The Greek Islands: A Notebook

The Greek Islands

A Notebook

Occasional journeys through Crete, Corfu, Rhodes and other islands

The Greek Islands – A Notebook

Copyright © 2011 by Richard Clark

Smashwords Edition

Book design and layout copyright © 2011 by Cheryl Perez

All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Richard Clark.

www.richardclarkbooks.co.uk

For Denise

Acknowledgements

The Greek Islands – A Notebook has been some time in the writing and is a personal memoir. As such I have had to rely in some instances on memory. If this has let me down at any time I apologize in advance. Any mistakes as a result of this are entirely mine.

There are many versions of Greek myths and legends, and the lack of witness accounts of ancient history also leave them open to interpretation, I hope that any discrepancies in the fine detail will not compromise the integrity of the book. Some names of people featured have also been been changed.

I would like to thank Grenville Brown for his unstinting advice; Barnaby Harsent for his matchless editing skills; David Richardson for his patience in executing the cover design; Lee Franklin for his technical help; Cheryl Perez for the interior design and eBook formatting; Dean and Jo for endless days sailing together; all my other friends and acquaintances made on visits to the Greek Islands; and last but not least my traveling companions Denise, Rebecca and James.

M

aps

Get by in Greek

The following words and phrases are intended to give you a start at getting by in Greek. Use these, and your attempts at speaking the language will always be appreciated. The spellings used below are as close an approximation of words written in the Greek alphabet as I can get, as frequently no exact transliteration is possible. Dive in and have a go, a little Greek can go a long way…

Greetings and courtesies

Hello Yasas

Goodbye Adio

Good morning Kalimera

Good evening Kalispera

Good night Kalinichta

Please/You're welcome Parakalo

Thank you Efheristo

OK Endaxi

Sorry Signomi

I don't understand Then katalaveno

Cheers Issyia/Yamas

Questions and answers

Yes Ne

No Ochi

Where is? Poo eene?

How much is? Poso kani?

What is this? Ti ine afto?

Do you speak English? Milate Anglika?

What's your name? Pos sas lene?

What’s the time? Ti ora eene?

How are you? Ti kanete?

Very well Poli kala

Not too bad Etsi ketsi

Not very well Ochi ke toso kala

I'm English/American Eeme Anglos/Amerikana

My name is Richard Me lene Richard

Weather

It's hot Ti zesti

It's cold Ti krio

Numbers

One Ena

Two Dio

Three Tria

Four Tessera

Five Pende

Six Exi

Seven Efta

Eight Octo

Nine Enya

Ten Theka

Fractions

Half Miso

Quarter Tetrito

Weights and measures

Litre Litro

Kilo Kilo

Gram Gramaria

In the taverna

I'd like Tha ithela

Could I have the bill please? To logorizmo parakalo?

Drinks

Beer Bira

Coffee Kafe

Juice Himos

Lemonade Limonada

Tea Tsai

Water Nero

Wine Krasi

Food

Beef Vodino kreas

Bread Psomi

Butter Vootiro

Cheese Tiri

Chicken Kotopolo

Eggs Avga

Fish Psari

Fruit Froota

Ham Zambon

Lamb Paidaki

Meat Kreas

Milk Ghala

Pork Hirinio kreas

Potato Patata

Salad Salada

Steak Brizola

Sugar Zachari

Vegetables Laxanika

Useful words

Airport Airodromio

Bank Trapeza

Bad Kakos

Big Megalo

Bus stop Stasi

Car Aftokinito

Church Eklisia

Come here/in Ella

Doctor Iatros

Garage Garaz

Hospital Nosokomio

Let's go Parme

Little Ligo

Mobile phone Kinito

Petrol Venzini

Petrol station Statio venzinathiko

Pharmacy Pharmamakio

Photograph Photographia

Postbox Gramatokivotio

Postcard Kart postal

Room Thomatio

School Skolio

Shower Doosh

Stamps Gramatosima

Sun Ilios

Ticket Isitirio

Today Simera

Toilet Toiletta

Tomorrow Avrio

Tonight Apopsi

Rain Vroxi

Wait Perimene

Well Kala

Greek History At-a-Glance

Here is a brief synopsis of the major events in Greek history. For some of the ancient history the dates are approximate, as exact dates in many cases have not been established.

