Sfakia-Crete.com New Forum - Books about Crete Books about our favourite island of Crete. Guide books, historical books, novels, articles, travelogues, magazines, eBooks etc. Share your Crete book tips.http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/list.php?6Tue, 07 Sep 2010 07:44:13 +0200 Phorum 5.2.10 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,3609,3609#msg-3609 Free eBook "The Sea-Kings of Crete" (no replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,3609,3609#msg-3609www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9781406592184/The-Sea-Kings-of-Crete-Illustrated-Edition-Dodo-Press

P.]]> prehor Books about CreteFri, 27 Aug 2010 18:57:15 +0200 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2986,2986#msg-2986 Book "The Cretan" (A Nostos Book, No. 18) (2 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2986,2986#msg-2986Ordering it online is only possible via www.amazon.com or www.amazon.co.uk or the open library
[openlibrary.org])
but it is not really cheap.
Thanks for any info.

Best regards
Sybille]]> xxmargana Books about CreteTue, 20 Jul 2010 15:20:52 +0200 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2844,2844#msg-2844 Looking for book about the civil war in Crete (13 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2844,2844#msg-2844
Thanks in advance
Annette]]> Annette Books about CreteSat, 17 Apr 2010 21:16:47 +0200 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2768,2768#msg-2768 Tradition and Social Change on the Island of Crete (3 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2768,2768#msg-2768
Just a few of you might have been lucky to find a copy of this dissertation in the past about the traditions and their change in Crete, written by a Cretan sociologist.

It used to be for sale in the small tourist shop of the Fasoulakis family in Chora Sfakion, where I have picked up a copy in 1992.

The book is in German, which might be an advantage, or disadvantage, to you.

However, it is a good read if you want to go deep into the Cretan culture, and tradition, and in the book has been worked out a strategy for the future development of Crete in line with the Cretan tradition. To spoil the plot: tourism should do it. But how? For that you need to read this book:

Tradition und sozialer Wandel auf der Insel Kreta

(Tradition and Social Change on the Island of Crete)
Dr. Vassilios Vuidaskis

Studia Ethnologica
1977, 1982
ISBN 3-445-01487-6



The following main themes are described:

* Patriarchalism: Patriarchy is a social system in which the father or eldest male is head of the household, having authority over women and children.
[en.wikipedia.org]

* Patron-client relationship system: This is first of all a relationship, which implies mutual obligations. However, the relationship is voluntarily entered into because each wants what the other can supply. The power in the relationship is always with the patron, because the patron can transfer his patronage to another client, and the client can do nothing about it. The patron can always acquire another client, but the client may not be able to find another patron.

This is not a business relationship, which is governed only by market forces. The patron-client relationship is modeled on family relationships, a sort of fictive kinship. (To get a sense of this, note that when people say 'don't patronize me' they mean 'don't treat me as if you were my father'.) People who enter into a patron-client relationship may sincerely or cynically play their roles, as if they were kin.

[showcase.unis.org]

* Nationalism and local Patriotism: love and devotion to one's country, and dismissal of foreign and centralised influences.

[en.wikipedia.org]

* Tradition and politics

* Tradition and economy

Hopefully you can find a copy somewhere. Highly recommended.
]]> Erno Books about CreteThu, 06 May 2010 12:44:20 +0200 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2639,2639#msg-2639 Anonymous building construction in Crete (no replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2639,2639#msg-2639
the following link (German text) is an architectural resp. historical essay about "building construction without an architect" in Crete, including pictures. Topics are mitata, water mills and Agios Pavlos near Roumeli.

Anonymes Bauen in Kreta

Enjoy!

Uwe]]> Xenos Books about CreteFri, 19 Mar 2010 18:58:35 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2439,2439#msg-2439 Minoans in America more than 4,000 years ago! (5 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2439,2439#msg-2439
Read all about it: How the Minoans discovered America more than 4,000 years ago!

[online.wsj.com]

I cannot wait for the book to come out.]]> Yorgos Books about CreteThu, 18 Feb 2010 18:56:07 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2413,2413#msg-2413 The Life of Ismail Ferik Pasha (2 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2413,2413#msg-2413
The Life of Ismail Ferik Pasha: (Spina Nel Cuore)

By Rhea Galanaki

Firstly published in June 1989 in Greek, it has been translated in French, English, German, Dutch, Turkish, Bulgarian, and other languages.

Review by Kirkus Associates

A compact historical novel based on the real life of its title character, a Cretan revolutionary captured during his country's struggle (in 1866) for independence from Greece. Taken to Egypt and raised as a Muslim, the eponymous Ismail becomes a respected military commander--and must participate, many years later, in an attack on his native land, which brings him to a painful reunion with his beloved brother and an even more painfully ironic resolution of his long search ``to discover in my life some focus impervious to change.'' Despite its penchant for summary and profusion of vivid battle scenes, Galanaki's memorable novel succeeds best as an acute and sympathetic study of a divided and guilty personality. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

This is the first Greek novel to be listed in UNESCO's Collection of Representative Works.

The subtitle refers to Venice’s view of the Lassithi plateau and its people. It was referred as “Spina Nel Cuore di Venezia”, Thorn in the heart of Venice!]]> Yorgos Books about CreteTue, 16 Feb 2010 15:39:43 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2405,2405#msg-2405 Memories of Samaria (2 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2405,2405#msg-2405
[www.haniotika-nea.gr]

It is a book about the Samaria Gorge with photographs going back to 1890 and a lot of information about its history, its people and its traditions.

The book will be soon available in the Chania bookshops, after its official launch. It could also be bought directly from its author.]]> Yorgos Books about CreteWed, 24 Mar 2010 21:57:15 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2175,2175#msg-2175 Greek Dictionaries (1 reply)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2175,2175#msg-2175
A new Greek - Dutch, Dutch - Greek dictionary has been published by Het Spectrum, containing 60,000 words. After 12 years of work, the team of the Modern Greek and Byzantine Studies of the Amsterdam University, under the direction of professor Arnold van Gemert, presented its monumental achievement in two volumes.

The dictionary was financed by state and private institutions in the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece and Cyprus and was officially presented on March 5, 2009 at the Greek Embassy in The Hague, and March 9, 2009 at the Netherlands Institute in Athens, in cooperation with the Royal Dutch Embassy in Athens.

