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 Author | Topic: Our winter HQ in Crete (Read 6,866 times) |
bazfaz
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|  | Our winter HQ in Crete
« Thread Started on Jan 26, 2010, 3:11pm » | ![[Quote]](http://images.proboards.com/buttons/quote.gif "[Quote]") |
![[image]](http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii110/jillb1944/LunchonterracePaleochora.jpg "[image]")
We have seen Kerouac in Paris, spent a splendid day in Athens seeing the Acropolis with almost no tourists, then a day and a half in Chania on the north coast of Crete. This is a fabulous town to wander round looking at old Venetian and Turkish buildings. This morning we took the bus over the mountains and down to Paleochora where we have a small apartment: bedroom, bathroom, kitchen/dining room and this terrace on which we had our lunch. It faces south so we benefit from the sun all day. Across the bay you can see the snow-capped mountains in the interior of the island.
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lola
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #1 on Jan 26, 2010, 3:19pm » | |
Oh, my. Oh, gazing again, my.
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imec
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #2 on Jan 26, 2010, 3:26pm » | |
You mean you have to look at nothing but rocks and sea and mountains all day?  Do you have TV at least?
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bjd
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #3 on Jan 26, 2010, 4:02pm » | |
I love those oranges on the table -- great contrast with the blue of the sea and sky.
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deyana
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #4 on Jan 26, 2010, 4:15pm » | |
What a beautiful area, Baz, will you be swimming in that lake at some point?
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bazfaz
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #5 on Jan 26, 2010, 4:20pm » | |
Deyana, that lake is the Mediterranean Sea. I don't know its temperature but it would freeze the balls off a brass monkey.
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bixaorellana
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #6 on Jan 26, 2010, 4:52pm » | |
Jeez-Louise, Baz!!!! I am almost too jealous to type. I would ask "how do you like the apartment", but that gorgeous, idyllic <-- Greek word! photograph speaks volumes.
I'm surprised that the water is cold, but I guess it is winter after all. I assume from the picture that the air temperature is quite comfortable for eating outside.
So happy for you all, and looking forward to hearing & seeing more, please.
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spindrift
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kerouac2
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #8 on Jan 26, 2010, 5:45pm » | |
Wonderful picture, but it is even better to know that the same Ikea glasses that many of us already own are available in Crete as well!
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auntieannie
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #9 on Jan 26, 2010, 7:23pm » | |
envy.... can I share your plate, the food looks as delicious as the view!
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Askar
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #10 on Jan 26, 2010, 11:47pm » | |
I LOVE Paleochora. I can't wait to go back!
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lagatta
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #11 on Jan 26, 2010, 11:51pm » | |
Yes, bixa, the Mediterranean does get cold in the wintertime, especially where it is deep. I love those oranges too. I so miss being by the Mediterranean - I didn't even see it the last time I was in Italy, as I was mostly working, and spent the days I had to myself revisiting Umbria.
But Duralex glasses were so much prettier (and more solid) than Ikea glasses.
imec, bazfaz does have a computer. To write mostly, I'm sure, but can also be a "vast wasteland" as was said a very long time ago as what was offered on TV (although of course TV also opened up a lot of people's horizons).
Bazfaz, I presume you can get fresh fish?
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lola
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #12 on Jan 27, 2010, 12:59am » | |
I like the photo illustrating lagatta's question about fresh fish.
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bazfaz
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #13 on Jan 27, 2010, 8:16am » | |
Tavernas here in Pal all offer fresh fish. But since this is not the holiday season they are nearly all closed. We will find an open taverna for dinner, maybe on Friday. The supermarket we bought provisions at yesterday had no fresh fish counter. I looked in the freezer cabinet but then decided I would wait until I am a bit more attuned to life here before attempting to cook one of them. They had most decorative frozen octopus, neatly curled up to present a circular body with tentacles tucked under and a few suction pads showing. Octopus is one of my least favourite sea things. I love seeing fishermen spearing them in the harbour and then hurling them at rocks to tenderise them. A couple of little bits charred over the BBQ and served at a cafe table with a glass of ouzo are fine. More than that, no.
The truth is that the waters around here have been overfished. The fish that is on sale is very expensive. In a taverna in Chania on Sunday we saw A category fish (the most prized) on sale at 62 euros a kilo.
But, as I have said, Greece has got its economy in a real mess since it joined the euro. Politicians deluded themselves that all their problems would be solved. On the contrary low interest rates plus giving government employees double digit pay rises has simply led to horrendous inflation. Being in the euro, Greece cannot devalue. Tourists will stay away and the locals will suffer.
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kerouac2
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #14 on Jan 27, 2010, 8:48am » | |
I think you need to go down to the harbour with your fishing pole.
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bazfaz
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #15 on Jan 27, 2010, 11:37am » | |
Funny you should say that, K. We walked out along the breakwater at Chania harbour, passing three men with fishing rods. None had caught anything.
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deyana
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #16 on Jan 27, 2010, 6:36pm » | |
Jan 26, 2010, 4:20pm, bazfaz wrote:| Deyana, that lake is the Mediterranean Sea. I don't know its temperature but it would freeze the balls off a brass monkey. |
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I see, well, don't blame you for not jumping in then!
