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VACATION IN GREECE

Monday, 21st May 2001

Out in the bus at 9.30 am for our trip to Sfakia. After the troops had withdrawn from Maleme and Galatas to group at Souda Bay, on the far side of Chania, the orders came to withdraw over the mountains to be evacuated from the tiny port of Sfakia. Some were fortunate to be taken in trucks, but most walked the 50 km (30 miles) over two nights. It was not possible to move by day, as the German fighters strafed anything that moved; there was little cover on the barren country, so you just tried to blend in and not move. The road up to the top of the pass was rudimentary, narrow and twisting. At the end, trucks had their radiators drained for the water before being shoved over the edge of a ravine. Then the long winding descent down a track to the village, and the waiting for a landing craft to pick up the troops.

There were not enough ships to take all the troops; a rough criteria used was to pick the men who had retained their weapons and ammunition, and were thus to be considered still effective soldiers. Those left behind either went into hiding in the remote mountain villages, or were captured and sent to prison camps.

Our trip into the hills went through lush olive groves and climbed up into a fertile valley with many crops being grown. Suddenly we really started climbing, up and up into the dry slopes, winding back and forth until finally we reached the summit at 746 metres, or about 2,500 feet (by my altimeter). (Explanation required - Mike has a spiffy Finnish watch with an altimeter, compass, barometer and makes coffee, Don)

From here down, we went round vicious hairpin turns (coming back, we counted 42 of them) dropping down through the gorge to eventually reach the coast and the village of Sfakia. Here there is a monument to the troops who didn't make it, with some wreaths that had been laid by the Australians. We lined up and individually laid down RSA poppies; I found this simple tribute was far more moving and personally significant than all the other elaborate ceremonies we had been to over the previous few days.

The little village was right on the seafront, and was set up to feed and water tourists. We had an excellent meal of oven-fried herbed potatoes with delicious bread, and fresh orange juice to drink. I found a white sun hat stencilled with the map of Crete and town names as a souvenir.

Back into the bus for the long grind up those switchback hairpin bends and through the gorge to the pass. The long run downhill was taken at a good pace and got us back to the hotel at 5.30 pm for a rest before dinner. We enjoyed broccoli soup, stuffed tomatoes, pork with potatoes, and tomato salad. The sweet was something cut into squares, and like all Greek sweets really *was* sweet. Joan had ice cream instead.

We have been enjoying the local wines, reasonably priced even at hotel rates. The red wine is rather light in weight and flavour, not a rich wine but very drinkable. I am enjoying the white wine, rather dry but well-flavoured.

Tuesday, 22nd May 2001

Out at 9 am this morning for a busy day. First we went to the Allied Cemetery at Souda Bay; we were pleased, as we missed Souda Bay when Joan wasn't feeling well. The object was to enable tour members to find family or related graves without the pressure of the previous visit. I noticed a marker stone in the NZ section for the name of Clay - the surname of my late wife. As it was quite likely to have been a relative, I left a poppy here.

Then we drove right back through Chania to return to Maleme aerodrome -- again without the distractions of the previous visit. We were able to identify significant details of the surrounding terrain that featured in the invasion. Again back to Galatos to look at where veterans had been fighting, and have a welcome ice cream.

We then drove to the German War Cemetery on a hill overlooking Maleme, called Point 107. Here there are about 4600 German soldiers buried, two to a headstone. One of the veterans encountered a German-American veteran on a visit with his family. They compared notes; the German said he had parachuted down, and Ian said he had probably shot at him. They shook hands and went their ways. We also visited the prison where the prisoners-of-war were detained; this was also the scene of many executions of Greek civilians that the Germans had decided were involved in the fighting. Then we drove to another nearby memorial overlooking Galatos and other hills of significance.

Finally, we were back in the hotel at 5.30 pm after the long. hot day. Dinner tonight was an absolute riot. It all started in the bar, when we found that one tour member was having a birthday, and in addition his daughter-in-law had produced the first baby. He decided the drinks were on him, and we were all well-lubricated before we went in to dinner. Further hilarity when we all sang Happy Birthday, and made him reply appropriately. Later on, the lights suddenly went out, and the head waiter brought in a hastily assembled plate of cake with a huge lit candle and three sparklers.