Together they contain 2324 pages, and 2654 grammes of paper. It is a modern dictionary, in which they have attempted to present contemporary words and expressions:

web site: κόμβος, διαδικτυακός τόπος (often called ςελίδα (selída) in Sfakia = page)
κόμβος literally means: knot, junction



* Prisma Comprehensive Dictionary Dutch - New Greek (Prisma Groot Woordenboek Nederlands-Nieuwgrieks)
ISBN10: 9027429308
ISBN13: 9789027429308

* Prisma Comprehensive Dictionary New Greek - Dutch (Prisma Groot Woordenboek Nieuwgrieks-Nederlands)
ISBN10: 9027429278
ISBN13: 9789027429278

In Dutch:

Het Prisma Groot Woordenboek Nederlands-Nieuwgrieks (1.129 blz) en Nieuwgrieks-Nederlands (1.195 blz) verdient alleszins de naam "Groot", want het is heel uitvoerig. Je vindt er zelfs hedendaagse woorden als "Gazastrook", "e-mail", en "website" (maar geen "blog" of "webcam" -te recent?). Bepaalde woorden worden in een voorbeeldzin gebruikt: bij "solliciteren" vind je "hij heeft gesolliciteerd naar een baan als portier". Ook de woorden uit de gewone omgangstaal ontbreken niet: "sorry", "outfit". Het woordenboek behandelt 33.000 Nederlandse en 27.000 Griekse trefwoorden. Het Nederlands kent nu eenmaal meer samenstellingen. Het woordenboek is bidirectioneel, het richt zich dus tot een Nederlands en Grieks publiek. Daarom wordt bij grammaticale uitleg een zo internationaal mogelijke metataal gebruikt. Bij de trefwoorden vind je een pak bijkomende informatie: is een werkwoord overgankelijk of onvergankelijk, welke zijn de stamtijden van een onregelmatig werkwoord? Welke is de woordsoort: werkwoord, zelfstandig naamwoord, bijvoeglijk naamwoord enzovoort.

(NBD|Biblion recensie, Bernard Huyvaert)
]]> Erno Books about CreteMon, 08 Feb 2010 22:36:31 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2164,2164#msg-2164 The Campaign in Greece and Crete (no replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2164,2164#msg-2164
There are several good maps detailing the progress of the German conquest of Greece and, on pages 56 and 57, a map of Crete showing places mentioned in the text (Sphakia is there, of course). It is a description and analysis of the defeat e.g.
"One final word about the reasons for the defeat. By common consent they were inferiority of land equipment and the enemy's practically undisputed mastery of the air. As for inferiority of land equipment, we might indeed have had more guns and more tanks in Crete if, like the enemy, we had been preparing for war for eight years; but only if we had had enough to be strong everywherre could we have been strong enough in Crete. But even if every aeroplane we had produced had been in the Middle East, we could not have got any greater fighter strength over the battlefield, and we could not have smashed the airborne invasion in the air. Even with this colossal handicap, the issue of the battle hung in the balance for five or six days; and the course of the battle showed that the enemy's best troops were no better than ours. Indeed, even his parachutists were of variable quality. Most were tough soldiers who (if they escaped immediate annihilation) collected in small parties and fought until they were killed or reinforced. But quite a number were broken morally by their experience on the way down, and wondered aimlessly until they surrendered. These prisoners were mostly men who could not find water, and were abnormally parched by the tablets of some kind of concetrated tonic which they carried " The author goes on to say that it was not the parachutists who decided the issue, but the troops who came in troop carriers.

This is not an attempt on my part to summarise the book but rather to give a flavour of the spin put upon this event at the time. There are extracts from contemporary reporters and revealing comments - for example I had not realised that the Yugoslav army moved at the pace of its ox-carts and so was strafed mercilessly as it went towards the threat in a 150 mile long straggle.

The last two sentences of the book read " Nevertheless, over 16000 officers and men reached safety along that ancient sea-road from Crete to Egypt which has carried so many strange cargoes since the Minoans traded with the Phoenicians. Perhaps the great stone lions sculptured on the gates of Mycenae, the centre of the oldest civilisation on the Aegean, are an earnest that vultures will not long lord it either over the mainland or over the islands." A pretty pious hope in 1942....]]> David Books about CreteWed, 20 Jan 2010 17:13:25 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2098,2098#msg-2098 Benaki Museum books (no replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2098,2098#msg-2098cheese making book on Sfakia (last in the list below), that I found in the on-line shop of the Banaki Museum in Athens:

They have some more books about Crete, that can be ordered on-line. These are both in Greek and English:

[www.benaki.gr]

* Aristomenes and George Varoudakis
Architectural dialogues with the cretan landscape

Benaki Museum, Hellenic Institute of Architecture
Publication Year: 2009
(multilingual: Greek / English)
€ 15,00 € 13,50

* Kalliga Alexandra-Eleni (ed.), Milanou Kalypso (ed.), Vourvopoulou Chrysa (ed.), Vranopoulou Lena (ed.)
Icons by the hand of Angelos. The Painting Method of a fifteenth-century Cretan Painter

Benaki Museum
Publication Year: 2009
(multilingual: Greek / English)
€ 20,00 € 18,00

Description
The publication presents the conclusions of the technical study of a group of icons signed by Angelos, the most celebrated Cretan painter of the 15th century.
For the first time his technique is studied meticulously, through the implementation of a variety of photographic and analytical methods,, commonly applied for the study of works of Renaissance artists.
The project was carried out by the Benaki Museum in collaboration with the Byzantine and Christian Museum of Athens, the Holy Monastery of Saint John the Theologian, Patmos, the ‘Ormylia’ Art Diagnosis Center and the Technological Educational Institute of Athens.
Information regarding the materials, the construction of the panels, the underdrawing, and the methods used by the artist in the modelling and handling of the paint, are recorded.

* Zagorisiou Maria
Folk architecture in Crete

Benaki Museum
Publication Year: 1996
(multilingual: Greek / English)
€ 17,50 € 15,75

Description
This book is concerned with the recording of architecture in rural settlements of Crete, which was conducted just after liberation in 1945, by architect Marika Zagorisiou. During this period Zagorisiou was employed in the Department of Physical Planning and Urban Design Studies at the Ministry of Public Works. In this capacity, she drew up an account of the damages caused by the war and the German occupation. Her records are mainly concerned with settlements in the provinces of Ayios Vassilios and Pyrgiotissa in the Prefecture of Rethymnon and some others in the Prefecture of Herakleion. After the architect returned to Athens, she transferred her “rough” pencil sketches “onto cigarette paper using China ink and pen” and kept them in a drawer to be published later by the Benaki Museum with the assistance of the Ministry of Culture. The book includes photographs and drawings with comments, as well as introductory texts by the Minister of Tourism, Mr Nikos Sifounakis, the Director of the Benaki Museum, Prof. Angelos Delivorrias and the architect herself. As Mr. Sifounakis points out in his text, “today when the misfortune of our era has ruined this beautiful place architecturally, we are given an opportunity through books like this to appreciate the crucial importance of preserving our traditional settlements and monuments as an integral part of our cultural continuity as a Nation. Books like this give young architects an opportunity to acquire a different viewpoint about architecture.”

