For those of you who are interested in a sampling of our daily lives here, come with me for a walk around our village of Horafakia. We start by walking up a little ways on the country road from our house and take in this view over the fields full of wildflowers.
Most of the homes in the village are older, functional and always stone.
The village church stands in a square at the entrance of Horafakia.
Jiannis (John) is the owner of our local market where we stop in frequently for locally grown produce, fresh baked bread (psomee), eggs (avga) and cheese (mizithra, feta, graviera). The simplicity of local markets makes them very efficient. Truly a "quick stop", you can park right in front, run in for a few items and be on your way in a matter of minutes. (In the States it's rarely a quick trip to the grocery after finding a parking place in a giant lot, taking a hike to the back of the store and standing in line just to purchase a carton of milk. You know what I'm talking about!)
Horafakia even has its own "Home Depot."
Some homes are REALLY old and in shambles...
Others are relatively new and well maintained.
The local schoolyard ...
...and the "post office".
Everywhere on the island you see these shrines by the roadsides built to honor a deceased loved one. Almost all of these stand at the site of the fatal accident on the road. It's a daily reminder that Crete has a high auto accident fatality rate. (It's no wonder when you see how the motorbikes drive!)
This sign (Agios Pavlos - Saint Paul) points the way to the abandoned monastery that is just past our house. These photos were taken during Holy Week when the whole village gets whitewashed - stone walls, tree trunks, sign posts, homes.
We live in an agricultural area. At the beginning of Spring, these "green house" rows crop up everywhere. The farmers make good use of the land under the olive trees after harvesting the olives in the fall.
The new moving in on the old...
Grapevine lattices double as a clothesline
Traffic jam in Horafakia
View of Tersanas Beach Cove from the village
The wild herbs and grasses in Crete are a feast for the eyes and nose!
Most of the homes in the village are older, functional and always stone.
The village church stands in a square at the entrance of Horafakia.
Jiannis (John) is the owner of our local market where we stop in frequently for locally grown produce, fresh baked bread (psomee), eggs (avga) and cheese (mizithra, feta, graviera). The simplicity of local markets makes them very efficient. Truly a "quick stop", you can park right in front, run in for a few items and be on your way in a matter of minutes. (In the States it's rarely a quick trip to the grocery after finding a parking place in a giant lot, taking a hike to the back of the store and standing in line just to purchase a carton of milk. You know what I'm talking about!)
Horafakia even has its own "Home Depot."
Some homes are REALLY old and in shambles...
Others are relatively new and well maintained.
The local schoolyard ...
...and the "post office".
Everywhere on the island you see these shrines by the roadsides built to honor a deceased loved one. Almost all of these stand at the site of the fatal accident on the road. It's a daily reminder that Crete has a high auto accident fatality rate. (It's no wonder when you see how the motorbikes drive!)
This sign (Agios Pavlos - Saint Paul) points the way to the abandoned monastery that is just past our house. These photos were taken during Holy Week when the whole village gets whitewashed - stone walls, tree trunks, sign posts, homes.
We live in an agricultural area. At the beginning of Spring, these "green house" rows crop up everywhere. The farmers make good use of the land under the olive trees after harvesting the olives in the fall.
The new moving in on the old...
Grapevine lattices double as a clothesline
Traffic jam in Horafakia
View of Tersanas Beach Cove from the village
The wild herbs and grasses in Crete are a feast for the eyes and nose!
Hi there. I would like to get in touch with you. I am friends with Dave and Vickie Sharrett and they sent me to your blog. We are visiting in a couple of weeks and would like to be in touch. Do you have an email?
ReplyDeleteAunt Mel,
ReplyDeleteA fantastic posting. The photographs are really awesome. The sheep and wildflowers marvelous. What fun to look at. It all looks so charming. What fun. What fun. This also looks like a very nice time of year.