Cretan Chronicles

Remember the strike of the garbage collectors a couple of weeks ago?

We are slowly entering a period where every non-priviliged Greek will feel the effects of the latest strike where it hurts most: on his diner table and in his (parked out of necessity) car(s). I’m talking of course about the strike of the owners of tanker trucks. As a result of a week long strike Greece is running out of petrol. Without petrol everything you take for granted stops. Supermarkets are not supplied with their wares. Bakeries don’t get their flour. It quickly adds up. Read the rest of this entry »

Within one month after the news that the Archaeological Museum in Iraklio will remain closed in 2008, and the next year, and probably the one after that, I have more unpleasant news for you ancient history buffs.

The most important archaeological site in Crete, the oldest in Europe, and second only to the Acropolis in Athens in attracting visitors, the Palace of Knossós, south of Iraklio, will close every day at 15:00 until further notice.

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Mike Elgon writes on his blog about the hoops he has to jump through to get a decent internet connection while traveling in Greece. The article is written in Ágios Nikólaos, here in Crete. Note that this guy does not travel for pleasure, he’s not a tourist on vacation. His tag line makes it clear: “The world is my office”.

Here on the island of Crete, the cradle of European civilization, Internet access appears to be everywhere. Unfortunately, I’ve discovered, appearances can be deceiving.
The guidebooks that write about this town boast of Internet café’s galore. And a quick jaunt through this idyllic seaside town shows conspicuous “INTERNET CAFE” and “Wi-Fi” signs everywhere. But when I actually tried to connect, all this access proved illusory.

He calls it the “phantom internet”.

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Local time: 17:54:00 (GMT +3)
I’m in the process of upgrading the WordPress software that drives this blog. As a result you might experience some unexpected effects or missing functionality. Please be patient, I expect to be finished in 1 hour.
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My “short break” turned out to be a rather longish break. Everything went fine with the trip to Brussels. We had some problems at the car rental desk due to my credit card having extended it’s limit for the month (I didn’t keep track carefully enough) but after 3 hours of phone calls and running from one booth to the other, we were on our way in a small Ford Ka to my father’s place on Saturday morning. The weather was unexpectedly nice, sunny and dry. That would change quickly though.

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We will be taking a short trip to the Low Lands as per tonight. I will (finally) attend a Zhineng Qigong workshop with Patricia van Walstijn in Nijkerk (The Netherlands). I’ve been looking forward to that for a long time. Back in 2003 I learned about Zhineng Qigong through a symposium that Yvonne had attended. I started practicing on my own assisted by a videotape of Patricia, who brought ZNQG from China to the Netherlands and Europe. Read the rest of this entry »

Bad news for the culture buffs amongst you tourists visiting Crete this season: the Archaeological Museum in Iráklio, Xanthoudidou Street, will remain closed until at least 2010. The second most important museum in Greece next to Athens, it hosts (or rather: will host when it is finished) the most magnificent collection of Minoan art and culture in the world, collected from excavations carried out in all parts of Crete. Read the rest of this entry »

When you come to Crete this year be prepared to be interrogated by friendly hosts and hostesses when you leave. Starting in May they’ll intercept you at airports and ferry ports and will question you on your experiences. Have any complaints? Not satisfied with your tour operator? Read the rest of this entry »

ERT’s fine journalists had me cringe again today. Consider the following quotes from a recent article:

According to results of two recent gallops, the ND party is firmly in the lead against PASOK party

and…

In a gallop conducted by Public Issue on behalf of Skai channel and Kathimerini newspaper, [...]

and finally…

Another telephone MRB gallop sponsored by Alpha TV channel after the NATO Summit in Bucharest [...]

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Greece is currently subdivided into 13 Regions (’Περιφέρειες’), 54 Prefectures (’Νομαρχίες’) and 1034 Municipalities (’Δήμοι’). This was the result of a major administrative reorganization in 1996, called the “Kapodistrias” plan. Initially some, but not all, Prefectures were further subdivided into Provinces (’Επαρχίες’), but the latter were abolished after a couple of years. Municipalities were comprised of previously independent municipalities or larger villages, grouped with the surrounding villages, settlements and whatnots that had more than a couple of houses and a name to collectively refer to them. Read the rest of this entry »