Travels in Crete 8 – Boat Trips, Churches, Houses & Cemeteries

July 31, 2016August 20, 2016 / Mrs Dud / 6 Comments

So, I had a completely different topic planned for this week but then, as I’ve learnt often happens in Crete, an invitation arrived which made me change my mind!

As you will know if you’ve read my last blog, I’ve been fortunate to spend the last few weeks in Mochlos, Crete – also known to Dud and I as Paradise. Whilst here I’ve had some time on my own and some time in the company of lovely family and friends. During each of the two periods when I had company, we took a visit to the village of Plaka, with the dual purpose of a little bit of retail therapy and a trip over to the island of Spinalonga.

Aerial view of Spinalonga, complete with boats taking people over to visit

Now, I’m sure some of you at least will be thinking, oh no, not another piece about Spinalonga, the leper colony and the location for a book by Victoria Hislop. Well, no and yes… Spinalonga was indeed a leper colony from 1903 to 1957 and is the place where aforementioned authoress based her best-selling book, The Island. However, the leper colony only occupied a period of just over 50 years in a history that stretches back much further and Mrs H is not the only person to write about Spinalonga. Also, I’m not only going to talk about Spinalonga, so please stick with me. Actually, I think the fact that Spinalonga has become synonymous with leprosy is one of the reasons that Dud and I never visited it, which on reflection is a bit of a shame as I think he would have found it really interesting.

Anyhow, I digress….

So, although you can take a boat from Agios Nikolaos or Elounda over to Spinalonga, the shortest (and in my mind pleasanter and slightly less touristy) crossing is from the village of Plaka (although for a ‘village’ it is now more of a thriving community of tourist shops and tavernas – hence the opportunity for a bit of retail therapy). There are 2 jetties where the boats cross over from Plaka, interestingly (and to our cost, literally), one charges 4 euros for the return crossing, the other 8 euros, so do check before you pay the ferryman!

Ferry Boat from Plaka to Spinalonga

On the way over, you can see the imposing Venetian Bastion, testament to earlier inhabitants, and on arrival at Spinalonga, you land not at the old jetty on the west but around to the south of the island, on a small beach area near what used to be the generator but is now a small ‘taverna’ or rather a place to buy (somewhat expensive) drinks and ice creams.

Venetian Fortifications – bit of a climb to get up there (& down again !) but worth it for the view !

The island of Spinalonga forms a natural defence for Elounda harbour, and in 1579 the Venetians built a mighty fortress here on the ruins of an ancient acropolis. According to the Venetian cartographer Vincenzo Coronelli, Spinalonga was not originally an island but was joined to the adjacent Peninsular Spinalonga which is a part of the uninhabited Kalydon island area that belongs to the city of Elounda. He says that in 1526 the Venetians cut a portion of the peninsular to form Spinalonga Island. The Venetians kept control of the island even after the rest of Crete fell to the Ottomans in 1669 and it remained under their control for almost another half a century until its capitulation in 1715, when the Turks dislodged the last of the Venetians defending Spinalonga.

Spinalonga, Spinalonga Peninsula and Kolokitha (the small spit across to Elounda marks the site of the now sunken ancient site of Olous – cue another blog!)

Spinalonga was then occupied by the Turks who reconstructed the Venetian houses to meet their needs. Their population increased and the 1881 census records 1,112 inhabitants, all of Turkish descent. They formed the largest Muslim trading centre of the Mirabello, listing their sources of income as fishing, agriculture and commerce. However, what they don’t record on the census is that smuggling was another lucrative means by which they survived!

The numbers of Turks fell sharply at the turn of the 20th century but those who remained, continued with their more lucrative means of income, namely smuggling. In an effort to rid Crete of these outlaws, Prince George established a leper colony on the island in 1903. The thought of leprosy sufferers being sent to live among them caused the desired effect and the Turks left immediately. The first 251 leprosy patients settled on the island in 1904. Initially only lepers from Crete were sent to Spinalonga but, when the island became part of Greece in 1913, lepers from the rest of the country also came to Spinalonga.

Today thousands of tourists visit Spinalonga by boat from Agios Nikolaos, Elounda and Plaka each summer and it is one of the most popular archaeological sites in Crete, after Knossos.

View of some of the buildings on Spinalonga, looking up to the old Turkish Hospital at the top (which was taken over and use by the lepers)

There are two ways in to the buildings of the island, west through the tunnel that is the old entrance to the fortress, or east towards the lepers graveyard and Charnal House (place where exhumed bones are placed when the grave they were buried in is needed for another occupant!). On the two visits I made this summer I went first to the west, through the tunnel and on the second time made straight for the graveyard to the east. It’s not that I’m more interested in the dead than the living you understand (well, actually ….) but, as those of you who know me know, in my spare time I dabble in osteoarchaeology, so bones are my thing! Anyhow, whichever way you approach the buildings, do take your time to wander around, soak up the atmosphere and remember that all of those who lived here organised their space, engaged in the cultivation of the land, fell in love, married and had children.

Lepers Graveyard and Memorial Plaque (all graves were of a regular size with an even distance between them – when a new grave was needed the current occupant was exhumed and the bones placed in a charnal house)

Baker’s Shop

I found the buildings particularly interesting and quite reminiscent of the architecture of the earlier Minoan and Hellenistic civilisations on Crete. There are three churches on the island, Agios Panteleimon, Agios Yiorgos (both still standing) and Agios Nikolaos, where only the foundations remain.

We paused at the bakers shop and thought of who had stood there before us – again reminiscent (for me) of visiting other archaeological sites and imagining what life would have been like. Just inside the main area, after the entrance tunnel is a fountain where there was a small natural supply of water. Pausing at the laundry and washing troughs we again imagined those who had used them in the past.

Fountain in the village square

Evocative and well worth a visit ! I can also highly recommend the guide book by Beryl Derby, who has also written a number of fictional books including ‘Yannis’, who comes from the village of Plaka.

Looking out from the Venetian Fortifications, a reminder of Spinalonga’s military past

Well, having enjoyed the boat trips to Spinalonga, and finding myself on my own again I was wondering what other places could be explored by boat. Then, and the reason for my change of subject, I was invited to join a boat trip from the Tholos beach in Kavousi over to the island of Pseira (sometimes Psira), where there was a Minoan settlement.

Boat trip and Minoan ruins …. I didn’t need a second asking, I was there !

And so it was that I found myself at the far end of the Tholos Beach outside the village of Kavousi, joining a group of 9 other people, including fellow bloggers Yvonne and Steve (thought I’d give their blogs a mention here). In another ‘small world’ experience I knew who our boatman was going to be because I’d bumped into him at Dimitris Taverna in Mochlos just a couple of days earlier. I’d popped in for a quick drink on my way home and got chatting with this chap called Manolis, who told me he was taking a boat trip over to Pseira on the Saturday. Thinking that couldn’t be a coincidence I asked if it was the one organised by Yvonne and he said ‘yes’ !

