stopped in yesterday, but quickly ordered a greek coffee for me from the taverna across the street, and then gave me a shot of some Raki with honey to accompany it. I have to say that the honey does a fair job of taking the edge off the Raki.

He enlightened me with some more stories about past customers, showed me some pictures of his house, and informed me that just that day he had become married to a Siberian woman name Helene (so far every single woman I've met or heard of here as been named Helene, pronounced "Elanie". ) He also told me that he thought that the loud crashing sound I had heard in my house in the middle of the night was a pirate coming to find treasure. There was an odd moment when he was talking to me, and I was having trouble hearing what he was saying because of the music coming from the CD player behind me, and although I never gave any indication of it he just came over and turned it down. Perceptive fellow. I didn't outstay my welcome, especially since I didn't want to piss off any recently betrothed Siberian women, but when I left he extended the invitation to come by again some time.
Note: For those readers who know Gary...this guy reminds me a bit of him. Different, but that same engaging, welcoming and always entertaining personality.

Just a random old shack I encountered on my walk.









Earlier that day, I had driven over to the west coast to visit Falasarna, the first beach Merit and I had gone to. Unfortunately it was very windy, and the clouds moved in shortly after my arrival. I gave up after about an hour of sunbathing and stopped by the taverna on the beach on my way out for a sandwich and a beer. Just as I was driving off, I noticed that the clouds had gone altogether and left a bright, sunny beach in my wake.



I then decided to try my luck at my local beach, but soon after arriving and getting comfortable, the clouds followed me.








I've been letting Rikki and Cleo out on the front patio every now and then...they love it. Cleo gets all pissy when she has to come in now. This picture was taken just after the dog across the street had wandered over and sniffed noses with Rikki through the gate. I was amazed at Rikki's reaction...nothing. The same thing occurred with Cleo when one of the other stray cats wandered over the wall. They just kind of looked at each other, and then when the other cat saw me she hopped back over the wall and disappeared. No hisses, no big, bushy tails to show that one could kick the other's ass. Still, I don't leave them outside by themselves, because they've led a pretty sheltered life and if they were to hop over the wall or outside the gate, I can't imagine that the outcome would be good.

I've been somewhat random in my feedings of the local stray cats; not so for the local mosquito population. The rest of me looks pretty much the same.

Yay for Me

Today, I visited the vineyard that I'm supposed to start "interning" for at some point in the future. Kostis, the oenologist, showed me around and gave me a wonderful tasting of all of their wines. On my way out, he let me have whichever of the bottles we had opened that I would like to take with me, and I chose the 2008 Nostos "Pink" (grenache based rose, I still haven't figured out how to put the accent on it to make it wine and not a flower) and the 2006 Nostos Syrah. While driving home, I realized that I wanted something perfect to accompany the Syrah for dinner, so I stopped at the supermarket to pick up some lamb chops.

Upon arrival at the meat counter, I had to make noises to explain to the girl working there what I wanted, since I couldn't remember the word for lamb. "Baaaahhhh", said I. "Ah", she replied, and pointed to several different large chunks of flesh and bone, inquiring as to which I would prefer. Well, I had absolutely no idea. I don't know meat unless it's packaged and has writing in English that tells me exactly what I'm buying, so in the end I just picked a big slab of something that looked substantial.

Once I got it home, I emailed a picture to my dear friends on Facebook and elsewhere, asking them what the hell I should do with this hunk of meat now. I received several very good answers, but not before browsing the internet and deciding that braising would be the easiest way to go (I've never braised anything before in my life, at least not to my knowledge, but it seemed like the lesser of all evils).

And lo and f'ing behold...IT WORKED!!! Seriously...you have no idea how thrilled I was when the two and a half hours of guess-work turned into something not only edible, but pretty damn tasty.

So, here's the recipe for anyone who might like it, followed by pictures:

One (or two...I don't really know how many I had, it was just a mass of bones and tendons and muscles) lamb shanks, sprinkled with salt & pepper.
Throw in a large pot with sauteed garlic, onions and olive oil on each side until brown.
Add a can of diced tomatoes, oregano, red wine, about a cup of water and a vegetable bouillon cube.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 2 1/2 hours, occasionally moving the sauce around and over the meat.

I made some orzo to accompany this, along with some almost stale bread that readily soaked up the juices.

I was so excited by how yummy it was that I made up a plate to take to my neighbor, Helene. Of course, by the time I got it over to her the oil had started to separate and it didn't look so appetizing, but hey...it's the thought that counts, right?

Really...is this a cut of meat or a giant sharks tooth with the gums still attached? How is this going to fit into a pot or pan? How do I break it up? OK...completely destroyed one knife and cutting board trying, just resorted to raw arm power after that. Surely, this adventure is going t o be a disaster.