7000 BC Neolithic Period

2800 BC Early Helladic Bronze Age civilization, Greek mainland

2700 BC Minoan Bronze Age, Crete

1900 BC Minoan palaces including Knossos built

1800 BC Proto-Greek speaking tribes, forunners of the Myceneans, arrive on Greek mainland

1700 BC Earthquake destroys Minoan palaces on Crete. New palaces and towns rebuilt

1400 BC Minoan civilization destroyed by invasion of Myceneans in Crete

1200 BC The Trojan Wars

1100 BC Fall of the Myceneans displaced by Dorian Greeks

1000 BC Classical Greek period begins

776 BC First Olympic Games held

750 BC Homer writes The Iliad followed 20 years later by The Odyssey

505 BC Democracy introduced in Athens, making way for the Classical Greek period

449 BC Building of Parthenon in Athens begins

384 BC Birth of Aristotle

356 BC Birth of Alexander the Great

333 BC Alexander defeats Persians and conquers Egypt, then builds Alexandria

323 BC Alexander the Great dies, Hellenistic period begins

305 BC Rhodes resists siege by the forces of Demetrius

224 BC Earthquake destroys the Colossus of Rhodes

200 BC First Roman attacks on Greece

164 BC Rhodes signs treaty to become part of the Roman Empire

86 BC Athens falls to the Romans

67 BC Romans conquer Crete

33 AD Crucifixion of Christ

286 AD The Roman Empire divides into East and West creating the Byzantine Empire

1099 AD First Crusade

1118 AD Knights Templar founded

1191 AD Cyprus seized from Byzantines by King Richard I ‘The Lion Heart’ and sold seven years later to Frankish crusaders

1204 AD Fourth Crusade left Byzantine empire in disarray. Crete awarded to the Italian crusader leader Prince Boniface who sold it to the Venetians

1309 AD Rhodes occupied by Knights Hospitaller

1387 AD The Ionian Islands place themselves under Venetian protection

1453 AD Byzantium defeated by the Ottoman Turks

1522 AD Rhodes falls to the Ottoman Turks

1645 AD Ottoman Turks capture Chania on Crete

1669 AD Candia (Heraklion) on Crete surrendered to the Turks, Venetian presence on the island ends

1797 AD France takes control of the Ionian Islands

1815 AD Ionian Islands become a British protectorate

1821 AD Greek revolution and declaration of independence, although this was not fully achieved for eight years

1832 AD Prince Otto installed as King of Greece (at this time The Peleponese, Athens, The Mani and the islands of the Saronic Gulf, Cyclades and Sporades)

1864 AD Ionian Islands become part of independent Greece

1881 AD Thessaly becomes part of independent Greece

1908 AD Cretan Deputies unofficially declare union with Greece

1912 AD Italy seizes Rhodes from the Turks

1913 AD Following Balkan War Crete, Epirus and Greek Macedonia become part of independent Greece

1923 AD Greco-Turkish population exchange, West Thrace becomes part of independent Greece

1940 AD Following ‘Ochi Day’ Greece invaded by Axis powers

1941 AD Fall of Crete to the Axis powers

1943 AD Germany invades Rhodes following Italian armistice with Allies

1944 AD Start of Greek Civil War

1947 AD Dodecanese become part of independent Greece

1949 AD Greek Civil War ends

1952 AD Greece joins NATO

1967 AD Coup of the Colonels

1974 AD Cyprus crisis, collapse of the military dictatorship

1975 AD New republican constitution becomes law

1981 AD Greece joins European Community

2009 AD Debt crisis plunges Greece into civil unrest

Greek Food At-a-Glance

The following list is by no means exhaustive but I hope it gives a flavor of the foods on offer throughout the Greek islands.