Pseira Island from the main road (the only view I’d seen of it before, apart from cruising past in Nick’s boat on the way back from our wedding in 2011)

Anyhow, digressing again (sorry Dud, I can hear you telling me to ‘get on with it’).

We all climbed aboard the Ferryman (yes, there were shouts of ‘all aboard the Skylark’, giving away our age) and then we cast off and headed off towards Pseira. Manolis was a great captain and guide, he took us as far around the island as the winds would allow so that we could see the ‘ears’ the ‘heart’ and the ‘mouth’ of the island. Unfortunately the waves were a little too large for us to completely go around the island, but it was already shaping up to be a great trip.

This rock is known as the ‘Heart’ of Psira

We moored up at the little beach on Pseira, by the peninsular on which the Minoan remains have been found. Obviously not everyone was interested in looking round a pile of old stones (how can that be!), and for those that didn’t want to, the clear waters beckoned.

Our boat moored up on Pseira – we had to scramble a bit over the rocks to get to the beach, but it wasn’t as bad as it looks!

Site plan of the peninsular of Pseira (taken from the excellent website of Ian Swindale, Minoan Crete)

Grand Staircase leading up from the beach/harbour (Dud loved Minoan stairs so I had to go up and down these a few times for him)

I, on the other hand, decided to wander around said pile of old stones and tried to understand the site, based on some internet research I’d done beforehand. Well, it was all a little bit difficult to work out, but I definitely managed to find the Grand Staircase (would have been tricky to miss as it comes straight up from the beach), and also the ‘House of the three buttresses’ – I definitely needed Dud to help me with the interpretation and Dudley Bear was decidedly silent on the matter! Still, it was a really interesting site and I feel it is deserving of another visit (or maybe more).

The so-named ‘House of the Three Buttresses’ – hopefully you ca see why!

After a ramble round the ruins, I met up with my fellow trippers and we sat on the beach and enjoyed each others company and a picnic lunch and generally lazed around until it was time to get back on the boat. Now, this is where what I love most about the Cretan way of life kicked in…..we are on our way back to the Tholos Beach when Manolis asks if we are in a hurry to get back? ‘No’ we all say, so he says he will take us with him to collect a group of people he needs to collect from the Agriomantra beach and then we will return to Tholos.

So, we turn away from the Tholos area and head out to sea, or so it seems. The waves are definitely a bit larger out here and as we head towards a groups of rocks we all think, ‘surely we are not going between those – are we?’ Oh, yes we are, and it was fine and we waved to some fishermen and saw some beautiful scenery and then arrived at another piece of paradise – a beautiful, secluded beach. Now, if we had thought that we were going to ‘just’ pick up the additional passengers we were mistaken. They had been there for a ceremony at a chapel carved into the rocks and were now celebrating with food and drink (well, raki and water only!). We were invited to join them and share their food and raki – how wonderful and what a lovely experience.

Finally, and I don’t mean that badly, we packed up the boat and were ready to return to our original point of departure at the Tholos beach. Oh My, the water was even more choppy now and our ride back wouldn’t have been out of place at Alton Towers – but it was fantastic!

Getting on and off the boat required us to ‘walk the plank’ – well not exactly, but I think you can see the rather narrow walkway we had to negotiate to get on and off!

On our safe arrival back at Tholos, Manolis said we must all join him for a beer at the Kantina – – oh, go on then !

Great day out, great company and great Cretan hospitality. If you are in the area ever and want a boat trip, why not try Manolis…

Next time … maybe what I planned this time, but I’d best not say in case other events take over.

PS – the book that Dud was editing at the time of his untimely passing, has now been completed with help from 2 archaeological colleagues and friends and will be launched at a conference in Lewes, Sussex on 22nd October 2016. The aim of the conference is to celebrate Dudley the man (and archaeologist), publicise the book and launch the ‘Dudley Moore Fund for Archaeology’. In a blatant attempt at publicity, you can find details of the book here, and of the conference under Events on the Sussex School of Archaeology webpage.

Let’s Talk About ……

July 22, 2016 / Mrs Dud / 6 Comments

Hello there, Mrs Dud here.

Sorry for the big gap between my second post and this one. There, I’ve said it – apparently you are not supposed to apologise for not blogging, just get on with the next one and leave it at that. But I don’t feel I can do that, I feel the need to say that I fully intended to keep going with Dud’s blog from the second post I did. However, what I didn’t take account of was how grief can affect you and your ability to carry out even the most mundane of tasks, let alone trying to be creative. One of the things I’ve found the most difficult is getting back to doing things in the evenings after work and at the weekends. Dud and I were never ones for sitting around and watching TV all evening although, don’t get me wrong, we could gorge on a box set with the best of them now and again. However, we spent more time sitting in the conservatory talking through our next project, be that a talk one of us was giving, some research we wanted to do, or just the next trip to Crete!

Our cat, Dizzy, in the conservatory wondering what on earth we are talking about!

So, that brings me to the purpose of this blog – talking and its importance.

Since Dud’s passing in January I’ve been out to Paradise (otherwise known as the village of Mochlos in Eastern Crete) on several occasions, this current sojourn being my fourth. On this latest visit, I’ve been accompanied by some family and friends and on 2nd July we had a lovely little ceremony over on the Minoan island to talk about Dudley over a glass of champagne and celebrate his life. I’ve even left some of his ashes over there – although obviously I can’t tell you where or I’d have to kill you! At the same time, I was so proud to be able to announce that a book Dud had been editing before he died had been taken on by two archaeological colleagues and was ‘hot off the press’ that week. There is also going to be a memorial conference to Dud in October, to launch the book, but more about that another time.

Getting ready on the island – with a copy of the newly published book

Neither me, nor Dudley Bear, could possibly tell you where this is!

The Book – click here for more info

Today, 22nd July, would have been our fifth wedding anniversary (we were together for 19 years, I was just a bit slow at saying ‘Yes’) and I’m joined again by my sister and a couple of close friends. Of course the day will be tinged with sadness, but also with so many happy memories. I can honestly say that 22nd July 2011 was one of the best days of my life. Whenever Dud and I had people come on holiday with us, we would prepare a little ‘itinerary’ and called ourselves ‘Bramber Tours’. I did one for the party that was here for 2nd July and I’ve just done one for my sister and friends. This second one I’ve called “Return to Mochlos – Old & New Memories”. So today, 22nd July, we are going to celebrate the time that Dudley and I had together, all 19 wonderful years. Then, we are going to spend the next few days making some new memories in the Paradise that is Mochlos.

