We have boarded the ferry from Iraklio to Piraeas. All cabins were booked, we are put on a waiting list (in case of cancellations) but we are in position 32, not a big chance to actually get a cabin. No problem, we’ll find a place to stretch our limbs. In the mean time we’ve...
Read more →In about a week’s time we will pack some essentials into a couple of small rucksacks, take the ferry from Iráklio to Piraeás and set off on a discovery of a part of Greece that I have wanted to (re-)visit for a long time: Argolida, the name itself sounds like a symphony. It was...
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 →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 more →It has never been easy in Greece to be a Macintosh user. Most people — or businesses for that matter — have never even heard of Macintosh. I remember when I went shopping for a bank and inquired if their online banking system was compatible with Macintosh, most banks replied with “Huh?”. When I...
Read more →Having miserably failed at establishing where you have been the last couple of months, let me at least fill you in where we will be in the foreseeable near future. For starters we will take a break from work on the 16th of this month and head for the south to… yes, you guessed...
Read more →It’s February 15 again, 6 o’clock in the afternoon (they refuse to call this “the evening” here). Last year around this time we were covered in 15 centimeters of snow, now the air is filled with the warmth of the south wind, and it is still light outside. What a difference a year makes....
Read more →Back in January 2003, when I was preparing to drive off from Kleine Spouwen to Iraklio, I used a route planner on the internet to give me some guidance on how to drive to my destination. I don’t remember anymore which website I used, but it definitely wasn’t mappoint.msn.com. And a good thing too...
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