wee beefy Crete 2006

Since 2005 I have been writing articles for beer matters in Sheffield. I say writing, but to be fair I receive no payment so in effect I am just jotting notes for pleasure. 3000 copies of beer matters are distributed in Sheffield and it is available on the web, but I couldn't get an article in a real ale maagazine about Crete, a beautiful, friendly beer desert, because it would make no sense. So I tried this.

For years. me and our lass ( which is her actual name ) have trusted tour operators to take us to Crete, and paid handsomely for it. We organised a short trip ourselves and realised, as thousands had previously, that this was cheaper and more rewarding. So in 2006 and again this year we went to Crete for 3 weeks, amd kept a diary each time.

The story of our trip in 2007 will follow, since its took me 13 months to stir myself into jibbering on the internet. I had wanted to write on an ongoing basis whilst over there but this proved difficult since I had no blog.

25/08/06

Wee Fatha drove us to the airport via a shortcut that turned out not so, which I have to say I was glad of, since Chala had insisted we get to the airport considerably earlier than was necessary.

After getting through heightened security we were in Heraklion by 22.00 ish and got a seemingly expensive taxi to our hotel, where we had a quick shower before venturing out into the city centre. Iraklio ( since we are in Crete ) is quite large but the city centre seems compact. We headed for the famous lions fountain and found a place selling gyros for next to nothing, so ate there. By the time we were done ( 12.30 am ) most bars were closing, which seemed very early for a European capital city, but no worse than in the UK, and since we were knackered we headed back to the hotel to put the air con on. I decided to drink the compliemntary wine that someone had left in the fridge but it smelt of urine so decided to get some sleep instead. Besides, I needed to try and make my ears pop......

26/08/06

Up early having had not much sleep we went down to breakfast with other more tanned and slimmer tourists who sounded German amd French. Breakfast was fine and after we'd packed, the very helpful receptionist phoned the Aristea Hotel in Anogia to check that we were booked in ( I called from the Uk and I speak little Greek and they little English so was a bit concerned).

We set out for a walk around the market where I bought what turned out to bve an unimaginably poor quality camera bag and we enjoyed an ince cold Paulaner Weiss in a bar near the fountain. We got to bus statoin B in good time to sample the " delights " of the cafe on the corner which seems to sell almost nothing before catching a bus up into the hills and Anogia.

Hotel Aristea was easy to find and we were made very welcome, and were then gobsmacked with the size of our accomodation - 2 floors with 4 rooms and 2 balconies for 45 euro per night. We walked around the upper village for a while but were soon seeking rest and recouperation so slept til evening. At night we went to a taverna on the hill in the upper village and had some lamb and potatoes and village wine and raki, whilst listening to traditinoal greek music.

This meal did end up setting a precedent for Anogia - the lamb was always mainly on the bone and the potatoes in short supply - we didn't see any locals eat anywhere , so we were at a loss to think which were the best places to eat. We finished the evening in the upper square becoming confused by ownership of chairs and tables and being ignored. To be fair, we didn't wamt babying but this was a contrast to hospitality previously received in villages in Crete.


27/08/06

Today we explored the lower village and visited Nikos Xilouris's house, which seems to operate as a kafenion. Food continued to be less than edifying, but beer is cheap and we have found a supermarket, so our hotel self catering unusualness is proving quite helpful - we also discovered that the room comes with breakfast, which is a nice touch. We visited the folk museum, which is tucked away up a back street, and there was a guy there playing an old lyre. The walls are adorned with paintings photo's and tapestries of German troops ransacking the village during the war and this theme preoccupies much of the rest of the exhibits, indeed much of the rest of the village. They are very fond of statues and obviously have taken a lot from past hardships.

In the afternoon Chala went for a kip and I went on a pointless walk down the windy road to.... well, really just a spot where I felt tired and decided to turn back. Tea was in the bottom village and once again promised much and delivered little. The walk back up was also suitably tiring and we ended up in the square again for a late night drink. Despite the food, we decided to stay another night.

28/08/2006

One of the reasons we opted to visit Anogia ( as well as the musical heritage ) was that we were supposed to be visiting the ideon andron cave , but with no map and only 240 seconds advice we sagely opted not to embark on such an adventure. The morning was spent not addressing the stressed Frenchman about the cave, before walking through the square to the lower village. We bought phome cards and, since the phome in the village was out of order, called Rethymno bus station from outside Nikos's house. Buses to Rethymno are 07.00 and 15.45 - the plan is to forgoe breakfast and leave at 06.30.

At dinner we asked Aristea how we could get a taxi to the famous Delina taverna. Aristea got Giorgi out of bed and told him to drive us the 2 or 3 KM to what turned out to be an empty closed taverna - for which he would accept no payment. Being closed our taverna visit was brief, followed by a 2KM walk into Anogia's fringes, and dinner at Marooni Taverna, where we had the first decent food of the trip. We walked back to the Hotel and slept until 18.00.

We had a long and complicated discussion with Aristea about busses and prices before walking to infocost ( or similar ) to get on tinternet. Having found out what was required ( including asking everyone there where the bus stopped ) we walked into the upper village and went to taverna Aetos, where Chala had apaki ( smoked pork ) as well as copious wine and other alcohol. Probably the best meal of the trip so far.

After the meal we stoppd off briefly at the hotel ( to shamefacedly explain that we did not understand how to use the sink plug ) before we headed off to the Cretan wedding just down the road. The band seemde to play for hours and we sat down to yet more lamb on the bone with a huge crowd of people, many of whom had travelled from afar and like us, did not know the couple getting married.

This explained why there was no food in the village and was also a great introduction to the Cretan wedding experience. I have to say though that when she came ( or in fact was carried ) out, the bride did appear to be barely concious.......

29/08/2006

Up at Christ on a bike o clock ( 05.30 ) to finish packing and try and manage breakfast. Away on time and up the very steep hill to " the place whete the bus stops " this gave me ample opportunity and space to throw up, and then stand in three different places to catch the bus, before getting the side of th e road wrong. The bus journey was spectacluar, but in my sleep deprived stupour I left my cap on the bus. We were kidnapped at the bus station by Lefteris. who whisked us off in his posh car to see his accomodation.

To be fair to Lefteris, he is a very friendly bloke who, since he is a business man, knows that backpackers are looking for cheap centrally located accomodation, so tries to provide it We rejected the first place on grounds of size and no cooking facilities and chose Elina studio's nexct to the Ideon hotel almiost at the port. There was air con and a typically package holdiay crap 2 ring cooker. The " eclectic " studio was 35 euro.

Had an early dinner ( and beer of course ) at a place called Cul De Sac and spent hours wandering the narrow streets befor finally succumbing to a siesta at 15.00. Afetr finding a dead thing in the shower, we headed out to find supplies ( not self catering supplies alas, so no money saved on the kitchen facilities ) before we headed out to the Rimondi fountain ( or premises next to it ) for cocktails and Erdinger before we had food at the Lemon Tree.

Here I discovered to my amazement and dellight that beer really is brewed in Crete, better still, here in Rethymno. Brinks Organic Rethymno beer is brewed by a German bloke and bottled fresh without filtering or preservatives or other nonsense, which unfortunately means that you can't take it out, and even if kept refrigerated it only lasts a few months. It does though, more or less qualify as bottle conditioned beer, so is eminiently worth seeking out on that basis, even if it does taste marginally of cereal.

We left at 22.00 in search of traditional Cretan music ( rembitika ) but none was to be found so we retired early.

More to come soon......

Wee Beefy