View of the Minoan Island at Mochlos (and who is that in the olive tree?)

22nd July 2011

What’s all this got to do with talking I hear you ask?

Well, as I mentioned at the beginning, Dud and I talked and talked about many, many things, often accompanied by a glass (or more) of red wine. Now, one of the things we talked about was death – and not enough people do in my opinion. Maybe it’s because I’ve studied death and the way past societies deal with it for many, many years but I’ve always thought it important to talk about it. One of the only certainties of life is death (and taxes apparently). Anyhow, Dud and I DID talk about it and now I am so glad and grateful that we did. Why? Well, it meant that when he was taken so suddenly I knew without a doubt what music he wanted played at his funeral and where he wanted his ashes. Don’t get me wrong, we hadn’t planned each others funerals or anything like that. What we had done though was talk about what we would do when one of us went – I always thought he would go first because he was ten years older than me, just not so soon of course. So, we had listened to ‘Mr. Bojangles’ (Sammy Davis Jr version of course) many times and even shed a few tears together because I knew I would have to have it played at his funeral. However, the upside of that is the comfort it brought me to know that he had wanted that piece of music and that it was something we had shared in life as well as in his death. I even asked him if he would ‘come back to me’ – now you are going to think I’m a completely mad person but there you go, grief makes you care less about what other people think and you do what you feel you need to. So, Dud’s answer to my question was that “Yes”, he would come back to me, if he could. Without going into the full details (at the moment) I’ve had a couple of unexplained (to me) incidents with our cat (Dizzy) and some music playing on the iPod that I certainly hadn’t chosen. These too have given me comfort, so who’s to say what they really mean.

A short while before I came out to Crete for the summer, I happened upon a book called ‘Water Bugs & Dragonflies’. It’s a small, short book, designed as a way to explain death to children. However, I’ve found it helpful and aren’t children just small adults anyway – or maybe adults are just larger children. So, the essence of the book is that there is a colony of water bugs living quite happily below the surface of a pond. Every so often though, one of their colony climbs up the stem of a water lily, disappears and Waterbugs+Dragonflies is seen no more. The water bugs get together and decide that the next one of them who climbs up the lily stem must promise to come back and tell the others where they went, and why. Not long after this the bug who had suggested the plan found himself climbing up the lily stalk and ended up on the lily pad, where he fell asleep. When he awoke he had changed completely – he had become a dragonfly. He flew around and generally enjoyed the new atmosphere he found himself in. Suddenly he looked down and saw his friends under the surface of the water and remembered the promise that had been made. Unfortunately though, now he was a dragonfly he could not longer go into the water….. The story ends that the dragonfly realises that even if he could go back to the water, his friends would not recognise him, but when they become dragonflies too they will understand.

Having found the Dragonfly book so helpful, I actively looked around at books explaining death to children. The second one I found is called ‘Always and Forever’ – and is about Otter, Mole Always+Forever , Fox and Hare who live together in a house in the woods. Fox is the ‘father figure’ of the house and was always on hand with a helpful suggestion and an encouraging word. One day, fox goes out into the woods and doesn’t come back, but lays down and dies under an oak tree. His friends find him, bring him back and bury him in his favourite place (under the willow tree). They are so sad that Fox has gone and spend their days mourning him and saying how he was always there for them and missing him greatly. This continues for quite some time and then one day Squirrel comes to visit them and asks where they have been. They say they are so sad they cannot go out and they miss Fox too much. They are pleased to see Squirrel though and invite her to stay for supper. Now, this brings about a change in their attitudes. Otter cooks a meal and this prompts a discussion about how bad a cook Fox was and they certainly don’t miss his cooking! The conversation moves to how bad a handyman fox was and how he didn’t know carrots from weeds! Suddenly, they are all laughing and remembering the funny things about Fox. Mole makes a bench for them, in Hare’s garden where they sit and recall happy times. They even think they can hear Fox laughing too… and so he was with them …always and forever.

Dud doing what he did best – smiling

OK, so now you don’t need to get either of those books yourself (but they are on Amazon if you want to) but I hope you can see the reason I’ve mentioned them. For those of you who knew Dud I expect you can see some of Fox in him (I certainly can). His cooking repertoire consisted solely of spaghetti bolognaise, he considered that manuals were for wimps (and then wondered why he ended up with extra bits left over when trying to put some flat pack furniture together) and he certainly didn’t know his weeds from his wisteria! However, he did know his ‘Law from his Elbow’ (there could be a book in there, oh there is!), he was always smiling and laughing and he always had words of encouragement for any and everyone, no matter who you were.

I do miss him desperately, but I am beginning to laugh again and to remember the happy times, of which there were so many.

So, I would encourage, no pretty much insist if I could, that you talk to your loved ones about death. You might not find it easy, but one day you might be glad you did. I would not wish my journey on anyone, but it is a journey that is slightly more bearable because I know we talked about …… death.

Talking of ‘bearable’ for some reason I find great comfort in a little bear that Dud gave me, who I’ve now named ‘Dudley Bear’. He comes away with me and is always sporting his bow tie and Spartacus badge.

“Dudley Bear”

I’m going to end now with some words I found just yesterday on the internet and which really struck a chord:

Your grief is your love, turned inside-out. That is why it is so deep. That is why it is so consuming. When your sadness seems bottomless, it is because your love knows no bounds.

Love you forever Dud, Happy Anniversary xx

2nd July 2016 – beginning to smile again

Next time, and I know now that there will be another blog….I’m going to move on to some of the many topics that Dud and I spoke about but that he hadn’t been able to write about….so I’m going to do it for him.

Dr Dud by Mrs Dud

February 14, 2016 / Mrs Dud / 17 Comments

Hello to everyone, whether you have loved Dr Dud’s Dicta since it started or have only just stumbled across it. My name is Sarah and I was fortunate to have Dudley in my life for the past 19 years until suddenly and tragically on 28th January 2016 he passed from us whilst undergoing emergency heart surgery.

Dud in Mochlos, Crete on the day of the Epiphany, 6th January 2016 (I know you have seen it before – but I love this picture, even more so now )

The last couple of weeks have gone by in a bit of a haze, but today I opened up Dud’s computer and realised that he had a number of blogs ‘ready to go’ in draft format. As with so much of our life together, we talked endlessly about the blogs and the topics he would choose to write about – I even proof read them for him (so you should blame me, not him, for any mistakes!). So, I have decided that I will attempt to keep the Dicta going – I hope you are all ok with that. I know that I am not as erudite as him, nor do I have his flair for writing, but I will do my best and hopefully you (and he) will forgive any wavering from what you have come to expect.

