WEEKEND IN RETHYMNON

We stayed at the Elina Hotel which was very comfortable, and took pets. Our little Maisy was as good as gold the whole time.

We did have a wonderful meal on the harbour but I will never eat there again. As soon as we got to the area we were pounced on by restauranters, one after another they tried to pull us in to sit at their tables. It was impossible to walk around the harbour without being accosted. Finally, on the fourth confrontation, we gave in and sat down. The guy, who said he was the owner, offered us a free bottle of wine as a bribe (it never materialized), and as soon as he had done his job and got us to sit at one of his tables, he disappeared to sit with his mates at another table. The food was extremely expensive and we left feeling 'taken in'. It won't happen twice!

That was Friday night. Yesterday we ate pizza for lunch - one of the best we have ever had, and we were very happy. Because the orchestra had to rehearse at 7 p.m. we did not eat until after the concert, when we were lucky to find a table at one of the night spots just outside the mosque. The atmosphere was very 'covent garden' in a Greek way, and we had lovely food and great company. I was on a bit of a high after playing, and the evening was so good that it was 2 a.m. before we knew it.

The charity concert was organized by Mr Bob Wright of the Cretan Iternational Community to raise money to buy a 4 x 4 vehicle for the Rethymnon Red Cross organisation.

We're back in Vrahassi now, feeling a little jaded, but with memories of a fantastic weekend in Rethymnon.