1382: A Birthday and Open Mic Night

Monday 16th December

Katherine’s birthday…..

Nice walk with CO2 amongst olive groves and cypress woods. K opened her gifts – from family and moi. Michelle from Icarus restaurant (and Michaelis) brought a surprise gift – a lovely Cretan necklace!

Late afternoon – we moved Jez to Almyrida for the open mic night. Lots of good music – including “Happy Birthday” for K – and a birthday candle from Capt Jacks!

An Ottoman water fountain on our walk.

Dodgy alcofrolic shot and candle from Captain Jacks.

1383: Castration and Dinner Guests

Tuesday 17th December.

Well, Oscar didn’t realise what was happening (just as well) – he sort of lost his ‘thingies’ – had to wear the ‘cone’ lightshade worst! But the vet was great in Kalyves.  Later in the afternoon, he was real pain in spite of getting painkillers in the morning. I drove him straight to the vets again – another painkiller – and this settled him – we muzzled him instead of the cone…..

Evening saw us entertaining Julia and Anthony – motor homing friends from Drapanos – lively chats and some vino… for James, K was dry after the excesses of yesterday!

Wrinkly scrotum.

1384: Chores

Wednesday 18th December.

Kalyves again – our most visited spot in Crete – K got the twin tub out – for laudrificationing!  I washed the HandyPandyCar and cleaned the inside – oh and morning coffee at Ari’s “Fresh and Cool” cafe – chats with the regulars…..  K recce’d our nightly parking for Christmas Day in Drapanos – kindly provided by friends of Julia and Anthony!  We will eat in “Eleanoras” restaurant – our favourite in the area…booked by K.

A couple of older ladies stopped to admire the twin tub … nostalgia on their part?

And a conveniently closed  cafe as the drying deck.

1385-1386: Elafonisi 

Thursday 19th – Friday 20th December

Beautiful scenic drive down through the mountains – to Elafonisi……  Little did we know what awaited us! Normally, we would recce a dodgy road – alas not this time – oh no! The access road was a “Strada Horribilissimo”!!!  Craters, fissures – oh and some road surface as well. K bounced down in Jez – I followed in Pandacar and watched as she wobbled and straddled the obstacles – we have never seen such a road in all our travels! We later lay awake dreading the uphill journey – watched the forecast avidly as rain would effectively imprison us there for days…  Stunning place though – one of the very best – we’ve said in about most of Crete…

Brian obligingly cooked supper – caulifloweriness and cheesely – noshtimo!

Next morning saw us joining the road gang – repairing the ‘volcanic’ craters – or so they seemed to us – Michael from Germany had started patching already – we rolled boulders – big on top and small to fill in – in 2 different places. Not exactly Dept of Transport Chapter 8 and BD68 (I’m giving away my work background) – but it looked good!  

This is a panorama shot zoomed in to where Oscar was moving … could replicate this effect! 

Places have a light dusting of fine pink sand, from coral and shells.

The Lagoon.

Soft fine sand … and dunes.

  

1387: Getting Out and On to Sfinari 

Monday 16th December

K had a rather early morning walk – we needed to get up the hill asap!  Brian went first and had one place where he had to roll back and have a second go – K took 3 attempts int he same place … and I andycarred uphill….  K started up – traction control on – and raised rear suspension – raised nerves and adrenaline – and buttclenchingness….. but guided by Brian and moi – it all worked ‘straddlingly’.   K:  I was shaking by the time I got to the top!

Hugely welcome coffee – and then the most amazing drive to Sfinari – now parked up along stony beach in Cretan sunshine – not a pothole in sight. We never want to see such crazy craters again. Oscar and Corrie were completely unfazed by the whole experience….

Elafonisi in early (for me!) morning light. 

View back from the island … sand causeway.

Straddled!

A little of the road repair.

 Part of the route up to Sfinari, looking back down to Elafonisi – the hazy bit in the distance.

Corrie on the beach at Sfinari.

Brian believes Zoa is looking for fish, I think he’s checking out his reflection!

Nor see this one before … looks like cabbage leaves.