I feel I should introduce myself a little bit to you and set the scene as it were for me and Dr Dud – although I realise that he has written already about our times in Crete and our adventures in life.

To use Dud’s own words, “Sarah had dragged me ‘shouting and screaming’ (maybe a slight exaggeration) into archaeology when she came home one Friday evening and, over a glass of wine or two, asked me if I wanted to learn about archaeology (she had studied it at university in the 1980s and wanted to start up again). Anyway, I said I might be and she replied, “Good, because I have booked us both into a course on ‘Practical Archaeology’ at Sussex University starting on Monday”…….. the rest, they say, is history – well, ancient history, actually.”

That was in 1997 and as far as archaeology and our relationship was concerned, we didn’t look back! I won’t bore you with all the academic details, but suffice it to say that the wall by our stairs proudly displays certificates in archaeology, an MA each in Classical Studies, an MSt and DPhil for Dud and an MA in osteoarchaeology for me. Some of these courses we studied together and some individually, but always we talked and discussed with each other – often over a glass of wine in our conservatory.

Along the way we also found time to visit Crete with a few outings to Greece and Turkey – although always as well as, and not instead of, Crete! We went to Wimbledon (Dud served as an Honorary Steward for a number of years), to Glyndebourne, to various monasteries in the UK and we punted in Oxford. We held many dinner parties in the conservatory using any excuse (Burns Night, Trafalgar, Chinese New Year), or none. The house we live in used to be an off-licence and Dud always said “no change there then” !

Horatio Bear in our conservatory-good job he can’t talk, or he might have a tale or two to tell about our parties !

The culmination of our relationship was our wedding in 2011, in Crete – of course! It was the most wonderful day and the celebrations went on… and on …. and each year for the next four years we celebrated in style. Dud wrote about our 2-day celebration last summer (2015) and you can revisit it here.

Our wedding in 2011 – we are on the Minoan island of Mochlos

So, now he has gone and I cannot believe it, but somehow just writing this blog is helping, knowing that it will reach out to those of you that knew him personally and those that only knew him from the blog.

For this, my first, foray into the world of Dr Dud, I have chosen to end with a few brief words about something that was a bit of a trademark for him – the bow tie !

Now, you may or may not know (or even care!), but the bow tie dates back to the 17th century in Croatia. Here mercenaries would use neck wears that somehow resembled scarves to bind the collars of their shirts. These neck wears were called the cravats. In no time they were adopted by the Upper Class French citizens who had the reputation of being highly influential in the fashion world at that time. The cravats evolved into today’s neck wear of the bow ties and neckties.

Croatians celebrating ‘cravat day’ (bet you didn’t know that existed!)

Probably what you will know, however, is that there are two types of bow tie (well, strictly speaking there are three, but the third type is a ‘clip-on’ and should only be worn by children and infants!). So, there is the pre-tied and the self-tied variations of the bow tie. Obviously the former is already tied up for you, the latter you have to tie yourself (and of course this allows you to go for the untied look with the bow tie hanging loosely at the end of a party or a dinner – bound to wow the ladies!).

Dudley, I have to tell you, only EVER wore the self-tied variety and was jovially critical of those who wore what he referred to as a ‘stick-on’ version, and which he could spot at any distance!

All in all I would say that the pre-tied bow tie is only recommended for adolescents or somebody who has just joined the bow tie wearing club! I have just discovered that in America there is a National Bow Tie Day on 28th August each year – so you all have plenty of time to perfect your technique of tying your own bow tie! I predict that the Google search for ‘how to tie a bow tie’ will go viral any day now …..

A small selection of the many bow ties owned and worn by Dud

I can’t recall exactly when Dud starting wearing his bow ties on a regular basis, but he wore one every day to work and also to those more formal events we went to (and sometimes to the less formal ones too). It is one of the many things that made him such a unique character…

Me and Dud – with his signature bow tie (oh, did I mention he liked the odd waistcoat too ……)

So there you have it, my first attempt at Dr Duds Dicta – I hope you like it and I hope I’ve done him proud. If I don’t get too many negative comments I’ll try and keep going for you – as I said there are already some posts at the draft stage and there are many more we had only talked about. My only problem is I don’t quite know how to categorize this blog, so I’ve gone for Bramber History and Crete – our two homes!

Travels in Crete 7: the Greek Epiphany

January 9, 2016January 9, 2016 / Mrs Dud / 5 Comments

I KNOW I SAID last week that it would be Kit Carson this week, but just back from Crete where I witnessed the Epiphany celebration in the village of Mochlos on Wednesday January 6th. The Epiphany is the twelth night after Christmas and marks the end of that festivity. This is why one of the old wives’ tales has it that it is bad luck to have Christmas decorations up after the twelfth night. Also Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night was written to be performed as a Twelfth Night entertainment. The earliest known performance took place at Middle Temple Hall, one of the Inns of Court, on Candlemas night (festival celebrating Jesus being represented at the Temple), 2nd February 1602 (just thought I’d mention that in case you have read my post on Middle Temple – December 27, 2014).

Setting up the table on the small quay by the water (centre right) in Mochlos

The Twelfth Night/Epiphany also marks a visit to the baby Jesus by three Kings, or Wise Men, (Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar – representing Europe, Arabia and Africa respectively). The word ‘Epiphany’ comes from Greek and means to show, referring to Jesus being revealed to the world.

Getting ready to roll …..

The Baptism of Christ symbolizes the rebirth of man which is why, until the fourth century, Christians celebrated the New Year in with the Baptism of Christ on January 6. In Greece (and other Western Christian Churches) that day is the feast of the Epiphany, called the Theophany, and customs revolve around the Great Blessing of the Waters. It marks the end of the traditional ban on sailing as the heavy winter seas are cleansed of ‘mischief’. At this ceremony, a cross is thrown into the water, and (sometimes) the men dive into the sea to retrieve it for good luck.

The Priest blessing the Cross before throwing it into the water – no one dived in after it (well, he had tied a ribbon to it and so it was not going very far!!)

This year the day was sunny and hot (as can be seen from the photos) and a delightful experience. We were all given free raki and cake by the youngsters of the village after the blessing.

Blessing ends – time for free raki!

Just to show I was really there – and enjoying the sun after the blessing

Okay, next week Kit Carson

Travels in Crete 6: keep out the water

August 15, 2015January 9, 2016 / Mrs Dud / Leave a comment

WE DON’T SEE many sharks in the waters off Crete but up until March this year you would not have wanted to swim in the reservoir/lake south of Rethymnon – for there lurked Sifis – a 6ft crocodile!

Sifis

No, crocodiles are not native to Crete, or Greece, or anywhere in Europe! However, Sifis first appeared in the lake some 8 months beforehand but managed to avoid capture. He was happy living off the wild-life within the lake. He was named Sifis, a ‘typical’ Cretan name [1], by his admirers who set up a Facebook dedicated to him. Tourists travelled from as far as Japan to get a sight of him (who needs Minoan archaeology!).