* Mitsotaki Zoe
Florentini Kaloutsi and the art of Crete: From the Minoan period to the present

Benaki Museum
Publication Year: 1999
(multilingual: Greek / English)
€ 30,00 € 27,00

Description
Zoë Mitsotaki has done an exemplary job of researching and presenting the Cretan painter Florentini Kaloutsi (1870-1971) who belonged to an age and to a generation that strove to shape the modern Greek aesthetic sense, inspired by ideas and themes that are safeguarded in the inexhaustible reserves of our cultural heritage. The work of Florentini Kaloutsi can be divided into three parts: painting, weaving and wood-carving. The cataloguing of her extant drawings reveals the artist and makes a substantial contribution to understanding the continuity and duration of traditional art on the island of Crete.

* Vallianos Alexis (ed.), Vallianos Christoforos (ed.)
Sfakia, Traditional Cheese-Making: The "mitata" (shepherders’ huts) of the White Mountains

Benaki Museum
Publication Year: 2003
(multilingual: Greek / English)
€ 18,00 € 16,20

Description
The book portrays typical scenes from pastoral life and in particular the process of making cheese on the high meadows (madáres) of the central White Mountains of Crete through the lens of Alexis Vallianos. The photographs are preceded by two texts about the history of the province of Sfakia and the life of the shepherds in the region.]]> Erno Books about CreteMon, 11 Jan 2010 13:45:26 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2092,2092#msg-2092 Sfakia. Traditional cheese-making. (4 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2092,2092#msg-2092
I hesitate a little to write about this book as it's not easy to get hold of. My copy came via my (Greek) sister-in-law who bought it directly from the Benaki Museum in Athens, but as visitors to Sfakia may pass though Athens en route there may be an opportunity for those interested to buy their own.

The book has parallel text in Greek and English. There is a brief introduction to the region and its history then a description of the Madares, shepherding, mitata, cheese making and types of cheese. The real glory of the book, though, lies in the 40 pages of full colour photos - landscapes, people, mitata, the cheese-making process. Even if you're not a 'cheese-buff', the pictures of people at work in traditional pursuits make this a book worth making an effort to obtain.

Jan]]> Jan Books about CreteMon, 11 Jan 2010 12:44:27 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2013,2013#msg-2013 Making a Landscape Sacred by Lucia Nixon (9 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2013,2013#msg-2013
Making a Landscape Sacred by Lucia Nixon



Synopsis:

This book examines the landscape in southwestern Crete from AD 1000-2000, using a phenomenological approach. Specifically, the positioning of outlying churches (exokklisia) and icon stands (eikonostasia) around Sphakia is looked at, in terms of spatial and social reasoning. What is certainly clear, is that people choose the location of sacred buildings particularly carefully, so the locations themselves cannot be seen as random. Routes, resources and boundaries are all factors but primarily these locations are symbolic: such monuments mark, protect and preserve the memory of significant locations in the landscape.

Review:

[www.journalofhellenicreligion.markoulakispublications.org.uk]

The writer, Lucia Nixon, is co-director of the Sphakia Survey [sphakia.classics.ox.ac.uk]

Does anyone BTW have news about their upcoming publications?
]]> Erno Books about CreteSat, 30 Jan 2010 13:46:37 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2002,2002#msg-2002 Hikes Walks and Rambles in Western Crete (25 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,2002,2002#msg-2002
Translated into English this 2009 edition that sells at about €17 / £15 is currently on sale by Book Depository at €2.45 / £2.19 including postage!

See: www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9789602186442/Hikes-Walks-and-Rambles-in-Western-Crete?selectCurrency=EUR

I am not sure how good it is but I am going to risk it and put an order through.

You can read a review of the book on page 21 of the Athens Plus 10.7.2009 edition at the link below:

[wwk.kathimerini.gr]]]> Yorgos Books about CreteFri, 15 Jan 2010 01:00:03 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1986,1986#msg-1986 The Dark Labyrinth by Lawrence Durrell (5 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1986,1986#msg-1986
The author, in his note, says"Not only the characters depicted in this story, but the events also are fictitious. Even the island of Crete may rest assured that no libellous motives suggested its choice as a locale. The following fragement from "The Islands of the Aegean, by the Rev. Henry Fanshawe Tozer, M.A., F.R.G.S., Oxford University Press 1875, must be held responsible for suggesting the story"...and there follows an extract from the book describing an expedition to a labyrinth (the one recorded by Wolfgang with his photos?) not very far from Gortyna.

Durrell knew the Mediterranean and he was a profound novelist ( though I have to confess I can rarely get through his novels though The Dark Labyrinth is an exception for me). In essence the book describes an unlikely grouping of people who came together on the cruise ship Europa; when it put in at Souda they signed up for a trip to the allegedly dangerous Labyrinth and had some interesting, not to say life-changing experiences. I could give more details but someone may like to read the novel and I do not wish to spoil it).

I started the book on New Year's Eve and finished it on January 1 2010 and did not think I had been wasting my time. I was unaware of the Rev Tozer's book which I see from Amazon and abebooks is available in horrid modern reprints or for rather more money from antiquarian booksellers!
Happy New Year.]]> David Books about CreteThu, 25 Mar 2010 00:23:42 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1927,1927#msg-1927 Article On Sfakia (26 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1927,1927#msg-1927
I had the privilege last summer of meeting the photographer, Wolfgang Kistler, and he and I collaborated on an article about Sfakia. It was published in the December issue of The Hellenic News, an American publication that appears monthly. I have the publisher's permission to post it here. Wolfgang's pictures accompanied the article. Hopefully, he will share his photos of Sfakia with us on this forum in a separate posting.

When I spoke with business owners of rooms and tavernas, they expressed a desire for more publicity about Sfakia to attract travelers. This article was written with this desire in mind. My publisher has promised to reproduce it in the Greek language in a future issue so that it can be enjoyed by the people of Sfakia. I thank everyone who helped me with this article, especially the kind people of Sfakia.

aurelia




SFAKIA: WHERE WHITE MOUNTAINS MEET THE BLUE, LIBYAN SEA

By Aurelia

Come, take my hand. Let us go to another world, where time passes slowly and is marked by the arrivals and departures of majestic ferry boats. Let us go on an adventure to another world that is rugged and wild and seems to be frozen in time.

Sfakia, located South of Chania and surrounded by the Lefka Ori or “white mountains,” is one of the most barren and rugged areas of Crete. It appeals to visitors who like natural beauty and a craggy topography; it appeals to those who like to hike gorges, go deep sea diving or snorkeling, swim in “sweet” water, and enjoy a fishing holiday. And it has a special attraction for seekers of exquisite solitude. I came for the solitude.

