How you know you're in Greece (well, Kriti anyway)

1. You have a 3 litre bottle of home made wine in the fridge that has a tightly wound paper napkin as a stopper.
2. You have a whole watermelon in your fridge that actually tastes like watermelon!
3. You drink a Greek coffee; metrio (one teaspoon Greek coffee, one teaspoon sugar) in the morning instead of a soy latte.
4. Your Aunt calls 45 times a day to find out where you are, what you are doing and when you are coming to the village for a visit (you just left!).
5. You stand on the footpath and are in total awe that scooters, motorcycles, cars, buses and trucks actually get from A to B without totally wiping out the population of Xavia in a catastrophic car accident right before your eyes.
6. Bus drivers have the kind of 'tude and makes you feel like the village idiot when you ask them where they going (a destination sign on the bus might help from time to time).
7. The beach is full of Xeni...
   
8. The Old Venetian Harbour is full of Xeni...
9. Everyone who is not at least 48th generation Greek is a Xeno...
10. The person sitting next to you (anywhere where you might be at the time) will get your entire life story (including how much your house cost you) out of you in polite conversation. Hmmm... whatever happened to "Nice day today, isn't it?"

Chat soon
Cheers
Tina x

The Village

Well, yesterday was a day in the village. We'd been there before for a couple of hours here and there but yesterday was a full day there.

So the usual routine started.. get up at 9am. Bum around for a bit until breakfast at 10am. Then my great uncle Xristo came and collected us in his UTE at 11am. That is mum, me and Uncle Xristo in a single bench seat ute going to the village. Only in Greece would mum and I put up with this. The roads are narrow and full of ditches and holes. Every one around seems to want to merge.. not into your lane but into your passenger door instead because seemingly, that is going to get them to their destination faster.

The village road to Skine is ok... but still a little scary. It takes us 15 mins to get to the village. All the while I am dodging the floor shift gear stick which seems to be about 5 feet long and ready to take my eye out when it gets into 3rd. My mum is pressed up against the door and i am hoping that it doesn't have a tricky lock which means we will have to make a U-turn into a ditch to retrieve her from an orange grove that she's rolled into after having bounced off the bitumen.

The crowd are there and we are force fed 3 times what our stomach can hold. Mum is ordered to bed for an afternoon siesta and they are tut-tutting me when I refuse. Instead I take on the searing midday sun and walk up the road to grandma's grave and sit there and have a chat. She's actually got a really nice view up to the surrounding mountains and she can even spot the Lefka Perga if she squints.

I then head off to the nearest village which is Fornes and is around 2km away along dirt roads. Its a nice walk but by now, I think I've broiled my skull cap and therefore head back to the shade of the tavernas on the "main road" and a cool lemonade. Mum's been given leave from her siesta and she's re-aquainting herself with old school friends and relatives who she thought were dead.

I've just received a call that the relos are on their way to our place which I have yet to describe... So have to head off now, get some yummy sweets and ran back to our sea side apartment and await their arrival.

Chat soon.
Cheers
Tina x

Relos and Other Folks

My first thought on our way to Xavia (Chania) from mum's village is do I really have to go back to Oz? I mean... do I reeeeeeally!???!??!?!?!!

The weather has been phenomenal. Hot (30's), a little humid, but lovely. A real summer feeling. The harbour glisenes bright blue. The old houses seem to be teetering on their foundations ready to tople but are probably more stable and sturdy than your typical Masterton. The breeze off the ocean cools the sweat on our skin that develops whenever we decide to head outside for a walk.

Every man and his dog that we've met walking through the narrow, old town streets has stopped, had a chat, given us some local tips and waved us off like we were friends from way back.

We've sat in local cafes, a different one every day (I've redeveloped a taste for Greek Coffee; metrio of course) and ended up chatting to the owners just to pass the time. Mum even spent time at the Old Jewish Synagogue in Chania telling the curator her first hand story about one of the last remaining Jews after the Nazis rounded the rest of them up and put them on a boat headed for Athens and God knows onto where from there! His job was to collect as many stories as posible to piece together the story of Greek Jews on Crete. It was a really interesting afternoon.

Breakfast is at 9-10am... lunch if we can be bothered is around 3-4pm and dinner... if we are unable to fob of the relos and are still awake is at 11-12pm!!! And we walk and walk and walk.

Do I really have to go back?

Chat soon.