In September, the Frenchman, Olivier Behra, reputed to be the world’s greatest living crocodile hunter proved he wasn’t. He managed to grab Sifis but he escaped (Sifis not Behra …).

The lake – it’s not safe to go in!

Sadly, during the winter months, the cold winter defeated Sifis and he was found dead on the banks of the lake. The director of Crete’s waterworks division, Vangelis Mamagakis, said, “It’s sad, very sad. We never wanted this to happen, we wanted to move him out of the reservoir to a more suitable place but he just kept eluding us.”

Sifis basking in the Cretan sunshine

How on earth did Sifis get there?! It has been speculated that he may have been deposited into the lake by his owner when he just got too big. Don’t people know that little crocs become big crocs when they get older?!

Footnote:

[1] Hmmmm … not sure how typical – I know quite a few Cretans named Yannis, Manolis, Yiorgos, Nikos – but I’ve only ever met one Sifis (and he wasn’t a crocodile).

POSTSCRIPT

Whilst on the subject of crocs, I did find this sign which made me smile:

Then of course there is this classic sign at the entrance to a crocodile park (or is it alligator – can you tell the difference? Does it really matter ……?)

But did you know that the common sign ‘Trespassers will be prosecuted’ is a falsehood. You cannot prosecute trespassers as it is not a criminal offence to trespass.

Oh no they won’t

Trespass to land is a civil action. But you knew that because you have read my book ‘Do you know your law from your elbow’. This was (still is) availble on e-kindle to download but now you can buy it in book form – click here

Artemus Smith’s Notebooks

I have discovered another volume of Artemus’ notebooks (followers will recall Dr Artemus Smith was an archaeologist of great courage, determination and fiction). Here is another extract:

I was in a bank the other day which was being robbed! The bank robber pulled out a gun and pointed it at the bank clerk and said, “Give me all the money or you’re geography!”

The puzzled bank clerk replied, “Did you mean to say ‘or you’re history?'”

The robber said, “Don’t change the subject!”

Travels in Crete 5: Toplou revisited

August 8, 2015January 9, 2016 / Mrs Dud / Leave a comment

IF YOU REFER BACK to my post ‘Travels in Crete 3’ (July 11) you will recall I visited the the Toplou (Akrotiriani) Monastery. I made mention of this trip to my good Cretan friend of 7 years from Mochlos. He told me that the Abbot from the monastery, Gennadios Silignaki, helped aid the Cretan National Resistance during the Second World War (along with many other monasteries who helped the Cretan and British resistance fighters). My friend further informed me that, sadly, the Abbot Siliginaki had been shot for his involvement in the resistance. He thought others had lost their lives as well.

Toplou Monastery

After further investigation, I discovered that the monastery was housing a wireless radio and the Germans found out about it. Abbot Silignaki and certainly two monks, Kallinikos Papathanasakis and Evemenios Stamatakis, were taken prisoner at Toplou in June 1944, along with an 18 yr old female wireless operator, Terpsichori Chryssoulaki-Vlachou. They were transported to a prison at Agia in Chania and interrogated. Stamatakis died in prison having been tortured, and both Papathanasakis and the girl, Chryssoulaki-Vlachou, were shot along with the Abbot Silignaki.

Terpsichori Chryssoulaki-Vlachou

Returning to my conversation with my Cretan friend, he said that Abbot Siliginaki was from Sfaka along the road from Mochlos. Then he reminded me that he too originated from Sfaka and, downing the remains of his raki, he added that his family name is also Siliginaki.

‘Modern’ Monument at Toplou by Manolis Tzompanakis dedicated to the many monks killed during both the 1821 and 1940-44 resistances

And this post is dedicated to Abbot Gennadios Silignaki, Kallinikos Papathanasakis, Evemenios Stamatakis and Terpsichori Chryssoulaki-Vlachou

Travels in Crete 4: the anniversary

August 1, 2015January 9, 2016 / Mrs Dud / 3 Comments

THIS IS NOT so much travels in Crete, just a picture-log of two special days in Crete. The reason I’m posting this is twofold: (a) it was a great two days for Sarah and myself; and (b) I don’t have much else to tell you about at the moment (you can see I’m running out of ideas!). I won’t bore you with too much detail as many of you won’t be interested, but the pictures are quite fun (well, for Sarah and I, anyway).

The two days covered our 4th wedding anniversary in Crete (see post ‘Travels in Crete: Mochlos’, May 30, 2014). On the first day it all began early in the morning …….

Sunrise in Mochlos (6.30 am)

This first day was our actual anniversary (22nd July) and was spent on a deja vu trip. We started off at 9.00 am at ‘Nick’s place’ with champagne by his pool. Nick of the Laing (new Welsh gentry) needed to pick his boat up from Agios Nikolaos, so Sarah and I went along for the ride. And what a ride – it involved three boat trips (RIB, main cruiser boat, then dinghy). We took the RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) from Mochlos to Agios – Sarah referred to it as a ‘white-knuckle’ ride (she started off at the front of the RIB which was a mistake!) but it was great. Then we collected the main boat (Beneteau 46) in Agios and Nick took us back to the marina harbour where he picked us up four years ago after our wedding by the lake in Agios, and then we returned to Mochlos. The marina revisited and the return to Mochlos were the deja vu bits. So here comes the picture-log:

Champagne at Nick’s at 9.00 am!

Champagne view of Nick’s pool and beyond (I’m in the wrong business ….)

Picking up the RIB in Mochlos for the ‘white-knuckle’ ride to Agios Nikolaos

The harbour at Agios Nikoloas where we were picked up by Nick 4 years ago….

At the end of the journey back in Mochlos – transporting to the dinghy from the main boat to go ashore was probably the most difficult part!

The following day we actually celebrated the anniversary (a day late as Nick was not available on the previous evening). It was a good turn out for the evening dinner at Koxilia, including, as ever, our good Greek friends from Mochlos Mare (Panayiotis, Sterei, Yiorgos & Demeter) where we stayed on our wedding night four years ago; also Willie & Liz from Istron (down the road a bit); Tina, Tristan & Deanna from the archaeological school at Pachia Ammos; Nick, his daughter Caren, her husband Martyn, and their children Milly & Lucy from Wales. Fortini joined us briefly, and so did a musician called Niko who played for us for a glass of raki – no idea who he was or where he came from – or where he went!

Lucy & Milly and Niko, the ‘impromptu’ musician

Martyn’s selfie – of us all (well, nearly!)