The capital of Sfakia is the Village of Chora Sfakion with approximately 190 full-time residents There is just one long, winding road that leads here from Chania and it was recently expertly paved. Before that, you would swear the busses or cars were descending into the village on a donkey path just a few feet wider than a donkey and his rider. Sometimes when on the bus I could easily imagine that I was traveling through the Khyper Pass, the formidable mountain range that connects northern Pakistan with Afghanistan. But perhaps one should not complain. According to a web site called “Travelers Tales,” for many years, the only way to reach the south coast part of Chora Sfakion by land was through the Imbros Gorge.

Even today, with the meticulously planned and paved new road, choosing the area of Sfakia as a holiday destination is not for the faint of heart. But if you like the challenge of hiking gorges and if you treasure peace, quiet, and solitude in an unspoiled setting of natural beauty where “the mountains meet the sea,” in Xan Fielding’s words, this is the place for you. Those seeking a more lively experience should find another place.

The unique character of Sfakia has been immortalized by an artful photographer named Wolfgang Kistler who has been taking pictures here for more than thirty years. For Mr. Kistler, Sfakia is “the hub of the world.” When he began his photographic odyssey of Greece, he saw and took pictures of most of the 150 inhabited Greek islands, which he found “marvelous, archaic, beautiful, fascinating,” but every trip ended in Sfakia. Please visit his web site at [www.wkistler.de]

On Mr. Kistler’s web site, you will find thousands of photographs, plus a web cam that records the daily arrivals and departures of the Daskalogiannis ferry. An exciting addition are photographs taken in Sfakia during World War II of the German occupation and the fabled Cretan resistance. He and a friend discovered the archival material in Germany in Bundesarchiv Koblenz.

Locals call the White Mountains, so named because of white limestone peaks, “Madares.” There are many tall peaks and the largest is said to be Pachnes, which rises to 2,453 m. according to some guidebooks.

Chora Sfakion makes an outstanding base for hikers and it is said approximately twenty different hiking routes start from here. One guidebook I found at the Lefka Ori Hotel in the village describes nine magnificent hikes of varying degrees of difficulty; the text is interspersed with very nice color photographs.

The most famous hike in Sfakia, however, is the incomparable and world-renowned Gorge of Samaria, which some say is the largest in Europe. Following is a brief overview of hiking the Imbros gorge, plus an equally brief description of the Samaria gorge trek.

THE IMBROS GORGE. From Chora Sfakion, you can catch a bus to the Imbros gorge, or you can drive to the Village of Komitades, leave your car there, and take a taxi up. The walk can be done in less than three hours; most guidebooks say it is eight kilometers in length. If you don’t have a car, at the end of the walk you can take a cab if you can find one, or return to Chora Sfakion by foot (about 5 km.).

The Imbros Gorge is quite picturesque, has narrow passages, many canyons, varied and rich vegetation, and
is a picture post card for a spot of unspoiled natural beauty. All guide books say walking the Imbros is safe and straightforward. It provides a solitary experience for the walker who wants to avoid crowds and commune with nature.

THE GORGE OF SAMARIA. And then there is the world famous Samaria Gorge, located in the National Park of Samaria. A friend, who is a Cretaphile and expert on the island, likes to ask travelers to Crete, “Well if you are not going to Crete to walk the Gorge of Samaria, why are going?” The gorge is 16 km in length, more or less, and is one the longest in Europe. It begins on the plain of Omalos and ends at the Libyan sea in Agia Roumeli. You begin your journey into the gorge in Omalos by descending steps called the Xylosskalo pathway.

Depending upon your level of fitness, walkers make the descent anywhere between three and seven hours. Some people like to walk slowly and take pictures. Others, such as young Cretans, claim to have “run” the gorge in two and a half hours and say they have “bragging rights.” This practice is discouraged. Mules and helicopters are on site to rescue people injured because of simple falls, stumbles, broken bones and major injuries, and heat exhaustion. This gorge is not for those who are not physically fit, who are not dressed properly, or who are faint of heart.

If you are staying in the Village and want to walk the Gorge of Samaria, you need to take the bus to Chania and then another bus to Omalos. The ideal way to do this is to stay in Omalos overnight and attack the gorge when it opens in the morning hours. You will finish in Agia Roumeli where you can catch the ferry back to Chora Sfakion. You can also go on a guided, group tour and these usually leave from Chania.

Alternatively, you can walk the Samaria “the lazy way” by taking the morning ferry from Chora Sfakion to Agia Roumeli, walk part way up, at least to what is called “the Iron Gates,” (no iron here, just stone portals) and then take the ferry back to your starting point. ( I chose the lazy way, or rather my knees made the choice for me.)

Check guidebooks for details about bus and ferry schedules, hotels at Omalos, and what to wear and take. If you are going to do this marvelous but challenging walk, read as much on the Gorge of Samaria as you can and go totally prepared. The most comprehensive information on walking the Gorge of Samaria can be found on the web site www.west-crete.com and it was written by a guide who has extensive experience with leading groups on walks in west Crete.

The Village of Chora Sfakion is relatively small and compact. There is, however, a nice choice of places to stay, ranging from one modern hotel that has a lift to very basic and simple “rooms.” The food served by the various tavernas is excellent and the chefs excel in preparing vegetarian dishes with fresh produce grown locally. You will also find a potent drink made from the skin of the grapes called raki (also called tsikoudia) served at the tavernas; you can buy gift bottles of this in the shops to take back to friends, but be aware of what size bottle the airline will permit you to carry on board. My large bottle was confiscated at customs, and I almost wept as I saw it being looked at with desire by the attendant and then reluctantly thrown into the round cylinder. I wondered if he would retrieve it later and I hope he did!!

Starting at the far end of the harbor near the ferries, there are two small tavernas where hikers congregate before boarding for the lovely village of Loutro and Agia Roumeli, the place where the gorge ends. Next one finds a mini market for food and souvenirs, the Taverna Delfini snack bar, a Rent A Car and Money Exchange, and the Taverna Nikos and Taverna Obrosgialos. The Taverna Obrosgialos serves a spectacular lobster and spaghetti dish second to none in the whole of Crete. It is said some people come here just to savor that very special dish. It is 50 euros for two people and worth every euro.

Across from the Taverna Obrosgialos is a gift shop run by Maxine, a woman from England who has lived here for many years and who is very helpful to all, especially visitors who seek answers from someone fluent in English. Maxine has a great variety of gifts, including beautiful leather handbags handmade by artisans in Chania.

There is a second street behind the harbor where you will find a very nice gift shop and a bakery run by Marco and Nikki, a man and wife who prepare excellent breads, muffins, pastries, croissants, and a very large variety of Cretan specialties. Marco, the baker, is considered an “artist” by many locals.