Appetizers, starters and mezzes

Dolmades Stuffed vine leaves

Sardeles pastes Salted sardines

Gavros marinates Anchovies in oil, lemon and herbs

Saginaki Deep fried cheese

Saginaki garides Shrimp with cheese and tomato sauce

Revithia keftedes Deep fried chickpea balls

Tsatsiki Yoghurt, cucumber and garlic sauce

Taramasalata Blended fish roe, oil and lemon salad

Kolokythokeftedes Fried courgette balls

Tyrokeftedes Fried cheese balls

Boksades Lamb cubes with feta cheese in pastry

Spanakopita Spinach pie

Tyropita Feta cheese pie

Skordalia Garlic, potato and lemon sauce

Fava Split pea, garlic and lemon sauce

Salads

Horiatiki salata (Greek country salad) Tomatoes, onion, cucumber, feta cheese and olives

Ampelofasoula salata String bean, tomato and olive salad

Patatasalata Potato, onion, parsley and olive salad

Lahanosalata Cabbage, carrot, garlic and lemon juice salad

Garidosalata Shrimp salad

Meat dishes

Mousaka Aubergines, mince, potatoes and béchamel sauce

Kotopolo me patatas sto forno Roast chicken and potatoes

Arni me patatas sto forno Roast lamb and potatoes

Souvlaki Grilled meat, usually lamb or chicken on skewers with peppers, onions and tomatoes

Gyros pitta Sliced grilled lamb served in pitta bread with salad and tsatsiki

Sofrito Veal with wine, garlic and parsley sauce

Kleftiko Slow-cooked lamb with potatoes, garlic, oil and lemon juice

Paidakia Grilled lamb chops

Keftedes Deep fried meatballs

Macaroni me kima Pasta with minced beef, garlic and onion

Beefteaki Seasoned minced beef patty

Sousoukakia Seasoned, grilled minced-beef balls in tomato sauce

Brizole Steak

Pastisada Veal, tomato and onion stew with spaghetti

Tomates gemistes Tomatoes stuffed with minced beef and onions

Moschari stifado Veal stew with tomatoes and onions

Kotopolo me portokali Slow-cooked chicken in orange juice

Gemista Baked peppers and tomatoes stuffed with rice and herbs

Saligaria me ryzi Fried snails with rice

Fish dishes

Garides Shrimps

Mydia Mussels

Barbounia Red mullet

Ksifias Swordfish

Gavros Anchovy

Kalimari Squid

Astakos Lobster

Kolioi Mackerel

Bakaliaros Cod

Maridaki Whitebait

Sardeles Sardines

Lakerda Tuna

Psarasoupa Fish soup

Psari plaki Baked fish

Puddings and pastries

Loukoumades Deep fried dough balls with honey and cinnamon

Pastelli Honey and walnut wafers

Amydalopi Almond cake

Baklava Filo pastry with cinnamon, walnuts and honey

Kataifi Almond and walnut pastry with syrup

Yaourti me meli Yoghurt and honey

Risogalo Rice pudding  

Occasional journeys through Crete, Corfu, Rhodes and other islands

This book is not a travel guide. It is more a notebook recounting experiences I have had in a country that I have loved for more than half a lifetime. I hope you’ll treat it much as you would a good companion who shares their experiences with you. I also hope it encourages the reader to make their own discoveries in these wonderful islands. 

I first traveled to Greece in the summer of 1982, less than a decade after the military dictatorship came to an end in 1974. Although already embracing tourism, many Greeks were still heavily reliant on the land for their survival. It was, for the most part, a poor country, at least by the standards of western Europe.

Despite this, the Greeks were, and still are, some of the most generous-spirited people I know. I have always been made to feel extraordinarily welcome there. Like the famed Lotus Eaters in Homer’s Odyssey, in Greece the allure is such that I never miss home. 

If my recollections seem random, it is my hope that they contain an element of surprise, like a walk around the streets of a Cretan mountain village that reveals something new at every turn. They are snapshots taken from the time I lived in Crete and the innumerable visits I have since made to the islands. It is an attempt to capture that feeling of serendipity that the Greek islands engender when you embark upon any voyage of discovery there. To give a loose structure to these accounts, I have divided them into the sections Journeys and Places, Culture and History and People and Island Life. 

The islands have changed since I first traveled around them. Some visitors might say the changes are for the worse, but few Greeks would view the poverty of the past with such nostalgia. When bemoaning the ravages of tourism it is always worth remembering the increase in the standard of living it has brought to many families. 