The dinner, incidentally, was up to the usual high standard: carrot soup, ratatouille, tomato salad, chicken with roast potatoes and lemon sauce, with a fresh apple to finish.

Tomorrow is a free day, which we will probably spend doing shopping.

Wednesday, 23rd May 2001

Our "free" day; we were able to walk quietly down into the town to do our shopping. I forgot to mention that yesterday, at the Souda Bay cemetery, I broke my walking staff which has seen sterling service since 1995 -- it was in two parts, joined by an internal bolt. This had fractured cleanly, due to metal fatigue with having my weight flexing the pole. My first stop therefore was at an outdoor shop to get a replacement. I knew I wouldn't get anything similar as the old one was American; but I settled on an Austrian stick which telescoped in three pieces, and was solid enough to bear my weight.

Joan spent some time in the market looking at clothes and buying bits and pieces to take home. We picked up some rolls and drink and went back to the hotel for a leisurely lunch.

Joan had a look at her purchases and decided that a blouse she'd bought was not what she wanted, so we went back down town in the mid-afternoon so she could exchange it. I took the opportunity to go to the cybercafe and check the website (thanks, Don, for your good work in posting up to date!) and look at mail.

We had our last evening meal: a lemon soup which was delicately flavoured and very tasty, spinach and cheese pie square, lamb and potatoes, and a chocolate mousse for dessert. I had arranged a whip-around for Costas, the maitre d' who had been looking after us wonderfully during our stay. I first presented him with a pencil with a little kiwi glued on the top (for writing his bar chits), a little orange sheep to remind him that NZ sends a lot of sheep meat to Greece, and a handful of kiwi pins for the staff -- as well as an envelope with our money collection. His speech in reply was that in 10 years, he had never had such a good tour group come to the hotel. A few minutes later he and the other waiter came out with champagne for the whole party, and even the waitresses joined in. Meanwhile the two other tour groups were looking on in amazement (we've had Greek, German and French groups during the week, but only for a night). We have been here seven nights, so have built up a good rapport -- as Kiwis always do. After dinner, we did a little packing and left the rest for the morning.

Thursday, 24th May 2001

After breakfast it was pack up the cases. Nothing much where it was originally, of course; so there was a struggle to get stuff into the cases. The eternal travel problem is that of dirty washing -- we do have zipped plastic lockers on one side of each case, but they require care to get clothes packed evenly so the zip will shut. We have left a lot of stuff to take to the laundry we found in Athens, later on today after arrival.

We transferred to the airport and had another routine 30-minute flight on Aegean Airlines. Then by bus into Athens, a one-hour journey through heavily congested traffic. The authorities had better get their infrastructure in plce for the 2004 Olympics, or there's going to be chaos. We are in a different hotel, the Hotel Stanley, which is supposed to be better than the Dorian, but in fact is not even as nice as our little hotel in Chania. The staff here are rather impersonal, such a change from the last 7 days.

We opened our bags and Joan took washing round to the laundry, to be ready for collection by 6 pm. The lady recognised Joan from last week. The meal was in one of the lesser dining rooms, obviously a ghetto for tour parties away from paying guests. However, it was tasty enough when it did arrive: spinach & cheese pastry parcels, Greek salad, pork chops with cauli and beans in sauce, and a sweet of peaches in syrup -- straight out of a tin.

Joan is ironing, and we will be in bed shortly for an early start -- 9 am for a scenic bus tour of Athens.

Friday, 25th May 2001

A quick breakfast and into the bus by 9 am for a city tour. We stopped at the original Olympic Stadium (first games of the modern era, in the late 1800s). Everything built of solid marble (Greece has loads of marble), but somebody said the track was not really usable because the turns were too sharp. However, for the 2004 games, it will be the finish point for the marathon -- as it always has been in Athens. The next stop was at the Parthenon. It is a fairly stiff climb up, so Joan and some of the party decided to forgo the climb and settle for a drink on the patio of the adjacent taverna, and a panoramic view of the ruins. There were absolute throngs of tourists coming and going; our guide kept stopping to allow the slow members of the party to catch up, and she gave a very good account of the myths and legends of the Goddess Athena - who was, of course, patron god of Athens. The ruins themselves were covered in scaffolding; Athens is in the throes of a 'do it up before the Games' period. However, there was enough visible to show what a glorious building it must have been before the Turks inadvertently blew it up (stored gunpowder in it -- of all things!).

