http://www.crete-holiday.org/hersonissos-crete-villas/
Dear David, A Series of Letters to an old friend in July 2008
Hersonissos,
Crete
Greece
July 2008
Dear David,
About Brikis, Happy Birthday Ralf Villa, a place to eat in Koutouloufari, Australians on the tour, the American maverick, and a monastery nuns.
Yes, it's four years since Villa Ralf off the bulletin board and became the first and accommodation Crete accommodation for gay and lesbian people! It's been interesting moment in many ways, for example, when we opened for the first time, the result of Google for gay + Crete was completely meaningless and all that came were some results very false! When the website was launched in June 2004 (and the boy, who was in bad taste – some would say not much better now!), It was the only thing web joining the two terms together, and had the contents of web pages to match! And three weeks later we have our first booking for our surprise, the Australians were. In a way it seems appropriate that four years that Australians should have to stay again. Not the same but the friends of the times Perth.
Now things are slightly different and no other gay hotel and what used to be "Tilly is the bar in Malia Crete gay only the name, now called Eros Bar
And yes, you're right, as is the anniversary of the movement in it is also time to make wine nectarine tree in the garden. This year has been outstanding and another branch has broken! I never forget that day, when the previous owners moved and stripped the tree of fruit, although they were not ripe, but in no time if you recall, we thought they were going to scrape the paint on the walls! Even recently had the gall to turn to see what was left! Surprisingly, no wanted to take the dog!
In the beginning of the month, I wondered if I have time to write anything at all this month because the house was full and not look as if there is time, but as always thank God for friends who contributed and helped whenever and wherever they could!
But first let's deal with the question about "What is a briki?
Just then, a small saucepan briki is to make Greek coffee, it is usually brass or copper with a coating of tin and a wooden long-handled metal. You can also buy stainless steel with plastic handle, but not so romantic! Curiously, the brass and copper versions are very difficult to buy than ever tourist shops seem to sell, perhaps because it is actually quite expensive! There are a couple of shops in town that specialize brass and copper, and usually have one or two of these in the cupboard for sale to guests who pay to save entering the city. Also, keep supplies of coffee Greek at home, it is not the first time I've had emails from visitors asking me if I can send some! Web page this month has some pictures in it,
OK for the ads in fact, so you talk to Australians.
Now I've met Ann and Phil for a long time and it was a pleasant surprise to learn from them, saying he came to stay for a week. Like many Australians and New Zealanders who are visiting Crete and the Greek islands (not all were with me), were more for a family reunion, and to get more of their tickets, they were doing a tour of Europe and Greece, at the same time. This is a very reasonable anyone who comes to Europe on a long haul flight to Europe, once inside the book is here is relatively easy and cheap ',' flights within Europe. Ann and Phil flew from Gatwick on a direct flight to Heraklion, but of course these only run during the summer months. During the winter you have to come through Athens, but even this is fairly easy from the UK and the Aegean has flights from Stansted in London and can travel to Crete, without having to collect your luggage in Athens. There are also flights from Easyjet, but then you have to collect luggage in Athens, so you have to leave yourself a couple of hours outside to check back!
Now Ann and Phil are not poor, but typically Australian, who likes to keep an eye on the money that has not been elected to rent a car for reasons of cost, (and I suspect that she did not like driving on the side 'wrong' on the road!), so we tested our excellent bus service! I talked about this before I think? Of Anyway we managed to make all trips as usual Spinalonga, and were very impressed with the service and price, after all less than € 3 in a form of Heraklion, can not be bad for a trip on a nice, comfortable, air conditioned coach. Buses run along the main road nearby, and also pass through the airport so any guests arriving during the day, at least, can take a bus and save a taxi, the driver will help you store your luggage underneath! And, of course, is only about 300 meters from the bus stop to the house.
Having discovered that almost everyone speaks English, made the trip by bus to Knossos, which involves changing buses at the main bus station near the port, which is more than can be said of an American from Seattle who started going to Knossos and ended in Ierapetra on the south east of the island, a very pleasant trip if that is where it intends to go, but I think when he arrived back in Hersonissos, where there began, which might have realized that something was wrong?
Personally I think the problem arose because of the way Americans can never seem Knossos pronounce correctly, always wanting to do 'or sound like the' o 'in' no ', as in K-not-so-s, instead of the' o 'sounds like' o 'in' a lot '. In their haste to him on the bus, I think the staff misheard and thought he said Hersonissos, also has a lot of s's and O in it too!
Back to the Australians, who naturally complained about how the dollar value Australia is these days, but I realize this does not stop them from eating twice a day. It is interesting that Anne does not actually say that they were impressed to see that every time who came to pay, the bill was exactly what I hoped was that it is always an advantage when you are overseas and have to deal with the menu in a foreign language and a foreign currency. And this brings me to one of my favorite topics, food, and eating out, which means paying someone else to wash the dishes, I love cooking bit, but I hate washing dishes!
When Australians to take something to eat? Emmanuel Tavern in Koutouloufari Well, of course, because the food is good, Hands and run it, lived in Melbourne, so they will understand each other!
Now Emmanuel Tavern, located on the square in Koutouloufari, has been there for a long time and I like going there because it makes all kinds of specialty wood oven, and there's something about food that has been cooked in a wood oven, even if it's just pizza! But in this case is generally the meat of any kind, either pork or lamb and fish often and in my opinion is baked fish one of the best ways to cook them. I guess that the food contains the smoky flavor of wood, and if you keep a distance from the fire, then it cooks slowly, often a great advantage with some meats.
