And here’s a little something extra – a digital representation of an actual Festivus gift for Kristy (yet to be completed): Cretan Memories

And did you hear about Leonidas the baby? He’s got a new site, too. Check out The Leo Show (another work in progress…).

hosted our first US-based visitor,

had a true Cretan easter celebration (lamb’s heads, overeating and all),

wrote a bunch of grants totaling over €3 million, visited four countries, got pregnant,

took on a foster car,

εχω βελτιωθει ελληνικα μου, and…I guess that sums it up. So, in order not to dwell on missed opportunitites, I instead have a couple of advertisements we received that I thought were amusing enough to share.

"Our store is always open"

The caption in Greek on the top states “Our store is always open”, meaning, I suppose, the web store. Kotsovolos, is an appliance and electronics store, so I don’t really get how the image of the woman unbuttoning her pants applies here, but it definitely got me to notice the fact that they have a web store…

This next one appeared in a supermarket circular that gets dropped off at the door…

I am not sure if it is easy to see (you can click on the image if you want a bigger view), but the photo depicts a collection of raw meat (including a whole pig) spread out on a table along with a glass of wine and other fine edibles. Salmonilla anyone? While we have gotten used to seeing whole animals for sale in the butcher shops, for some reason making a festive display out of raw meat struck me as odd…

So here goes, a more personal recollection and post-chaos update, with apologies to the folks who already got a variation on this via email replies – but hey, think of it as you having got the exclusive story first! (there’s the old newsman in me again…)

Chania wasn’t as deep in it as Athens or Thessaloniki (1st and 2nd biggest Greek cities respectively). There were street protests in and around the city center, but nothing really violent.

To my knowledge, the worst that happened here were some smashed bank windows, slogans against the police and government graffitied on buildings (nothing new there, actually), some garbage was lit on fire, and a bunch of up-to-no-good punks looted the local OTE phone office.

All this happened relatively close to where we live – it’s a small city. But from our vantage point, we just heard a chanting crowd and police sirens.

“The villagers are getting restless” kind of went through my head and during the height of it all, maybe I opted to not venture too far out of our neighborhood at night when taking the dog for a walk. There was definitely electricity in the air – the waxing-to-full moon lent some appropriate “craziness” to the ambiance – but there was no real sense of danger.

I hear reports that Athens and Thessaloniki continue to have sporadic rioting and protests, but things have calmed down here in Chania over the last 48 hours — at least it seems that way. Earlier this evening there was a relatively normal event of some sort with music and people cheering in one of the big local squares, where protests were held just days earlier.

Certainly the underlying socioeconomic issues are still very much in need of attention. But regarding the recent civil unrest, at least here in Chania, ola kala. Everything is OK. I guess. For now… we’ll see.

The situation here was, in many ways, a tinderbox. News reports about the riots of the last week have focused on the spark that ignited the flame. But a country doesn’t just rip itself apart overnight. The underlying causes run deep, and perhaps it was only a matter of time before deteriorating public sentiment exploded into protests and violence.

In the ensuing melee, dozens of people have been injured, businesses have been looted, banks smashed, and hundreds of properties torched in cities throughout the country. Even here in Chania on the “holiday island” of Crete, there were street protests including some that turned destructive.

Another fact that perhaps the MSM hasn’t reported on is that there have been a few disparate forces at work in all this chaos, and not everybody is employing violence to get their message across.

There have been in fact thousands of peaceful protesters. Communists, students, teachers, union workers – run-of-the-mill “mainstream” people, perhaps pushed to the point of desperation, but who have been holding explicitly non-violent street rallies, symbolic sit-ins, and vigils. This doesn’t make for great news though, so it hasn’t gotten much air time.

Most of the violence seen on the news seems to have been committed by masked youths who fancy themselves as revolutionaries of some sort. Unfortunately many are just taking advantage of the situation, looting and wreaking havoc for the sake of it. I dislike the phone monopoly OTE as much as anybody, but ransacking their office and stealing modems and mobile phones, as happened here in Chania, doesn’t address anything other than one’s personal greed.

There are self-claimed anarchists, who are using violence in what they see as legitimate protests against the government. They destroyed banks and state property. I won’t legitimize their actions, but I suppose there is a subtle distinction to be drawn between them and the hoodlums who are simply looting.