Sarah and I (and Nick) left Koxilia around 12.30 am and headed for Bar Raki. We had a fabulous evening with great company and got home at 3.30 in the morning. We had a ‘quiet next day’ – certainly didn’t get up in time for another sunrise – but had another full moon rising the following week:

Full moon rising from Koxilia’s (9.00 pm)

Artemus Smith’s Notebooks

I have discovered another volume of Artemus’ notebooks (followers will recall Dr Artemus Smith was an archaeologist of great courage, determination and fiction). Here is another extract:

Being over 60 I was complaining to my good friend, Randolph Peabody-Gryppe that I was feeling somewhat unfit. He sent the following instructions to remedy the situation:

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.

With a 5-lb potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax. Each day you’ll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato bags.

Then try 20-lb potato bags and for those of you who feel really strong, try to get to where you can lift a 40-lb potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each bag.

Travels in Crete 3: religious sanctuaries

July 11, 2015January 9, 2016 / Mrs Dud / 1 Comment

YEP, BACK IN CRETE. So this is a sort of pictorial view of what we have been seeing and what may be worth a visit if you are in this ‘neck of the woods’ some day. Followers will recall my trips to Crete in previous posts (May 30, 2014 and April 11, 2015). Most of our visitations have been to Bronze Age Minoan sites but this time we decided to be different, mainly because we had already bored our companions, Lawrence and Jackie, with Minoan sites on previous visits.

First there was the 13th century (AD) church of Panagia Kera. This means the virgin (Panagia or Panayia) of Kera and is just off the main road to Kritsa (near Agios Nikolias) It’s not much to look at from the outside but it is covered almost entirely inside with some amazing 13th century frescoes. It is a domed three-aisled church dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin and dates to the early Venetian occupation.

Panagia Kera – not much to look at from the outside …….

But inside …… 13th century fresco of the Last Supper

St George slaying the dragon

Apostles

The donor of the frescoes, Yeorgios Mazizanis, and his wife and child (without head)

We then headed up a very long and winding road (cue for song) off the main road just west of Gournia to the Phaneromeni Monastery. This is an austere monastic building (almost a fortress) on a rock edge with fantastic sea views. The site dates back to the Second Byzantine period (around the 12th century AD) but the actual date of the present building is unsure – but rebuilt in 1885.

Monastery of Phaneromeni

Inner courtyard of monastery

On top of the monastery with the church built into the rock face (me, with back to camera, looking into the courtyard below)

View from the monastery looking west towards Agios Nikolaos

The next trip was to another monastery, this time to the west near Sitia – the Toplou Monastery, aka the Monastery of Pangia Akrotiriani. It gets its Toplou name from the Turkish word ‘top’ meaning ‘cannonball’ as the Turks had seen a cannon there which had been provided by the Venetians for the defence of the monastery. This really was a fortress building but its date of construction is also unknown. It may go back to the early 15th century but it appears to have been rebuilt after 1498 to defend against the Turks, particularly the Turkish pirate, Khayr ad-Din Barbarossa, aka ‘Redbeard’ (1474–1518). It was damaged by an earthquake in 1612 but repaired shortly afterwards by its Abbot, Gabriel Pantogalos, with funds from devout Christians and the Cretan historian, Andreas Cornaros. It is not entirely clear whether this was just a restoration to its pre-earthquake form or a complete rebuild from the foundations. The museum at the monastery houses some very early icons (religious paintings), books, manuscripts and engravings.

The Toplou ‘fortress’ Monastery

The courtyard inside the monastery – don’t you just love that long thin cactus on the left going up to the roof!

Entrance to inner courtyard (not so tall cactus on right) – looking through the door to the inner courtyard you can see a plaque (with 3 holes in it) on the wall of the church – this gives details of the Arbitration of Magnesia (132 BC) referring to an alliance between Itanos and Ierapetra and was found by Robert Pashley (see blog post January 31) in 1834 being used as an altar in the Venetian church of Timios Stavros across the road from Toplou

The monastery has its own windmill

The museum containing many early icons and books – church in the background (not my photo – I took this from the internet as you are not allowed to take photos in the museum – I don’t know who took this one!)

Okay, we did go and see one Minoan site – the house at Chamaizi. This is quite unique as it is the only known Minoan building with circular walls. It dates to Middle Minoan IA (c 2100-1900 BC) and is situated on a hill with great views for a ‘look-out’ post just west of Sitia. The complex has a paved entrance to the south and the rooms are set around a small courtyard with a raised well or cistern.

Plan of Chamaizi (courtyard marked 12; well marked 12a; room with shrine marked 4)

Walls of Chamaizi

Finally, having dropped Lawrence and Jackie off at the airport at Heraklion (Iraklio) for their return to UK, Sarah and I ventured southwards through Knossos towards Archanes (Arhanes). I was determined to find the spot where General Kreipe was kidnapped by a British and Cretan force in 1944 – see blog post September 6, 2014, Ill Met by Moonlight. Well, it wasn’t difficult. In 1944 it was at a point where the Epano Archanes road meets the Knossos road (south of Knossos) and today there is a large modern roundabout at that point and a large monument on the side of the road marking the spot.

Map (see Stanley Moss’ map in Ill Met by Moonlight post)

The monument marking the kidnapping spot (I’m in the pic for scale)

Oh, and very finally, as Followers will know, we cannot leave a blog post on Crete without the rising of the full moon pic from Taverna Koxilia in Mochlos:

Artemus Smith’s Notebooks

I have discovered another volume of Artemus’ notebooks (followers will recall Dr Artemus Smith was an archaeologist of great courage, determination and fiction). Here is another extract:

A crafty old colleague of mine, Jeremiah Brainstormer, had been a retired farmer for a long time, became very bored and decided to open a medical clinic. He put a sign up outside that said: “Jeremiah’s clinic – Trouble with taste, memory or sight? Get your treatment for £50 – if not cured, get back £100.”

A young student of mine, Sebastian Littlewaller, was positive that Jeremiah didn’t know anything about medicine and thought this would be a great opportunity to get £100. So he went to Jeremiah’s clinic. This is what transpired:

Sebastian: “Jeremiah, I have lost all taste in my mouth, can you please help me?”
Jeremiah: “Nurse, please bring medicine from box 22 and put 3 drops in the patient’s mouth.” This the nurse did.
Sebastian: “Aaagh !! – that’s PETROL”
Jeremiah: “Congratulations! You’ve got your taste back. That will be £50 please.”

Sebastian gets annoyed and goes back after a couple of days figuring to recover his money.
Sebastian: “I have lost my memory; I cannot remember anything.”
Jeremiah: “Nurse, please bring medicine from box 22 and put 3 drops in the patient’s mouth.”
Sebastian “Oh no you don’t – that’s PETROL”
Jeremiah: “Congratulations! You’ve got your memory back. That will be £50 please.”