Like many places have their own little things he does, as bread is always hot when it arrives, make their own gyros (which is not the first time I've seen gyros for someone at a restaurant and were seated at the right place for him to get to the back of a motorcycle from one of the steals in the Port!) and cook the chicken on the charcoal too!
On this occasion I had the most delicious mango lamb cooked with wine and herbs with meat so tender it fell off the bone, and more than enough for me to eat meat (the dog had the rest and bone!) and served with vegetables and baked potatoes. The Australian are a little less adventurous and swordfish steak had been grilled and the chicken from the spit, which is half of a good decent size chicken! So for the moment they had bread and a decent sized Greek salad, while she waited for the 'red' that we were all well fed. Two big beers a bottle of house red very acceptable completed the effect, for only € 66 which is fair enough really tablecloths, comfortable chairs, and friendly staff!
As usual, when we were sitting back relaxing, and trying to stay awake, we were presented with "something in the house." I predicted that this would be, and did not disappoint as it was a hot cake (pancake that insist on calling them here), full of ice cream and drizzled with chocolate. In spite of declaring ourselves and we filled finish!
Having friends to stay is always a bonus as it will help with household chores especially if they get a ride in the car, however, Not that I'm one of holding carrot in front of the donkeys, but is a way to cut grass and, although Ann and Phil successfully on buses, in the direction of mountains is another matter as there are only two buses and two buses out, and a lot of walking in the middle, so I offered to take them, in exchange for food. Well there is a surprise, then!
The route chosen was one that I mentioned earlier, south of the house through Potamia, Avdou, and Kera, up to the plateau Lassithi, except this time it planned a stop to look around the monastery of Kera.
The visit is a bit old hat for me, but it was interesting see how it goes with the new dam in Potamia, still seen as' Mordor worm people "have been, but is beginning to take shape and are the rocks and the earth moves in all directions, something that the Greeks are as good as it is almost impossible to find a piece of land to build on the rocks, without being moved in any party!
Anyway on arrival in Kera through Krassi, was uneventful, apart from a few sharp intakes of breath from the front passengers as the road is a bit narrow in places and there were quite a few trucks that day!
Now, I always thought that a monastery of monks contained, it does not. Logically that contains the nuns because it is dedicated to the Virgin Mary of the Sacred Heart, which is very unlikely to be served by the monks but for simple-minded people like me, it would help if they called a nunnery. I check later and found that a monastery can contain the nuns, but they generally are monks …. If you see what I mean.
Now, how I love churches, and so on, so it was a pleasure to enter and look around. Without giving too much away, the church is delicious, and the small screen consumer ecclesiastical metal 'and clothing are "point" as the very brief history of the monastery and the legends that surround it. Above all I believe is the sense of calm you feel when you enter, almost as soon as you walk through the door, and the worth visiting just to see the light! Like many places here that you pay to enter, but at € 2 each is not extortion, and if you take your time looking at frescoes and shows that you will get a good time for your money. Certainly worth it if only for the "Spirit of Place", which always seems to surrounds you in these places. (Remember the thrills of the spine, when we went to the standing stones at Callanish?)
Stop at the restaurant available on first after the monastery lands in 'Ilias' in the village (off road parking to the left just before reaching the tavern). I find this place very nice to myself, as you can sit on the edge of the road (over the road although the level) or you can sit around the back and admire the view, similar in view of the monastery. Interestingly, some of the plants around it are slightly different from those received by the coast, for example, is quite large and hydrangeas fuschia in the hills, presumably prefer the slightly cooler air up here, no longer grows down where I am, or maybe it's the water!
The menu is limited, but very Greek, and I dare say that everything is homemade and as expected it does not always have everything, which is always a good sign. Everything you see on the menu seems to be around € 4, or 50 cents each way, so it's certainly not expensive. Just for a change ordered "bifteki with chips, hamburger and the chips were homemade and served with a tablespoon of Greek yogurt thicker than I've ever seen! (For some reason I can not understand, when they brought the pepper, salt, oil, and napkins, also brought the mayonnaise, not ketchup, that I would not either). The dolmades were definitely homemade, too, and Saganaki is done in the oven I guess because she went hot and red hot in a cast iron skillet.
At this point, you have to go out with a case of indigestion mild after two meals in such a short space of time, a drop of raki sort that out soon! He was pleased to learn that I'm putting all these places I mentioned in a Google map, Now that the problems with the maps of Crete are resolved, as soon as you can to draw the map and see the distance, along with landmarks and some of my usual Comments subtle humor.
In the next month is August, and therefore one of the busiest months of the year, do not expect my letter to be on time or monthly comprehensive! I put some pictures for you, as usual, you will find at http://www.villaralfa.com/kera.html
Yours, as always,
Tim
About the Author
Born in England (in spite of the name!), in the last half of the last century when Sussex was Miss Marple country and you could leave yours door unlocked for days, the author is unashamedly gay and everyone seems to know in spite of the fact that he never ‘came out’. He moved to Crete in February 2004 and opened Villa Ralfa as Crete’s first gay accommodation and lodgings in June 2004. You can find his web site at http://www.villaralfa.com
Papadakis Villas Crete