Cheers!
Tina x

Kriti

I couldn't believe how emotional I got when i saw, through the Aegean airplane's window, the mountains of Crete looming over the horizon. I figured there were a number of things going on. It was the emotional psychic pull of my past generations. It was arriving on the island knowing that my grandmother was not longer around to welcome me with tears and hugs that only grandmothers know how to execute to perfection to ensure you know how welcome you are. It was also relief that I finally managed to get mum half way around the world and safely back to her birthplace.

Tina's travel tip: Don't travel with elderly, immobile parents. In my opinion, its a freakin' nightmare!!

The plane was late leaving Athens so to make up for the delays we each got a free one way flight on Aegean. This was a total blessing and is now my connecting flight home for free!! I knew there was a reason why i didn't book that leg of our trip back home.

When we arrived at the hotel, my mobile phone started to ring. I got annoyed because i knew how much Optus was charging me to pick up the call!!! I relented and did anyway. THANK GOD I did. That one phone call reinstalled my faith in humans and how much someone will go out of their way for a total stranger. Anna, an Athenian at the other end, had called me to say she found my wallet beside a bin outside her shop in Monastiraki. Everything, barring the money, was in the wallet. She had called the Aussie embassy after she saw my Aussie drivers licence and credit cards. Having no luck there, she rifled further and found my counselling biz cards in a side pocket and called the mobile number (international rates on her side!!) What an angel. She is hanging onto it until I get back to Athens. When I find out what kind of shop she has, I will be recommending it to EVERYONE I know in this world.

So, I am happy. Today is a good day. I got a free flight and my wallet back in one day. Faith has been restored. What more could I ask for?

Chat soon.

Cheers
Tina x

Stolen Property

OK.. now that I am over the annoyance of having been robbed in BROAD daylight, I figured I can write about it and use this as a cleansing therapy exercise.

The day started bad and went worse.

So I previously told you about the bank, the bougatsa and the lift etc. Well it was at this point that mum and i decided to go for our walk while we waited for the lift repairs.

Somewhere after mum did a check of my backpack zippers (at my request.. like I know something was about to go down) between the original Mitropoleos church near Monastiraki and sitting down at the cafe we stopped at for a drink, I noticed my pouch zip opened and my wallet gone.

I was so shocked and annoyed all at once and felt singled out (I know this happens to millions of people every day... I watch the American Express ads and did leave home without it!)

I ran back through the way we came and looked in as many bins as I could find. I know the buggers more often than not take the money and throw everything else away. I loved that wallet and quite fankly they could have the money, i just wanted my drivers licence back and some other cards that have a special meaning for me. Credit cards were easy to cancel as I thankfully took all the emergency number I could remember to jot down.

I got directions to the police station. They were helpful.. Not! Fill out this form and we'll stamp it for you. That's it. Purely a travel insurance formality. So i filled it out and they stamped it.

Next, back at the hotel and thankfully a working lift, I went up stairs and started with the phone calls. Cancel 2 visa cards and 1 travel card. Call RTA and get their out of hours message. "I'm sorry, we are unable to answer your call at this time" That is their idea of an out of hours, informative message!!

I spent the rest of the night, lacking appetite, sulking and imagining all kinds of Russian mafia making thousands of copies of my drivers licence and credit cards putting other peoples names and photos on them and selling them on the black market. At around 1am, I wondered where I could go to buy a copy of my own credit card.

Thanks for listening!

Chat later
Tina x

Wimbledon Tix Tips

I have been meaning to share my tips for getting into Wimbledon since having been there and witnessing how the system actually works.

The caveat to this blog is that it will work for all the days up until the Thursday before the Finals. I can't guarantee this will get you into the grounds for the last 3 days (Friday, Saturday and of course Sunday's final) but i guess it depends who's left and how popular they are!!

1. Get there later in the morning.. forget the queuing!!! I was there at 11am and it was a walk up start straight to the ticketing gates
2. Get a general admission ticket which gets you into all the outer courts, the grounds, the big TV area, restaurants etc.
3. Around mid way through the days play, folks start to head off and if they have Centre Court OR Court 1 tix, they are encouraged to hand them in for resale. All the resale proceeds go to charity.
4. You can then revisit the ticketing office (make sure you get your re-entry bracelet just in case or maybe approach them from inside the ground) and buy a Centre Court or Court 1 ticket for around 5 quid.
5. Enjoy the rest of the games on those courts.