Sebastian leaves angrily and comes back after several more days.
Sebastian: “My eyesight has become weak – I can hardly see!”
Jeremiah: “Well, I don’t have any medicine for that so here’s your £100.” But Jeremiah only gives him £10. Sebastian : “But this is only £10.”
Jeremiah: “Congratulations! You’ve got your vision back. That will be £50 please.”

There’s a moral to this story. I’m not sure what it is but probably something to do with youngsters not messing with crafty old men!

17th century British Travellers to Crete

April 20, 2015July 13, 2015 / Mrs Dud / 2 Comments

I have introduced you to some early British travellers to Crete (Spratt and Pashey in the 19th century, Pococke in the 18th century – see January posts) but now let’s go back even further to the 17th century and give you a taster of a couple of others.

William Lithgow (1582-1645)

Although the son of a wealthy burgess and educated at Lanark grammar school, Lithgow was not destined to be a scholar. Possibly to escape the ill-treatment by his brothers, he chose to travel and earn a living from his writings. He visited Crete in 1609 and recorded his travels in his Painefull Peregrinations (1632) but his tales and experiences on the island are mainly of woe. On his very first day he was robbed and nearly killed; he then rescued a French slave only to be chased and nearly slain by the slave’s ‘owners’; he was nearly bitten by three snakes having been led to believe that no such venomous reptiles could live on the island; and was to be the near-victim of an Englishman’s desire for the revenge of his brother killed at the hands of a Scotsman (Lithgow was a Scot). His action-filled narrative is somewhat exaggerated at times and it is never very clear which incidents, if any, are actually invented.

Lithgow dressed as a Turk whilst at ‘Troy’ (well, Old Illium)

He was disappointed with Greece having believed it to be a land of heroes now subdued by the Ottoman Turks and the same could apply to his view of Crete. He commented (keeping his early spelling):

“In all this countrey of Greece I could finde nothing to answer the famous relations, given by auncient Authors, of the excellency of the land, but the name onely; the barbarousnesse of Turkes and Time, having defaced all the Monuments of Antiquity: No shew of honour, no habitation of men in an honest fashion, nor possessours of the Countrey in a Principality. But rather prisoners shut up in prisons, or addicted slaves to cruell and tyrannicall Maisters.”

Title page to his 1632 book

If you go back to one of my June posts, you’ll see my reference to the labyrinth at Gortyns. Lithgow was there and he saw the entrance into ‘the labyrinth of Daedalus’ but did not venture into the cavern: “… I would gladly have better viewed, but because we had no candle-light we durst not enter, for there are many hollow places within it. So that if a man stumble or fall he can hardly be rescued.” He positioned it “on a face of a little hill, joining with Mount Ida, having many doors and pillars.” This must have been the site at Gortyns which is in the south east foothills of the Mount Ida range.

Lithgow and his attendant

In his Travelers to an Antique Land (1993), Robert Eisner said of Lithgow’s writing, “he does not, as they say in creative-writing curricula, bring scenes alive, but instead summarizes, ignores the particulars of the ruins he visits, generalizes, adds historical commentary, and then digresses.” In fact, his description of his fifty-eight days, travelling four hundred miles, is exceedingly brief and uninformative as far as any information regarding the island historically. His work was entertaining but not offering much to the learned traveller. But there we go, can’t all be perfect.

George Sandys (1578-1644)

Son of an Archbishop of York, Sandys was educated at Oxford as a gentleman of the University at the age of 11 in 1589, entering St Mary’s Hall but soon after transferring to Corpus Christi. He ‘grew into a gentleman famed for his learning in Classics and foreign languages.’ He was, as were several of his brothers and cousins, admitted to membership of Middle Temple (see one of my December posts) but he was not Called to the Bar as a barrister. Then, he would have had to have trained as a clerk for seven years but it appeared that he left after about a year to marry Elizabeth Norton. His uncle, Myles Sandys, was Treasurer of Middle Temple from 1588-1595. He travelled to Crete two years after Lithgow, in 1611.

George Sandys

R.B. Davis (George Sandys, poet-adventurer: a study in Anglo-American culture in the seventeenth century, 1955) was of the opinion that Sandys did not actually visit Crete, “the ship did not put into any port on Crete, though Sandys does describe country dancing on the island as though he had seen it.” Davis possibly took this view because Sandys’ brief but stylistic report on the island made several references to ancient sources but no mention of visiting any sites or actually landing on the island. Sandys said he was “Much becalmed, and not seldom crossed by contrary winds … until we approached the South-east of Candy, called formerly Creta.”

Replica of 17th century Dutch East India Company ship – in search of Crete(?)

However, Sandys must have gone the island as, in his book, A Relation of a Journey Begun An. Dom 1610 … etc (1615), he described certain specific areas, such as Mount Ida and Gortyns and its labyrinth. He visited the labyrinth in 1611 but was a little vague as to whether it was actually at Knossos or Gortyns, although his reference to Ida would imply Gortyns as (as mentioned above) the latter is in the foothills of the former:

“For between where once stood Gortina and Gnossos at the foot of Ida, under the ground are many Meanders hewn out of rock turning this way & now that way … But by most this is thought to have been a quarry where they had the stone that built both Gnossos and Gortina being forced to leave such walls for the support of the roof, and by following of the veines to make it so intricate.”

Entrance to Gortyns Labyrinth around the 18th/19th century

Warren believed that Sandys was the first investigator of the cave when he remarked, “Sandys appears as the first British traveller actually to enter the Labyrinth.” Warren obviously didn’t count Lithgow’s visit in 1609 as he didn’t go into the cave (and rightly so – can’t get credit for doing things by halves).

Sandys’ references to other sites are rather limited and Warren’s comment of Sandys leaving a “full description of Crete in his book of 1615, packed with Classical scholarship and ancient history …” is somewhat of an exaggeration. He was certainly interested in Classical literature, having translated Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Book One of Virgil’s Aeneid, but of his travels, generally, he had little to say of antiquities, being more interested in mythology.

Mythology of Theseus and the Minotaur in the Cretan labyrinth

Artemus Smith’s Notebooks

I have now come to the end of my research of the notebooks of Dr Artemus Smith, archaeologist of great courage, determination and fiction. Here is the last extract:

I was obliged to write a reference for a member of my archaeological unit. It read as follows:

Casper Dempsey-Smythe can always be found

hard at work. He works independently, without

wasting the unit’s time talking to colleagues. He never

thinks twice about assisting a fellow employee, and always

finishes given assignments on time. Often he takes extended

measures to complete his work, sometimes skipping coffee

breaks. He is a dedicated individual who has absolutely no

vanity in spite of his high accomplishments and profound

knowledge in his field. I firmly recommend that he be

promoted to executive field officer, and a proposal will be

executed as soon as possible.