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bazfaz
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #17 on Jan 28, 2010, 12:32pm » | |
![[image]](http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii110/jillb1944/crashingwaves.jpg "[image]")
For lovers of crashing waves our apartment is superb. Yesterday the wind brought impressive breakers. No sign of the mountains across the bay.
![[image]](http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii110/jillb1944/IMGP4692.jpg "[image]")
When it is windy on one side of town then the beach on the other side is calm. This is part of the long sandy beach.
![[image]](http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii110/jillb1944/IMGP4716.jpg "[image]")
And here is our little apartment, with me on our terrace waving to Mrs Faz.
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bixaorellana
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #18 on Jan 28, 2010, 5:08pm » | |
Hi Baz! Hi! Hi, Mrs. Faz!
As long as you're in that setting -- my god, that's gorgeous! -- even eating cold beans out of a can would be bearable!
I have to say that I always agreed with you about octopus. There is nothing wrong with it, but its essential lack of taste is kind of a drawback. However, a friend of mine urged me to try the fried octopus at a popular seafood restaurant here. Since batter-fried seafood is something I generally avoid, I resisted, my resistance shored up by the fact that the octopus thus presented resembled a plump beige spider. However, on another outing to the same restaurant, my friend insisted I try some of his order. ~~ !!! ~~
I confess I've been back several times, ordering the fried octopus each time.
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kerouac2
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #19 on Jan 28, 2010, 6:06pm » | |
I actually like octopus, if it has been smashed with a mallet enough to soften it properly. Lobster is tougher!
But now that I am back from the office, I can finally see the lovely pictures, which will only improve as the season advances. And I am certain that some formidable banquets are on the way as all of the shopping and market options are discovered.
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bazfaz
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #20 on Jan 28, 2010, 8:52pm » | |
Oh Kerouac, you confessed that you had never been to Greece. Once away from Athens the options for buying food for banquets are almost non-existent. I did see some netbags of snails in one supermarket so we may have those. There does not appear to be a normal outdoor market here. The truth is that Greek food is not great - the setting for eating it is everything. Eating in Turkey is much better.
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kerouac2
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #21 on Jan 28, 2010, 8:55pm » | |
Well, you will have time to invent wondrous improvements on local fare by working your magic and imagination on ordinary ingredients. Do you need me to send a package? You have plenty of time to receive it.
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bazfaz
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #22 on Jan 28, 2010, 9:02pm » | |
Bless you for the kind thought of the CARE package. The strange thing is that when in Greece I can think of nothing to cook except the way the Greeks do. Also we have no grill or oven, just two electric hotplates. It is a challenge.
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bazfaz
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #23 on Jan 29, 2010, 12:09pm » | |
![[image]](http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii110/jillb1944/firsteveningmeal.jpg "[image]")
Glass of ouzo in hand, Baz takes time out from cooking our first evening meal.
![[image]](http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii110/jillb1944/IMGP4752.jpg "[image]")
Mrs Faz on the coast road out of our little town. Not too built up. In fact this is towards the end of the E4, a long distance path that starts somewhere in western Europe. I wonder who had the enjoyable job of blazing this trail.
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patricklondon
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #24 on Jan 29, 2010, 4:30pm » | |
I remember the very first time I went to Crete being enthralled by the octopus seller in Rethymnon - to bash out the octopuses, he was using one of those old top-loading washing machines where the central pillar does a quarter-turn and back again.
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kerouac2
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #25 on Jan 29, 2010, 5:54pm » | |
I'm shocked by the bottle of oil that is not olive oil. Yes, I know you're not supposed to use olive oil for everything, but I often do anyway.
(That kitchen looks relatively serviceable, albeit limited.)
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lagatta
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #26 on Jan 29, 2010, 6:37pm » | |
Nice-looking couple.
When I was in Perugia I had not much more to cook on in my kitchen - it had one of those scary big bottles of whatever explosive material they hook up to cook by gas though, so it was better for sautéeing. I managed fine.
Yeah, stir-frying at high heat and deep-frying ( I do the latter extremely rarely) are the only things I use anything other than olive oil for.
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deyana
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #27 on Jan 29, 2010, 6:43pm » | |
Mr and Mrs Baz make such a nice couple.
Baz do you find it easier cooking in a small kitchen or a much larger one? I like the blue and white motel. Is that a common color in Crete?
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kerouac2
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #28 on Jan 29, 2010, 6:43pm » | |
Yes, I would not use olive oil for deep frying.
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bazfaz
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| | Re: Our winter HQ in Crete
« Reply #29 on Jan 29, 2010, 8:22pm » | |
Let me put Kerouac;s mind to rest. We are using olive oil as a photo tomorrow will show.
Deyana, thank you for saying we look a nice couple. Over on the Meeting Pot onlyMark has wanted to know why the obviously younger Mrs Faz was attracted to the mature Baz. Obviously I cannot reply to that.
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It's great. I am so envious. You are right near the sea and you can, no doubt, walk along the beach. I do wish I could join you there......what a lovely place...please take pics of the old towns (I'm sure you will)....