We were dropped in one of the main streets with the intention of walking down to the Plaka, one of the market areas in the old quarter. However on impulse I tried a film processing shop for another compact flash chip, only to find that they would do a CDRom backup for me. So I left Joan to do some shopping in the surrounding area while I tore back to the hotel to pick up my full chip. I tried hailing taxis, but none would stop so I ended up hoofing it back -- about 4 km I would think. I grabbed the chip and managed to get a taxi back in time to meet Joan. I left the chip, plus the 128 MB one in the camera which was about 3/4 used and we went off to find some lunch.

Back to the shop in an hour and a half to pick up the CD -- to find that he copied the 128 MB perfectly but couldn't read the 96 MB for some reason. That was the one I'd gone for -- so I needn't have bothered after all. Anyway, having the big one backed up means I can delete folders if I look like running out of room on the chip. We went back to the hotel via the Underground Metro, which is what I should have done if I'd thought of it. Arrived tired and sore from all the walking, and appreciated a hot shower before dinner.

We've received confirmation of our cruise, and the news that our original ship has been changed to one of the most up-to-date and luxurious, and as compensation for the presumed inconvenience, our cabin has been upgraded one level at no charge! Gotta win something sometimes.

Saturday, 26th May 2001

Away in the bus at 9 am. We drove through the western suburbs of Athens to the coast, then along a four-lane highway to Corinth. The bus pulled off the road to a parking area to let us see the famous Corinth Canal, about 6.3 km long, 8 metres deep and 24 metres wide at water level. The walls rise to 80 metres at the highest point which makes a spectacular sight. Because it is so narrow, it is only used infrequently and there is talk of making it wider and deeper to take cruise ships. It does cut off a huge trip round the Peloponnese peninsula from the Italian side. It was completed in 1889, which means it would have been dug largely by hand.

We drove onto the peninsula and inland to the ancient ruins of Mycenae, fortress of Agamemnon. I didn't find these as interesting as those of Delphi -- mostly reconstructed walls and a few tombs which were holes in the ground. It was also very hot, and most of the party didn't make it right to the top.

We had lunch at the nearby (modern) village, then made our way back to Athens. During the return trip, our lady guide (who turned out to be only a little younger than myself) recounted something of modern Greek history, and some personal stories of life under the German occupation.

We had a good rest back at the hotel, before dinner. We will have a quiet day tomorrow and get organised for the cruise start on Monday.

Sunday, 27th May 2001

Although this is our quiet day, we decided to visit the National Archaeological Museum in the morning. Accordingly, we *strolled* rather than route-marched about 2 km up the Athens streets -- much less traffic and noise, being Sunday.

	Greece has been campaigning for the return of the "Elgin Marbles."

The Museum was well-laid out, and contained most of the treasures found at places like Mycenae (where we were yesterday). There were glass cabinets full of gold ornaments, and thin gold death masks which had been moulded over the features of the notables buried there. Rooms full of statuary in various states of repair. Lots of amphora -- these were the ancient Greek bottles and jars, and typically had a large top which narrowed down to a small base. A room of Egyptian stuff, but nowhere near as comprehensive as the British Museum.

The marbles were removed by Lord Elgin with permission from the Ottoman ruler of Greece between 1804 and 1815.

I can understand the Greek bitterness at the huge amount of ancient history which is now held in the museums of Europe and Great Britain, and which they would dearly love to be repatriated. On the other hand, that does mean that millions more people are able to view Greek historical artifacts that if they were concentrated in Athens.

There is also the question of the Elgin Marbles -- the figures and statuary which came from the Parthenon and were taken to London by Lord Elgin. The Brits say that if they hadn't kept them in good care, they would have been unrecogniseable by now, due to the pollution in Athens. We stopped for lunch in Omonia Square in a chain restaurant called Neon. These are everywhere, and offer a good selection of food by self-service -- their prices are not cheap, but you can see what you get and make your selection. Back to the hotel to repack our cases and have a nap.

The final dinner of the tour was held on the top roof garder of the hotel, and the menu was better than the other nights fare. There were speeches of thanks from the veterans to the rest of the party for being good 'minders'; and thanks to our two tour leaders for their organisation and care of the party. Next page >