Moving along the sea front are Rooms Samaria and Restaurant, Room Livykon, a super market and gift shop, and the popular Cafe Despina, where the locals tend to congregate for frappes, the Café’s famous cheesecake, and other baked goods. Next to the cafe is a shop that sells cigarettes, a gift shop, and the famous Lefka Ori Rooms and Taverna, run by a very gracious man and wife and their three very handsome, energetic and accommodating sons.
(Notice to the young ladies—all the sons are single.)

The Lefka Ori has very pleasant rooms and also studios where you can cook if you choose. But why cook when the Cretan specialties there are so delicious and you can be first in line for the famous “fish soup,” the best in the Village. The views of the sea and mountains from the studios are spectacular. The Lefka Ori was made famous by a writer named Peter Trudgill who, over a thirty year period, made many numerous pilgrimages to this area before writing an affectionate book, In Sfakia, that is really a valentine to the Village. It is also an interesting sociological study of the social manners and customs here.

Besides the Lefka Ori, other hotels that seem to be preferred by long-time visitors are Stavris rooms, Hotel Xenia, and the Three Brothers Hotel and Taverna. Behind the Lefka Ori sits Stavris rooms, a favorite hotel for hikers. Xenia is the last hotel on the harbor; it is a wonderful, modern hotel and taverna that has a lift, spacious rooms with tile floors and large baths, patios and balconies with the requisite views of the mountains and the sea, a large parking lot, and a private beach with a ladder that takes the swimmer directly into the sea. Bliss!!! The taxi boats to Loutro and Sweetwater beach rest outside Hotel Xenia.

Above the Lefka Ori Rooms and Hotel Xenia sits one of the most romantic places in the Village. It is Hotel Three Brothers and its restaurant/taverna is on a balcony overlooking a small but picturesque pebble beach dotted with blue and white umbrellas. It is so pleasant to sit there after a swim and have lunch, or come back in the evening as the sun sets and enjoy an evening meal and cocktail.

This year, I had a studio at Hotel Lefka Ori for a few weeks and a room at Xenia for another week and enjoyed both immensely. I found the Xenia a bit more comfortable for my taste because it is more modern, and although the studio at the Lefka Ori is commodious with great views, I had trouble climbing the many steep steps and was concerned that there was not a railing. I had to take each step with caution because I was nursing an injured right knee. I did not stay at the Three Brothers, but this hotel has no railings up to the rooms and their steps are much steeper. I had no problem, however, getting to the restaurant or the beach, because there are hand railings to both.

I had the privilege of spending a precious afternoon in a 17th Century Shepherd’s Hut in Vraskas, the next village beyond Komitades. The hut was purchased and renovated some years ago by two men from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and I was a guest of a doctoral student who was staying in the hut.

Up the hill a bit you will find the Four Seasons Hotel which has seven self-catering apartments and panoramic views of the seas and mountains. And at the top of the Village are Eleni Apartments and Notos Suites. You can find more information on all of the accommodations mentioned here by visiting the ExploreCrete web site at www.explorecrete.com and also Sfakia, www.sfakia-crete.com


The premier hotel in Sfakia and the naturist or nudist resort in Crete is Hotel Vritomartis, a mile or so from the Village. A 20-person van comes four times daily to the square in Chora Sfakion to take guests to and fro. Opened in 1989, it has eighty-five rooms and a number of bungalows. It is exquisite.

The Hotel Vritomartis is beautifully and tastefully decorated and there is a large pool and access to a private beach. I found the visitors there to be an international mix of sophisticated travelers who want to sun bathe and swim natural. The atmosphere was welcoming and jolly and it should be a destination point for anyone who seeks a naturist resort in a setting stolen from paradise.

It is not quite enough to say all the owners of the hotels and tavernas and staff members were “friendly.” From the smallest snack bar to the swankiest hotel, the owners and staff were gracious beyond measure. I believe one of the reasons so many guests return here is because of the welcoming and thoughtful service.

Other places accessible from Chora Sfakian which can be reached by water are the Village of Loutro, Sweetwater Beach, and the island of Gavdos.

Loutro, or “this magic place,” as it is called by some, is small and contained and can be reached only by boat or by foot. There are no cars or mopeds and this makes for the extremely peaceful atmosphere. There are not many places to stay, but the hotels have excellent reputations, especially Hotel Porto Loutro and the Blue House. You will find a beach, a few tavernas, a mini-market and a fish taverna. You can walk to Sweetwater Beach from Loutro and also to Anopolis, or you can read and relax on the small pebble beach. The water taxi from Chora Sfakion takes guests to Loutro in the morning and picks them up for the return around 5 pm., or you can take the big ferry for a day trip.

Sweetwater Beach is a wonderful place for camping, for going to sleep and waking up to the sound of waves. It is a special place that attracts campers, hikers, and swimmers and sunbathers. Those who choose to go natural may, and the naturalists tend to group on one end of the long, pebble beach. Above the beach are ragged cliffs; a very small cave is on the beach itself. You can rent sun beds and umbrellas and simple but good food is served in the taverna. If you are staying at Loutro or Chora Sfakion, Sweetwater can be reached by water taxi; hikers know they must reach it on foot.

If you want to visit the island where the nymph Calypso lived and held Odysseus captive, go to Gavdos. It is a small island with three villages and a number of beaches with sparkling, crystal waters. There are no hotels and very few rooms, but it is known as an excellent camping spot; it can be reached in one hour and fifteen minutes by ferry from Chora Sfakion. The ferries go there about four days a week and you need to do research on where to buy tickets and so on if this island appeals to you. I could not work a visit to Gaydos into my schedule. It is the southern most island in Greece and Europe and less than 100 people live there year-round.

Two interesting places usually visited by hikers are the Village of Anopoli, and Frangokastello, each of which are just 12 or 13 km from Chora Sfakion. I did not hike there, but walked around this lovely plateau and had lunch in the O Platanos Café, where they are also rooms. I was with a group and we were taken to see the spectacular Aradena Gorge, which our guide said was one of the best hikes in Crete for those with experience.


Frangokastello is a small Village by the sea where you can relax at very beautiful beaches and visit the rather well-preserved remains of a Venetian castle. There is not much else in Frangokastello, but there are a number of rooms and apartments for tourists traveling through. A friend of mine was staying there and she comes for the beaches.


All in all, there are many choices for a memorable holiday in Sfakia. I sampled a few of the offerings and I invite you to do the same. When you arrive, stand tall. Stand proud. You are in Sfakia, where the mountains meet the sea.