I was there till 4pm on the Thursday and people had started leaving way before then. When I left there were still a couple of double matches to be played on Court 1 and there was also another match scheduled for Centre Court that hadn't started.

Good luck with it!

Chat later
Tina x

Never on a Sunday

Hi folks,

Well, we're flying out of Athens tomorrrow morning and heading to Crete... Kriti for the locals and staying in Xavia (Chania for the kseni!)

I am astounded how much Athens has changed since we last hung out together. Granted, alot can happen in 20 years... but this much? I absolutely LOVE it here and am now wondering (hoping) if I've won any of the 90 million Oz Lotto prize pool since I've been gone.

All of a sudden (7,300 days to be exact) there are manners, helpfulness, mixed cuisines, cleanlisness, there is still 'tood but its mild and done with grace and humour.

The Metro is fantastic. We got around everywhere so easily and there is disabled access to everything on the Metro. Well almost... mum still has to walk up to the Acropolis which she actually managed to do in her own time. She was very determined and we had a little celebration on reaching the top.

The Parthenon was amazing on one hand and sad on the other. I have seen it before but this time around I seem to be experiencing a larger sense of appreciation for everything here. It is disappointing that its been so pillaged and raped over time. A shadow of its former glory so to speak but with extensive retorations going on, hopefully it will reclaim some of its beauty. At night, it remains stunning when you unexpectedly catch glimpses of it between the buildings around Monastiraki and where we are staying in Syndagma. I am glad that I will be doing some return visits to Athens. I also plan on staying a couple of days on my own when i return from Egypt just to really take it all in.

The Acropolis museum is lovely but missing some vital pieces to make it really worthwhile to visit... (see previous blog)

I was disappointed with the bougatsa here... so Xania's version needs to impress. Maybe my memory of it has been enhanced over the years. Here's hoping not!

Still haven't spotted or contacted relos. We've been too busy just reaquainting ourselves to the country.

OK, I won't lie and totally mislead. Today we also experienced Athens of the old. Is it just me or has anyone else gone into a bank lately, pressed the button for the queue ticket number and looked up to see that you drew ticket number 319 and they were currently serving ticket number 212 on counter 4? And yes, we did wait!!!! I take everything I've ever said about you back ANZ!

Anyway, the lift in our hotel is not working today (we're on level 8 and I am not carrying mum up 8 steep flights) so we are going for a walk through the National Gardens just up the road. The lift is suppose to carry a maximum of 4 people only (yes, that's right.. max of four) so i suspect someone tried to put a bag in too!

That's about it from me for now. Thanks for dropping by and having a read. Chat soon.

Cheers!
Tina x

The London Leg

I love London. Things that I like:

• The architecture
• The flower baskets all around the city... it IS Summer
• The friendliness (folks will say hello... take note Noo Yorkers)
• The fact I actually got into Wimbledon and it was literally a walk up start.. no queuing, no crowds

Things that I don't like:

• The hotel we stayed at... everyone take note: Do not stay (ever) at the Shaftsbury Premier Hyde Park Hotel!!! Dump Dump Dump

To do list for London:

• Get Air Conditioned Trains
• Get Air Conditioned Buses
• Get disabled access in the Underground (it was so hard to drag mum around going up and down the stairs)
• Get Air Conditioning in hotel rooms that work!

Wimbeldon was great. First impressions was that is was manucred to within an inch of its life. I was so happy to get Court 1 tix but i spent most of the time wandering around ont he outside courts. It worked for me once at the Oz Open and again this time, I was sitting 10ft away from Roger Federer practicing on Court 16. What a treat! I also saw Pat Cash playing an invitational doubles match. Lots to see and do there and I think I saw and did it all!

We also took in a bus trip around London, did a Thames Cruise, went to the British Museum where mum disappovingly walked around the Parthenon Marbles declaring they be shipped back to their real home... I tend to agree.

As a final day visit, I went off to the Freud Museum where Freud spent his last year living with his daughter Anna. That was interesting seeing as his famous couch was there. At £12 a photo... I did what any intrepid traveller does and that is ignored the "No Photos" sign, snapped my own couch photo and ran.

All in all, four good days in London. Weather has been lovely, warm and humid; just enough to thaw out of the Aussie Winter weather. We're in the BA lounge right now waiting for our flight to Athens at 11:45am.

Chat soon.

Tina x