Regardless of the motives, the destruction is difficult to understand. The injustice in all of this is that there is no connection between the innocents whose property has been stolen or destroyed and the police brutality and governmental corruption that so many are protesting against.

The opposition party has maneuvered to take advantage of the political fallout, and it is as of yet unclear whether the current government will survive. But clearly what is needed here is strong leadership during crisis that can deliver a swift and just response, with transparency in all proceedings. Greece deserves nothing less.

I can’t help but draw a parallel to the situation back home. Americans are also reeling from an economy in disaster, have expressed clearly their dissatisfaction with the government and a flawed political system, not to mention a gravely expensive and unpopular war. What has stopped the pitch forks and torches from being marched down Main Street?

That rhetorical question aside, I’ll simply say that we and our friends are thankfully safe and largely unaffected by the riots here. But there is very much a sense of unease in the air, amid the anticipation for order to be restored and justice served.

Dave and Pita

I have another story. I have been spending my days finishing my thesis updated link to my thesis…and it is finally done. Printed, bound, and sent for review. If any of you have a free couple of hours that you want to waste, you can read it here here.

But that’s not the story. I was talking about rainbows…so about 5 weeks ago, this small dog showed up in our neighborhood and decided not to leave. In fact, he moved right into our house. After being exposed to the dangers he was facing on the street (think grandmothers with brooms, big hungry wild dogs, and overaggressive cats) and his sugary disposition we decided to let him adopt us. So we have a dog. His name is Pita. (Formally, Mogwai Skilopita, which translated from the two languages we have stolen from to make his name, means ‘devil dog pie’. Amazingly, this truly is the most accurate description of his character).

Anyway, he wakes me up at 7am every morning to go for a walk. And a few mornings ago, I was greeted by this.

Rainbows over Chania Harbor

Didn’t get as good a set of photos as I wanted, since by the time I finished the dog walk and got the camera from back home, this was all that was left of it. (Yes, left of it.) I have never seen quite a rainbow as what it was…one double rainbow – two spectrums – and another on top. So even though this little dog has put a dent in our freedom, and quite possibly our plans to visit our newfound friends in their home countries, things with Pita always seem to end in rainbows…even begrudged 7am outings.

Our life has suddenly turned into a Clash song. And really, this indecision is bugging me. Maybe you can help?

Kristy unexpectedly got a job offer here. The job itself is not as much a factor as is the viable opportunity it opens for us to stay in this incredible place for the long-term. Why wouldn’t we take it?

Well, there are lots of reasons actually, both for and against staying.

The Case for Going Back Home

We miss our family and friends back home, most obviously. That emotional aspect cannot be overstated. There’s also the not so insignificant matter of my professional path, which isn’t exactly blazing ahead out here.

Buying property, starting a family of our own, building the general financial groundwork for a secure future – these pragmatic goals are all certainly possible out here, just more difficult to reach than back home. This goes beyond any language barrier, which can be lessened with time. To a very real extent, we’ll always be outsiders in this country where being “in” is really the only way to get a fair shake (isn’t that true everywhere?).

Plus, we still call the US (and New York) “home.” That obviously means something.

Why We Should Stay

Honestly, is America still the land of better opportunity? The economy being what it is (we can hear that loud sucking noise, all the way from across the distance!), prosperity is not necessarily guaranteed back home.

We don’t exactly have all the dots lined up on where we’d live, finding jobs… nothing is really very certain after we get off the plane, actually. In many ways, we left our old lives nearly two years ago, and we’d be starting over from scratch anywhere we go.

Instead, we could keep building on the life and friendships (surrogate family, really) we’ve started out here. We could live on this beautiful Greek island – live a simple life, where people know the difference between working to live and living to work. No consumption-driven, rushed, workaday commuter life for us here. Yet most assuredly, life would stay very interesting.

Vote Our Future

We’ve exhausted more than a few pros and cons lists to no avail. Practical reasoning is at war with emotions and ideals, and the result is a stalemate. We are quite literally stuck between two places.