O Telos

Aurelia is writing her second novel, Labyrinthine Ways, set primarily in Crete in Askyfou and Sfakia, and also in Greenwich, London.]]> aurelia Books about CreteSun, 03 Jan 2010 00:51:33 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1758,1758#msg-1758 "Greece: The Struggle for Freedom" by Stephanos Zotos (no replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1758,1758#msg-1758
If you are interested for a concise description of the period from 1940 to 1949 by an Athenian who truly experienced the Italian, German, then Italian again, occupation and finally the Civil War, interspersed with a number of personal anecdotes, then this is a very good 183 page book, well produced. I do not have the dust jacket so know little about the author.

He served as an interpreter with British forces for a while and has a number of good anecdotes - for instance, when he was with British forces withdrawing to try to hold the line against the German advance at Thermopylae, and were in the shadow of Meteora, he "saw that Lieutenant Smith was inspecting the surroundings with unusual interest. He looked slightly nervous.
" Anything wrong, sir?" I asked.
" I have a problem" he answered, while continuing to scrutinise the vicinity.
"Well" he said, after a moment, "I might as well tell you. Today is the day for a return football match between two teams of our unit. I had promised to let the men play, rain or shine. But I don't see anything approaching a football field in this area."
This problem was solved, however, within a couple of hours. Under the lieutenant's direction, the British soldiers used their shovels to smooth a nearby field. Although their efforts were not entirely successful it was decided that the football match would start as scheduled.
Twenty-two men came on the field, wearing white shorts and their colorful shirts. A referee appeared, holding the prescribed whistle. Lieutenant Smith, a few soldiers, and I stood at one end of the field, the only spectators.
The game was reaching the end of the first half-time when a dozen Stukas appeared over our heads and started strafing a convoy moving along the road, only a few yards away from the field. Nobody moved and the game continued as the players dribbled, passed, and kicked the ball with unrelenting zest.
Lieutenant Smith looked at the sky where the enemy planes might reappear at any moment, and I heard him whisper, "I don't understand why the umpire does not stop the match."
There was nothing else that could interrupt the game. Only the whistle of the referee could halt what British tradition dictated.
"The trouble with us," Lieutenant Smith said, "is that we are supposed to be extremely civilised"....

Clearly that was then...it ain't necessarily so now!

In commenting on events the author musters statistics and has relevant extracts from speeches, communiques and documents which add authenticity to his account. There are 16 pages of black and white photographs obtained from the Press and Information Agency of the Royal Greek Embassy in Washington. I found particularly striking a picture captioned "Almost eighty Greek orthodox priests in the district of Grevena in northern Greece formed "armed units" to fight against Greek Communists" and it shows the priest in full religious dress, including headgear with their rifles at the slope.]]> David Books about CreteThu, 26 Nov 2009 18:18:52 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1747,1747#msg-1747 Xenia (3 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1747,1747#msg-1747
Mary Henderson was born Maria Xenia Cawadias in 1919, daughter to a distinguished medical practitioner who was the King's doctor. On the removal of the monarchy in 1924 the family moved to London where her father opened a practice in Wimpole Street and Maria was educated in Queens' College Harley Street, a private school for daughters of the wealthy. Her father stopped her going to University as he did not want a blue-stocking for a daughter so she was back in Greece with her mother on holiday in their flat in Athens when war broke out and she was there throughout the duration. She experienced the occupation during which she was arrested by the SS, tortured (she was well aware of the Resistance movement and the channels to get men out to Egypt and Turkey) but, as she was about to be put to death, the SS released her and her mother shortly before the Germans withdrew. She remained in Greece as a correspondent for Time and Life magazines throughout the Civil War.
She was not the passive spoiled rich child that might be expected: she was, of course extremely well connected and knew Xan Fielding, Lord Jellicoe, Patrick Leigh Fermor and many others, all of whom are described in her book. She saw the waves of fighters going South to strafe the retreating Allied forces in Crete and in her travels around Greece during the Civil War visited the front and came into contact with leaders of militia groups etc etc the hard way. She was, though, billeted in the Grande Bretagne after the war when she worked as a correspondent and was privy to all the manoeuvrings that were going on to bring the Civil War to a close.
She had a brief unsuccessful marriage and then married Nicko Henderson. He became Sir Nicholas Henderson, later Ambassador to Warsaw, Bonn, Paris and Washington where she ensured that the embassies glittered magnificently. There are obituaries of her life - she died in 2004 - that I found on Google, from the Guardian and the Independent newspapers.
This book may well be - indeed is - peripheral to Crete but it is one I found in a secondhand bookshop for £5 and bought thinking it was going to be another of those ghastly flippant glimpses of Greece. I could not have been more wrong.
Towrds the end of]]> David Books about CreteThu, 26 Nov 2009 00:36:48 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1671,1671#msg-1671 The Children of Thetis (no replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1671,1671#msg-1671
The author is Christopher Kininmonth who was born in 1917 and who had his book published in 1949 by the London publisher John Lehmann. The full title is "The Children of Thetis: A Study of Islands and Islanders of the Aegean". It is nicely sound book printed on good paper.

On the face of it, it seems unlikely that anyone who was 31 or 32 when the book came out could have much of interest to say, being more likely to write a superficial tyravelogue. However, the author first went to Greece in 1937 and thereafter in 1938 and 1939 for extensive periods; he was in the army and was in Greece during the war; and he made the return trip on which this book is based during the Civil War, judging by the number of references to police and guards and bodyguards. He starts in Syra and visits and stays in a lot of the Aegean islands and his descriptions of what happens are rarely dull: well written and sometimes over-written, possibly being candidates for Private Eye magazine's "Pseuds' Corner".

However, the penultimate chapter concerns Crete and culminates in Sfakia.

The chapter 32 pages long, opens unpromisingly as he finds himself overwhelmed by the variety and wondrousness of Crete... he even says "I confess my incapacity to write of Crete". However it is more than worthwhile persevering with him: his visits to Knossos and Phaestos are not mere travelogue but for those on this forum things really get interesting when, in their shop in the market in Chania, he meets and becomes friends with grocers Kopasis from Anopolis and his friend Manousos Manousoyannis. "While Kopasis potters about at the front of the shop Manousos sits in the dark interior, among the piles of belongings dumped by visitng Sphakiannis, and entertains their callers". The author had been told to find Manouosos to organise his trip to Sfakia. This took several days during which he spent many hours as an apprentice drinker in the shop. Later, he says, " I was grateful that I had served this apprenticeship because it put me in training both for the heroic drinking and the dialectal variation of Sphakia". He needed guides, guards and fore-warned hosts for his visit for which he travelled by bus - "it was a lorry converted by the erection of a superstructure of roughly adzed wood ". The bus ride was somewhat different from today's experience and looks to have taken a day...but I shall not spoil the story for anyone who might wish to get the book. I found it fascinating that when the rough road ended, the bus was met by teams of mules to covey passnegers and their belongings on a far from easy descent into Chora Sfakion. The author goes on to Anopolis - no road at all - meets murderers and has an interesting time before making his way back down the mountain with an itinerant knife-grinder from Volos. With my memory of Greece in 1959 and my delight in Sfakia I found this chapter fascinating.

