That’s the answer to my last question “How long does a Saturday afternoon in Greece last?”. Answer: until Monday morning. We did get a visit by a technician from the water works on Sunday though. But it wasn’t clear to me what he came to do. He ascertained that we had indeed no water,...
Read more →Piraeás was still sleeping when I arrived. I wandered around for a few hours before the shops would open. No need to hurry since my appointment with Michalis was at 11:00, and the one with the seller at 15:00. Michalis’ shop, called Classic Motorcycles Ltd is at Kalliroïs Street, south of the Acropolis, where...
Read more →I’m on the ferry to Piraeás, destination Athens. Two weeks ago I saw Manolis’ Royal Enfield Bullet 500 and I knew immediately that that was the motorbike I had been saving my money for for the last 5 years. Simple, spartan and with this oh-so seductive old-timer’s look. After some research I decide not...
Read more →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...
Read more →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...
Read more →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...
Read more →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...
Read more →No, this is not an old sepia photograph that you’re looking at right now. This is how the world looked like here in Iraklio, Crete, yesterday in the afternoon. “Bloody rain”, that’s how Homer called it in the Iliad. It’s tons of African dust carried over from the Sahara through strong South winds, the...
Read more →At the end of the year, Fabian left his shop and visited all the people who owed him money. Some had more than they borrowed, but this meant that others had less, since there were only a certain number of coins issued in the first place. Those who had more than they borrowed paid...
Read more →As I mentioned before, we live in a small street off Leofóro Knossoú, which is the main road from the center of Iraklio to the archeological site of Knossós. It goes all the way down from the Palace to the sea. We usually call it Knossoú Road, except in the winter when we rename...
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