Itisallgreek2me

With Anna – our last wine together for now

Monday 3 August – my last night in Kastelli Kissamos for now.  Tomorrow I will return to Chania for an overnight stay before commencing the long journey back to New Zealand.  Yesterday morning I went down to the beach, just as I have done so everyday for the past week … not the most beautiful beach in the world but it suits me to have it pretty much all to myself.  Lying on my towel on the stones soaking up the sun, floating in the sea … the same sun, the same water as you will find at any of the nearby beaches where hundreds flock to during the summer months.  Balos, Falasarna, Elafonissi … three beautiful beaches on Crete’s west coast, however, I prefer my solitude.

It is very much expected on a Sunday that family members will visit and yesterday was no exception … around 1430 hours we all sat down to a feast.  Sadly, Anna left later in the afternoon with her grand-daughter Kostoula for Chania where she is staying with her daughter Kiki for a while.  We had had our last meal and wine together for now.

Vanna had invited me to their house in the evening for yet another meal … unfortunately, I find the food here hard to resist, not to mention the wine (last night Roma served an extra nice red) and Tsikoudia, 10L of which can be bought for E30.  One meal I particularly enjoyed last week was Horta (vleeta from our garden) with potatoes, beans, courgettes, sweetcorn and fresh fish.  When I discarded the head of my fish, Anna said to me in Greek “give me the head, it would be a crime to waste it”.  Nothing goes in the rubbish, if we don’t eat it, then there are the dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits to be fed.  Between meals I have been indulging in the first fresh figs of the season … the best I have ever tasted.  Apparently, where Katina goes early each morning to pick them, there are several trees, however, the local women all pick from the same tree which is known to produce a variety of exceptional taste.  Oh how I will miss them.

I have very little left to do now in Kastelli, only in the morning I will make my pilgrimage up to the Parthenona (cemetery) on the hill, to pay my respects to Costas, just as I do every visit.  If there is time then perhaps I will also take one last walk down to the beach.  A bus to Chania some time in the afternoon, an early night I hope then on Wednesday at 0920 hours my flight back to Athens, continuing on via Abu Dhabi, Perth, Auckland to Wanganui … to my home and family.

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