Ah, ye of little faith. Does thou not know that garlic, onion and wine make everything OK???








Have to give credit to Debbie here. Long ago she taught me that a hairdryer on the cool setting will quickly clear Ramen noodles of all their excess liquid after draining. I applied the same principle here with the orzo, and it worked perfectly.





Me, very alone but very happy with my meal:-)
Note: Please excuse the ripped up T-shirt I'm wearing. When I thought I'd be dealing with charcoal I changed into something that I wouldn't mind getting dirty, and it just never occurred to me to change out of it for dinner (had no idea that the paparazzi would show up).








My dinner view. Didn't want to go to the patio to eat because I thought that would be pure torture for the outside kitties, who I have to stop feeding because they've begun to invite friends.






Me feeling very satisfied with myself. Now if someone would please come do the dishes, and perhaps give me a neck rub...

Chania

Took a day trip into the nearest city, Chania. It's about an hour by bus, quicker if you drive but parking and the traffic within the city are tricky at best, so I figured public transport was the better option. I was hoping to find a couple of items that I haven't been able to find locally - clumping cat litter and hand weights specifically. No luck on either of those items, but I had a nice time exploring the city and it's many winding, narrow streets. I also had a late lunch at a restaurant called Karnayio, which came highly recommended by the Rough Guide. The bourbounia (red mullet) had been suggested by a guy I met while passing by another restaurant (he somehow managed to get my phone number in exchange for the suggestion...how the hell did THAT happen??) and I was not disappointed. Along with some really good bread and a glass of moschofilero (a white Greek wine), it made for a really nice lunch. I also procured some new eye cream from a shop specializing in all-natural olive oil products, in the hopes that I can find something to alleviate the skin irritation I'm experiencing around my eyes. After buying it I had a chance to look at the ingredients over lunch, and it's not as all-natural as the sales woman would have had me believe. Haven't tried it yet and will remain skeptical until I do, but she also recommended placing chilled, slice potatoes on the eyes before bed. I'll try that, along with everything else that hasn't worked so far.


First order of business upon arrival at the bus station. Can't properly explore a city unless the mind is open, wallet full and bladder empty. Took this shot because it reminds me a little of the toilets in Japan. Actually, the majority of the restrooms I've experienced here have been quite clean. The bus station's restroom is not one of those (although it's not anywhere near as offensive as many I've encountered in other countries).



Greece's version of the Dollar Store. I should have zoomed in closer...the sign reads "Evro 1", which means "One Euro". So I guess technically that's a "Dollar Thirty Four" store or something like that.






Seriously? AIG??









Just one of the many narrow streets of the city.











My poor, tired eyes. This skin condition has aged me twenty years in three weeks. If it doesn't self correct soon, the money I had set aside for my trip to Turkey is going to go towards some cosmetic procedure instead!

Just a Walk About

I had every intention of getting up early this morning to go for a nice, long walk in the surrounding area while the air was still cool, but ended up sleeping in until 8:30am, dinking around on the internet while enjoying my coffee and then doing a Greek lesson, so it was 11:00am before I finally headed out. I was slick with sweat and sunscreen before very long, and the buzzy creatures were out in force, but it was still a very enjoyable exploration. I had a strange moment near the end, when I was headed back towards my village and I didn't realize that I was just around the corner from my house. All these little villages still look the same to me, and I had passed through two or three on my hike and was totally unaware upon my return that I was back in mine. It was the Lito Mini-Market around the corner from my place that made me realize I was home...otherwise I may have walked right on through and past my village.

An olive grove with what I assume is some olive picking/transporting machinery.








I guess tacky lawn ornaments know no nationality.








Trying to get some perspective on the steepness of the hill I was climbing, not sure that I succeeded with the picture. My guess is about 45 degrees.











Another olive grove. One really can't turn around without here without running into one.








Just some plant that I thought looked kind of cool.











One of three churches I came across during my hike. These little churches are almost as prolific as the olive groves, and each of them have signposts with the name of the saint or hermit or whatever historical figure is attached to them. I was neglectful today in noting any of them, and I'm not sure if anyone other than Grandma would be interested, but I'll try to be better in the future about noting such things. There's probably a lot of interesting history there...I'm just not sure yet whether I'm ready to delve into all that.

A stand of Cypress trees. I don't know exactly why, but I love these trees. One of my dreams is to walk through a cypress forest. This wasn't excactly what I had in mind, but I'm in the general vicinity and if I end up going to Turkey as originally planned, I think I'll be able to realize my dream.







I stopped for a short conversation with some local sheep (or are they goats?? I really don't know). They were very vocal, and their politics are a bit strange but hey...they're European, what did I expect?





An old, ruined house. I wonder if anyone would pay me to take a census on whether there are more olive groves, old churches or ruined houses in Crete?