Like anywhere, Greece has had to develop and adapt, but has never lost its power to captivate and amaze. Time stretches out here. And it is just as well, for a lifetime would still not be long enough for me to tire of what this beautiful country has to offer. For those who embrace the relaxed pace of life and enjoy its simple pleasures, Greece has the power to work magic.

Greece’s enchanted triangle of islands has Corfu, Crete and Rhodes at its extremities. These are the gateways to the Greek Mediterranean: Corfu in the Ionian being the westernmost; Crete the most southerly in the Aegean; and Rhodes to the east in the Dodecanese.

In many ways these three islands encapsulate both the similarities and differences of Greek island life. They are not exclusively the subjects of this notebook, however, they do account for the lion's share. There is no reason for this other than I have been lucky enough to spend more time on these than the other islands, each of which has something unique to offer.

The Greek Islands have inspired some great writers. It is easy to see why. So steeped are they in the legends of ancient Greece that it is hard to avoid getting swept back into the past, to a mythical landscape inhabited by gods and goddesses. The raw, intense beauty of this favored land can lead writers to indulge themselves in purple passages they might otherwise not have succumbed to. Not to bear witness to the past and the landscape would be negligent, but there is so much more to modern Greece that must also be acknowledged.

The Greeks are rightly proud of their ancient heritage and frequently claim their ancient society as the ‘cradle of democracy’. But the road from those original political experiments in Athens in the 5th Century BC to the establishment of the current democratic republic established in 1975 has been a long and arduous one.

For much of that time the country was subjected to occupation by foreign powers and authoritarian governments. Greece’s infant new democracy faces massive challenges, not least those posed by the current debt crisis that has provoked a significant reappraisal of national finances. Despite these difficulties, Greece has taken giant steps towards creating a modern democratic state and has a lot to be proud of.

Much of the country’s income relies on tourism, which, with some notable exceptions, has been well managed and has made a substantial difference to overall living standards. Upwards of 16million tourists visit the country every year, contributing a fifth of the country’s gross domestic product and providing 20 per cent of employment. 

The tension created between the need for tourists and to retain the country’s attractiveness to these visitors is a precarious balance that has been handled well. Those who wish to escape the crowd never have far to go to get away from it all. For those who prefer to take their holiday pleasures in the company of others, there are also plenty of options.

I hope my recollections of this vibrant, modern country are both entertaining and useful. With its rich heritage and enthusiasm for the future, all played out on one of the most beautiful landscapes on earth, a visit to Greece is something to relish.

Journeys and Places

Ignorance and Bliss

It has often been said that the best way to approach an island is from the sea. Taking time to savor its character as it unfolds. The view changing from the panoramic, slowly developing as you get closer and can pinpoint your destination.

As I approached Crete for the first time, I sensed its smell drifting on the early-morning breeze long before landfall. Before I caught sight of the island slowly emerging from that misty dawn, a wild bouquet garni of sage, thyme, rosemary and parched earth made its first tentative introduction to my senses. A smell that is now redolent of one of my favorite places on earth. 

It had not been my intention to catch a ferry from Piraeus to Heraklion in that late spring of 1982. I had flown into Athens hoping to transfer to a flight to Crete. But Greece was experiencing some, not unusual, industrial action at the time and, if I wanted to get to Crete that weekend, I would have to go by sea.

Landing in Athens the day before, I had met up with friends who worked on yachts sailing out of Glyfada Marina, in a suburb to the south of the city. As well as the strikes, Greece was in the grip of a heatwave and Athens was at a standstill. My taxi’s meter ticked up into the thousands of drachma as we edged towards the coast through the honking hoards of vehicles and shouting drivers. 

A yellow haze floated over the city. The pollutants emitted from the gridlocked vehicles hung in the lifeless air, unable to escape over the four mountains of Aegaleo, Parnitha, Penteli and Hymettus that barred its progress inland. 

Pollution in the Eighties had reached a point where it was causing considerable damage to Athens’s archaeological sites. Not to mention the health of its citizens. Since the Nineties