Addendum: The darn fool was standing over my shoulder whilst I wrote this reference, which I sent to you earlier today. Kindly re-read it, referring only to the odd numbered lines.

Travels in Crete 2: Bramber Tours

April 11, 2015January 9, 2016 / Mrs Dud / 3 Comments

I FEAR the weekend interlude into historical trivia has, this week, been interrupted by my expedition to Crete. On such visits Sarah and I sometimes conduct a ‘Bramber Tours’ (that’s what we call it) of a small portion of the island on behalf of whoever comes to join us – in this instance, John and Mavis. Our visitation was for ten days of which John & Mavis were with us for eight. We collected them from the airport at Heraklion and proceeded to the well-trawled Minoan site of Knossos (check out previous posts in June). The Bronze Age ‘palace’ of Knossos (c 1700-1450 BC) is situated just south of the airport and so is, of course, an essential first trip as it is probably the most famous site on the island (well, it is if you are interested in ancient history and/or archaeology). For April the weather was very agreeable, the sun revealing itself without interruption.

Knossos in the Central Court – the buildings are nearly all Sir Arthur Evans’ reconstructions – to the left, the cult rooms (front walls are genuine Minoan); in the centre, Evans’ staircase to his speculative first floor; and to the right (ground floor), the Throne Room

The ‘Bramber Tours’ itinerary for the week consisted of just three trips including the one to Knossos and two from Mochlos, the small village where we all stay (see end of May post last year – the part 1 of ‘Travels in Crete’). The other two visitations were focused on such places tourists are less likely to visit – for reasons, usually, of their obscurity.

The first of these was the Richtis Waterfall. An impressive natural location if you can ever find it. The journey took us eastwards from Mochlos to Exo Mouliana. Here we turned off the village at a sign ‘Richtis Beach’ (which you can only see coming from the other direction!) and drove down hairpin bends (John referred to it as a white-knuckle ride ….. but I knew what I was doing!!). After about 15 minutes we came to the beach – we ignored that (it’s nothing very much) and turned right into a car park area for the waterfall (although you wouldn’t know it was for the waterfall). Some common sense has to prevail to follow an ‘almost’ obvious path to the waterfall. It took us up and down a rocky terrain, through woodland, occasionally crossing very narrow but shallow parts of the river itself – so it is useful to wear shoes/sandals that you don’t mind getting wet. The excursion through the ‘enchanted forest’ took about 40-45 minutes but depends upon how fast you are proceeding of course. The end result, when the waterfall reveals itself, is worth the effort. We concluded the day, still in glorious sunshine, with a beer or two back in Mochlos at Taverna Kochylia (see, again, end of May post last year).

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Richtis Waterfall (some 30 m in height)

The next trip was up into the mountains from Karvousi, just west of Mochlos. Further hairpin bends were are encountered but the ‘road’ (you can just about call it that) is not too bad and, after turning left at the first fork, it leads to the 3000 year old olive tree of Vouves. This tree dates back to the Minoans and is still going strong. It cannot be exactly dated by radioisotopes because its heartwood (naturally occurring chemical transformation …. oh, look it up) has been lost over the years but has been roughly dated by its size and general annual ring growth. This makes it approximately 2000 years but scientists from the University of Crete date it around 4000 years old (well, better for tourism). Anyway, let’s split the difference at 3000 years (which seems to be the general consensus of opinion). In 2009 it was declared a protected natural monument and was classed as ‘monumental’ by the Association of Cretan Olive Municipalities due to the large size of its trunk. The trunk has a perimeter of 12.5 m (41 ft) and a diameter of 4.6 m (15 ft).

‘3000’ year old olive tree

Image result for oldest olive tree in crete

Different view of ‘3000’ year old olive tree (not my photo but gives you a better idea of scale)

Part of this same trip was the Late Minoan IIIC site of Vronda (okay, that’s four trips in all). We returned to the fork (mentioned above), and took the right turn and on up into the mountain. The Minoans headed into the hills after the invasion of the Mycenaeans from mainland Greece around 1450 BC and this is one such site in which they settled. It is interesting to wonder how they actually got there as it’s hard enough by car! The rocky ‘road’ (you can hardly call it that now) is a somewhat difficult terrain to travel. I recall the last time I did it was in a four-wheel drive jeep – much more sensible than a Toyota saloon weighed down by four people. To make matters worse I missed the site and carried on up the ‘road’ that became less and less agreeable. Realising my error it was time to turn back. Well, that was easier said than done on this narrow track. Fortunately I found a small inlet to enable me to carry out the manoeuvre but not before all three of my passengers decided to exit the vehicle and volunteer to walk back down the rubbled pathway to the sought-after Minoan settlement.

Most of Vronda is very late Minoan, 1200-1025 BC (the ‘IIIC’ part of Late Minoan above) and has a fair share of hearth and oven occupied buildings and several small tholos tombs (see those of Mycenae in one of last July’s post). The pattern of buildings suggests the nuclear family as a basic social unit with each family cooking and eating together in large rooms. So now you know.

Vronda – large building with hearth in the middle

Vronda tholos tomb entrance (centre) with lintel above

The day was completed with a visit to the Tholos beach down from Kavousi so John could go for a swim before embarking back to Mochlos and Taverna Kochylia for another beer or two (sound familiar?).

Tholos beach, Kavousi

From Mochlos – I forget which evening this was but the full moon delighted us by rising up from behind the hills

Artemus Smith’s Notebooks

I continue my research of the notebooks of Dr Artemus Smith, archaeologist of great courage, determination and fiction. Here is another extract:

I decided to introduce a very good friend of mine to my wife the other day and so took him home, unannounced, for dinner at 6:30 pm, after work.
My wife was not impressed. She screamed her head off while my friend sat open-mouthed and listened to the tirade which (cutting it a little short) went a follows ….

“My hair and makeup are not done. The house is a mess and the dishes are still in the sink. Can’t you see I’m still in my pajamas and I certainly can’t be bothered with cooking tonight! Why the heck did you bring him home unannounced you darned fool?”

I replied with the truth, “Because he’s thinking of getting married.”

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dr dud's dicta

Musings on archaeology and history and things

Crete

Travels in Crete 8 – Boat Trips, Churches, Houses & Cemeteries

Let’s Talk About ……

Dr Dud by Mrs Dud

Travels in Crete 7: the Greek Epiphany

Travels in Crete 6: keep out the water

Travels in Crete 5: Toplou revisited

Travels in Crete 4: the anniversary

Travels in Crete 3: religious sanctuaries

17th century British Travellers to Crete

Travels in Crete 2: Bramber Tours