In short: we need some help. Third-party input. Yours! So come on and let me know…

Disclaimer: We retain the right to make a final decision regardless of any popular results. Feel free to make your arguments in the comments below. All views are appreciated. Seriously, though, TheKristyDave is not a democracy. Well, we are but we’re strictly a two-party system.

It’s The Journey, Not The Destination

We took nearly every type of transportation on our trip to Istanbul, and it was likely the longest trip we’ve ever taken in terms of total traveling time. If you care to try it for yourself, here are the simple directions.

Starting from Chania, Crete, you’ll take the following:

1. bus
2. boat
3. metro
4. metro again (after strike ends… typical Greek stuff)
5. train taxi (go figure: no seats available on the train until midnight, so take a taxi to the bus station instead)
6. bus
7. car

After traveling for an estimated 30 hours, you should be in Istanbul. Congratulations. Walk around and explore this incredible city.

For the trip back, you’ll take:

1. car
2. train
3. car
4. bus
5. plane
6. bus

Only 20 hours of travel, and you’ve arrived back home in Chania. How was your trip?

Well, our trip was fantastic – as Kristy will detail in wonderful prose and pictures… any day now.

Until then: non-scenic photographic proof of our journey.

We certainly manage to keep ourselves busy in the more traditional sense: Kristy is (still!) working on her thesis, and I’ve got chunks of client web design work coming in plus some ongoing personal projects. So we’ve got enough work to, well, keep us busy.

But as they say out here, you work to live – as opposed to the “live to work” attitude that seems prevalent elsewhere. More simply, all work and no play makes TKD a boring pair – so here’s a quick update on some of our more recent avocational activities.

Kedrodasos

Kendrodasos, beach camping

Kedrodasos (literally “Cedar Forest” in English) is near Elafonissi in southwestern Crete. This was the perfect way to say goodbye to our good friend Stephane, who left Crete soon afterwards. Ata and our dear koumbaros Yiorgos joined us for the camping trip. Really, this deserves more than my words can convey – some photos and a video will have to do.

The Spice of Life

Friends are the spice of life, and summer nights should always be generously seasoned with plenty of quality time with good friends. We’ve hosted several parties at our flat in Chania with many of the usual suspects, as well as enjoying the occasional night out wandering the harbor and local tavernas.

There have of course been numerous trips to the beaches in and around Chania, but time is just as well spent meandering through the empty, quiet streets of the old town while the rest of the populace is taking their mid-day nap.

One Year Anniversary

One Year Anniversary BBQ

August has been trucking along. We took an incredible camping trip to Balos beach on Gramvousa peninsula, celebrated Kristy’s birthday, and had an always wonderful visit by our dear Koumbaros Christos… but I believe these more recent events can be given greater attention in future posts.

Suffice it to say, summer in Crete has been another season in paradise and we don’t want it to end any time soon.

My thesis supposes that the food system of Crete is well situated to be a model of sustainability — at least for κηπευτικά (fruits and vegetables grown in the field). The farms on Crete are small (never larger than two hectares or four acres) and diverse (usually a farm will have an area for trees – olives and citrus fruit – and fields for vegetables as well as some chickens and goats or lamb for household use). And, since it is an island, the great majority of the food consumed here is produced here. That’s not to say Greece is without problems; chemical fertilizer and pesticide use has increased significantly, especially in the last 10 years. And with the ever rising price of oil, these petrochemicals are getting more and more costly and farmers are finding it harder and harder to make a profit. With this study, I am looking into ways to keep farming profitable in this changing food system, while maintaining the positive aspects of production.

All that being said, Dave and I try to do our part to support the local farmers, who are usually somewhere between 55-70 years old. We buy all of our fruits and vegetables from the λαϊκή αγορά (literally translated it means ‘common market’ and is the equivalent of a farmers’ market). This is certainly a mutually beneficial relationship; the farmers get a good price, quality of the food far surpasses what we find in any of the supermarkets, and it is still cheap for us.

These few photos are examples of what we normally bring home…the first from March of this year, the next from June and this last one we took this morning. We usually spend between €4-7 and get enough fruits and vegetables to last the week. And, while I am a little sorry to say this since I love all my NY farmer friends, with the exception of tomatoes, these are the best tasting fruits and vegetables I have ever had. I just don’t think NY can compete with the perfect climate and fertile, volcanic soil of this island.