I should perhaps warn potential readers that there are times when the author gets a bit too mystical for an ordinary bloke like me especially when he talks about the "Heraldic Universe". However this sort of stuff is very much not the majority of the book.

The book ends with him on a boat leaving the island of Ikaria.

"The translucent blue sea is turned a tumultuous white under the propeller screws............................Already as you go the islands are becoming and magical (sic). They invite you back before you are ever out of sight of them. And they have now a new attraction for you. In your mind's eye you see, like a figure in a sorcerer's crystal, the remembered figure of yourself happy and spellbound in the islands"

And so say all of us.

David]]> David Books about CreteTue, 17 Nov 2009 14:06:50 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1631,1631#msg-1631 Between the Seas, A Quiet Walk Through Crete (3 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1631,1631#msg-1631
Quote

I preferred, also, the tone of Christopher Thorne's
"Between the Seas, A Quiet Walk Through Crete," over
the tone of Somerville's book. When
I finished reading Thorne's book many years ago, I wanted
to go walking in Crete and I did not get that same urge when
I read "The Golden Steps."

I was unaware of this book, but ordered it (along with others - thank you all - the journey becomes ever richer).

I haven't near finished it, but from the outset it talked to me of the Crete I recognised and wanted more of. The writing is unadorned, as is Crete. Having been reading about Zoniana in recent times, the juxtaposition with Thorne's story of his bastouni is interesting.

I am enjoying it and thoroughly recommend it!]]> Nick Books about CreteThu, 12 Nov 2009 00:51:28 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1610,1610#msg-1610 John Edwin Hilary Skinner (3 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1610,1610#msg-1610
While there is not much about Sfakia in the book except to say that the Sphakians at first held aloof from the uprising but later were very much involved, there is an interesting (to me, at least) account of his landing on a gun-running vessel at Rodakino and being involved with the Cretan uprising: some of his "walks" seem to me to be pretty tough.

However, I know nothing about this man. His addres is 3 Dr. Johnson's Buildings, Temple which would indicate that he was a lawyer of some sort. He clearly had travelled elsewhere, including Mexico.

Can anyone enlighten me more about the auther of "Roughing it in Crete in 1867"? If so, many thanks

David]]> David Books about CreteThu, 12 Nov 2009 00:18:41 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1566,1566#msg-1566 Books about old maps of Crete (4 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1566,1566#msg-1566
The first one is a book covering the exhibition of old maps conducted last year by the Culture Foundation of the National Bank of Greece and shows most of the maps presented during the tour of the exhibition. The book is in Greek only and the reproduction of the maps shown is limited to the size of the book (24X30 cm). Price about 30 euro.

[attachment 295 IMG_2483_1.jpg]

A much more impressive book, but also much more expensive at 120 euro, is one produced by Mikros Nautilos editions in 2004 and its text is both in Greek and English. Its coverage is quite extensive and its map reproductions are very good, including a four page spread of Basilicata’s map of Crete of 1636. A real collector’s book.

[attachment 296 IMG_2481_1.jpg]]]> Yorgos Books about CreteMon, 23 Nov 2009 02:31:26 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1420,1420#msg-1420 The Alpine Journal - Crete: an extract (4 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1420,1420#msg-1420Tulipa bakeri - he describes T. saxatilis in the article and that is what it has now returned to).

This, following, describes an encounter on the descent into the Samaria Gorge – at that time seemingly called the Xylo-Skala. (The map in the back (1905 War Office at 1/300,000) has the description Xiloskala Pass and the gorge is labelled Ag. Rumeli R. and only the old Ag. Rumeli, slightly inland, is shown.

“On the way down, by the side of a spring we met a party of Sphakiotes who were taking a short cut across the mountains to attend a wedding: they were decked out in their handsome national costume of dark-blue baggy breeches, embroidered tunic-jackets lined with crimson silk, and loose slit sleeves hanging from their shoulders. Black silk lace stockings were visible above the knee-boots of either black or fawn colour. All wore a black silk handkerchief drawn tightly over the head and tucked in above the ears. Some of the party carried arms, a proceeding contrary to the law. Notwithstanding their cumbersome outfit, they came up the slopes with great agility. One of them was known to Major Bonakis (a retired Major of Police at Chania who accompanied G.P.Baker on this journey as a guide) as a convict who had served a term for homicide. These men were the very representative of the Sphakiot Highlander. Unruly, bold, and fearless, aided as they were by their wild and inaccessible fastnesses, they were always a thorn in the flesh of the Turkish rule. Like the Highlanders of Glencoe, they were and still are cattle-lifters (sic!), regarding their tactics as manly sport, creditable, in their opinion, because attended with considerable personal danger.”]]> Nick Books about CreteTue, 20 Oct 2009 14:55:51 +0200 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1396,1396#msg-1396 "Shepherds' Huts and Shepherds in the Lefka Ori and Psiloriti" (17 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1396,1396#msg-1396
I have just returned from Sfakia, where Wolfgang has tipped me on a very interesting book about the shepherds' huts and shepherds in the White Mountains (and Psiloriti), published in Chania in 2008, written by the famous Antonis Plymakis, founder of the speleologic department of the Greek Mountaineering Club of Hania, EOS Hanion.

The sheperds' huts are called 'mitata' or 'koumoi', the shepherds themselves are 'boskoi', hence the original title:

Koúmoi - Mitáta kai Boskoí sta Leuká Óri kai Psiloreíti
ISBN 960-89421-0-1



It is a near 3 kilo [exactly 2725 grammes] volume ! in Greek only, (but) containing 700 beautiful photos. The book is an impressive publication made by a very devout and knowledgable Cretan writer. Despite the fact that the book was sponsored by the European Union, Greece, and Cretan organisations, it still costs Euro 55.

All aspects of the lifes of the shepherds in the Lefka Ori are explained, and the photos illustrate their traditions and work. For those of you familiar with Sfakia you will recognise many faces of Sfakians.

Even if you cannot read Greek the book is worthwhile looking to the photos alone.


]]> Erno Books about CreteMon, 23 Nov 2009 02:43:51 +0100 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1383,1383#msg-1383 Patrick White: "Flaws in the Glass"...a self-portrait (1 reply)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1383,1383#msg-1383During the Second World War, Patrick White was an RAF Intelligence Officer and he spent the last twelve months of his service in Athens after the end of the Civil War that followed the end of the World War.

