Armed with 5 copies of this all important form, without which I would be denied residence in Greece, because I was employed, while Yvonne would be a legal alien, because she was unemployed, I entered the building of the emigration police on the harbor grounds at eight thirty. That morning the ferry boat Knossos...
Read more →I just finished my first attempt at fabricating my version of moussaka, the shepherd’s pie of Greece, a succulent combination of fried aubergines, delicately spiced minced lamb and rich cheese sauce. It’s the most traditional Greek dish and it also happens to be absolutely delicious! When done properly. This one was done by me....
Read more →While we walked back to were I had parked the car, as we approached that spot, I tried to see whether the car was still there and had not been towed away. It was with a sigh of relief that I spotted it quietly waiting for us. It was only when I drove off...
Read more →Tonight it struck me all of a sudden that after almost 9 months of Cretan incubation some things have changed in my life. They’ve gradually and slowly crept in without making big waves (am I mixing metaphores here?). For starters, I don’t smoke anymore. Thursday, May 15th at 8:10 in the morning I lit...
Read more →Judging by the number of entries in the central database that keeps track of WiFi spots worldwide, you would think that Greece is the most developed region in the wireless world. There are more entries for Greece than for the whole of the United States of America! I can’t check the accuracy of the...
Read more →Tomorrow is August 15th. That’s about the most important day on the calendar in Greece. For the pagans amongst you, the Assumption of the Virgin Maria is celebrated on that day. In Greece, that’s bigger than Christmas or even Easter. It’s also the name-day of all those named after Maria. That includes those called...
Read more →An interesting letter came in this morning. From the Greek Embassy in Brussels. I had written them asking for a document which would allow me to register my car duty-free in Greece, as I can do in any other European country. Greece is notorious for ignoring European regulations in that respect. Anyway, I don’t...
Read more →We finally made it. Everything is unpacked, bar those items that we need to store elsewhere for lack of space. You can’t believe how hard it is to move from a place with 420 square meters of floor space (including various storage areas) to 90 square meters of floor space, not counting the balcony....
Read more →Yesterday evening we treated ourselves to a little mezé in the local ouzeri. There was supposed to be live music, but the musicians apparently didn’t feel like playing, instead contenting themselves to smoking, drinking and chatting with the guests. There weren’t many patrons anyway, because the narrow road that leads to the ouzeri in...
Read more →Today is Ash Monday here in Greece, the beginning of a period of fasting, also known as the Great Lent. In Greek it is called Tessarakosti, meaning 40 days. This day is also called “Clean Monday”. From what I’ve been told, people will empty their cupboards and refrigerators of all animal products. I’ve no...
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