An extract may give some idea of his style and powers of observation and communication. He had hired a room on Lykvittos in Athens to escape from the RAF Mess when off duty. When he is on his way back to England to be demobilised he writes " When I sailed form Piraeus I was painfully haunted by the thin trickle of a tune squeezed from the concertina-player's chest as he stumped through the streets winding around the Lykavittos, and the almost solid blast of perfume from stocks in the fields fringing the city. All this is gone by now." (He is writing in 1981)"Jerry-built apartment blocks stand in the fields where the stocks grew; exhaust fumes from unmufflered cars cannot escape from the labyrinth of Lykavittos. Never were there such victims of progress as contemporary Greeks. Peasants who sold their fields in Thessaly and Thrace live like battery fowls on their steel and concrete balconies or expose themselves to television in the cells behind, in every interior the same box flickering the same message. They tell themselves they are happy. They are prosperous, at least for the time being, stuffed with macaroni, fried potatoes , and barbecued meat. Livery and neurotic. The human contacts of village life are of the past, along with those tough, golden, classic, hens scratching freely amongst the dust and stones".

He travelled widely in Greece and the islands with his partner of 40 years, Manoly. There is a wonderfully truthful account of their pilgrimage to Mount Athos, for instance, and descriptions of many islands. Crete "turned out to be a bit of a trial" and he covers his visit there in just over one page of very perceptive writing.

I was ignorant of this book and have found it very thought-provoking and illuminating...]]> David Books about CreteThu, 15 Oct 2009 18:20:29 +0200 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1378,1378#msg-1378 The Cretan Runner (no replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1378,1378#msg-1378
Psychoundakis seems to have a natural sense of story-telling (Cretan oral tradition?). The reader is inside the story on the first page, and there is an artfulness in how the book's last sentence ends the story. Patrick Leigh Fermor, the translator, was of course very close to the events described in the book, himself having a key role in the resistance activities. This involvement perhaps made his task as objective translator difficult. Footnotes abound, often clarifying the meaning of an expression, or adding additional information about figures named in passing. Sometimes, it is just the voice of Fermor, adding his comment to events. At times this makes the book seem less Psychoundakis'. But, in fairness to Fermor, the story is also partly his. They are still collaborators.

There is an added element of fun for anyone who has hiked in the Lefka Ori. The events of the book become that much more vivid when you have walked in the same mountains where the events took place. Indeed, considering how difficult these mountains can be for a recreational hiker, some personal hiking experience makes the activities of the Cretan runner all the more incredible.]]> Mike Books about CreteTue, 13 Oct 2009 13:45:25 +0200 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1375,1375#msg-1375 Dilys Powell (no replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1375,1375#msg-1375I think the first book gets to the heart of an Englishwoman experiencing Greece in the 1930s and onwards: the amazing walks - as also recounted in "The Villa Ariadne". The narrative may bounce around a bit and the Villa Ariadne is inevitably concerned with the illegal shooting of a close friend but the books speak to me of what I recall as real Greece - those amazing bus journeys in the early 60s, the oranges plucked from the tree at Olympia to be turned into juice as we sat at the taverna in Olympia etc etc. Prosperity has changed the place - as it has everywhere - but given a choice I would still prefer always to return here, despite the desperate state of the pound against the euro.]]> David Books about CreteMon, 12 Oct 2009 12:18:02 +0200 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1311,1311#msg-1311 Falling for Icarus, Rory MacLean (3 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1311,1311#msg-1311
I have finally completed Falling for Icarus, and I'm glad to say, I managed the last few chapters at one sitting.

So what is the leitmotif in this book? No, not the death of the author's mother - that simply forms rather weak bookends for the story. Nor is it the Woodhopper plane he is building in Crete, although it should be. One reason may be that the author gives so little of his background (although tantalising glimpses do occur) that some suspension of disbelief is necessary to give him the engineering knowledge that seems required. We are guided early on to that need for imagination when he describes the village in the Apokoronas where he was based, and it surely must exist, but not under the name given.

Now, I am a stranger, a tourist, when I visit Crete. What Rory MacLean does for me is open up the characters behind the faces in the kafenion and elsewhere. It is Cretan village custom that is the leitmotif. That doesn't automatically mean a good book: ('A Year in Provence', however popular in the UK, was to my mind, a desecration.) MacLean, however, gives the book to his villagers and contacts - he becomes almost a bit player. He gives some history and geography (he is a travel writer), but that is mainly gently delivered - a lesson some others could learn from. I did have some doubts about the depth of his knowledge here, but whatever I've been able to check appears sound. Certainly, his description of the Taverna Nida brought back memories of my visit to the plateau and his conversation with Judah, in Hania, is very poignant.

I agree with what Aurelia said in the 'Golden Step' thread - at the end of it I really don't know what the book is about. But it's good writing and entertaining!

Falling for Icarus, A Journey among the Cretans by Rory MacLean

Publisher: Penguin Books
ISBN-10: 0141015942
ISBN-13: 978-0141015941]]> Nick Books about CreteWed, 30 Sep 2009 02:18:08 +0200 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1218,1218#msg-1218 |=|Chania Bookshops (2 replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1218,1218#msg-1218
Ilektra Petrakis’ bookshop at 67 Hatzimichali Gianari which has a great collection of books upstairs and it is worth browsing through the books and albums there, especially on a hot day as the air-conditioning provides a pleasant break from the conditions outside . Unfortunately this bookshop does not have a website and no function for one to buy books from afar other than by using telephone and fax.

The second bookshop that has caught up with modern times is that of Pelekanakis at 89 Halidon Street. It moved to new premises last year and now it has a website where one can browse through their books and even order online.

[www.mystis.gr]

I have not placed an order yet so I do not know how efficient their service is. Ordering books from Greece though is very expensive because of exorbitant Greek postage rates. If one cannot visit the bookstore, an alternative would be to place an order for delivery to your Sfakia Hotel which is very cheap at between €2.90 and €7.40 per parcel up to 10kg.

Picture below indicates location of the two bookshops, I for Petrakis and II for Pelekanakis.

[attachment 225 Chaniacentral.jpg]]]> Yorgos Books about CreteWed, 23 Sep 2009 21:49:44 +0200 http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1123,1123#msg-1123 eBooks (no replies)http://www.sfakia-crete.com/forum2/read.php?6,1123,1123#msg-1123
Today was the big launch here of the E-books, and E-readers.

If you like to know more about books in electronical form, here is a nice introduction:

[en.wikipedia.org]

Whether you like it or not, at least eBooks have a tremendous advantage while travelling. An E-Reader weighs less than 300 grams, and may contain thousands of books.

I am going to test my new gadget during the upcoming stay in Sfakia. Here is a quick snap of Yorgos' book on the 100 churches of Sfakia on my Reader:



]]> Erno Books about CreteThu, 03 Sep 2009 00:40:31 +0200