Nostalgia in Vrahassi

I so appreciate Nostalgia cafe bar in Vrahassi. I can sit in in comfortable surroundings, eat Kiria Anna's fantastic food, practice my Greek, and work. It doesn't get much better. I always think of what I should have said on the video, after the event. But here you can share a flavour of my evening in Vrahassi. Today I'm going to Neapolis so I will be reporting from there. I do believe more rain is on the way tonight, so I better get a few supplies in. Talk later. Love Jane x



Oh, and just to say, I was up till after midnight last night making sure I accomplished the goal I had set for the day. Books don't write themselves you know! And in and amongst it all there is a fair amount of reading. But it's all good fun. I have learned such a lot since writing Tears from the Sun - A Cretan Journey. Which, by the way, you can find on Amazon (in case you didn't already know lol)

Blessings around the world,
Love Jane x

Saint Minas Day in Crete

Agios Minas Cathedral

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Agios Minas Cathedral
Basic information
Location	Heraklion, Greece
Affiliation	Greek Orthodox
District	Archbishopric of Crete
Architectural description
Completed	1895
Specifications
Capacity	8,000

The Agios Minas Cathedral is a Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Heraklion, Greece, serving as the seat of the Archbishop of Crete. It was built over the time period of 1862-1895. The construction was interrupted during the Cretan Revolution of 1866–1869.^[1] It is one of the largest cathedrals in Greece, with a capacity of 8,000 people ^[2]

So, thank you Agios Minas for getting us safely to our destination.

I just love sitting in Neapolis with a cold chocolate, or even a cold beer.

You can read some more about that in my book, Tears from the Sun - A Cretan Journey

Buy your copy now from Amazon.  (and I'll love you forever - honestly!)

Talk soon,
Love Jane x

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Aren't I just the lucky gal to receive these fabulous flowers. I hope you are all having as wonderful a day as me. I have been relaxing, practicing piano and reading. Just what the doctor ordered. I've been a teeny-weeny bit off color lately, but thanks to pills and potions the docs are sorting me out. I have a barium meal to look forward to on Monday, but it can't be any worse than the camera down the throat job that I had last week. (It wasn't too bad really). 

Meanwhile book number two is with an editor, so early days but it is heading in the right direction.

I shall be playing the organ again at church on Sunday - it keeps me out of mischief!

And apart from that, all is well in the world of Jane. As for news in Vrahassi, I'm not there at the moment but David is keeping me informed. He says it has been cold, damp, a bit dreary (that's cos I'm not there) and quite a normal winter. Neapolis hospital is closing down except for the geriatric wing, and there have been demonstrations, but not as big as the demonstrations in Ierapetra, against the closure of the big hospital there.

I would imagine that most Cretans are hoping for a good holiday season as the economy is very troubled. So, if you are wondering where to go this summer, head for Crete, it is bound to help the people there. I shall certainly be taking my holiday in Vrahassi, I'm ready for a bit of sunshine, though the winter here in London has been a delight. 

Right now it is time for tea, have a lovely evening, I hope to resume blogging on a more regular basis soon.

Take care,

Love Jane x

Music Soiree May 2012 - Year 4

My progress after three and a half years of study. I am looking forward to improving - onwards and upwards, as they say.

I'm just back from our Poetry Club meeting, we are still trying to establish a group, but today we did get a couple of visitors.

And now I'm going to relaxe for an hour before having a sort out in the back garden.

Byeeeeeee! Jane x

Neapolis Cathedral in March Moonlight

The moon as it rose over the hills was a bright orange last night. By the time it was well up in the sky it had taken on the appearance of a heavenly light bulb, immitating the street lighting infront of the church in Neapolis.

Have a good weekend, love Jane x

Neapolis Carnival Sunday 19th Feb

Απόκριες 2012 στην Νεάπολη

'Οταν στη Νεάπολη λέμε αποκριές το εννούμε. μια μερα για ολους μικρους και μεγάλους με εκπληξεις πολλές πάρα πολλές, λουναπαρκ, ξυλοποδαροι, κλοουν, παιχνίδια, χορό, μουσική και κέφι για όλους μικρούς και μεγάλους! Για την μεταφορά απο την κεντρική πλατεία θα υπάρχει το τρενάκι, αντε παρκινκ στο ΕΠΑΛ και ΠΑΜΕ ΑΠΟΚΡΙΕΣ

 

When Neapoli says 'apokries' they mean a day for adults and children with many surprizes, fairground, clowns, games, music and entertainment for all!

See you there!

Jane x

Cretan Traditional Almond Drink - SOUMADA

Soumatha is a soft drink made from almonds and sugar. This video is well worth watching; it shows how the drink is traditionally made in the area of Neapolis, which is our local town. And if you would like to try making it yourself, here is how:

Ingredients:

• 500 grams almonds (skins removed)
• 60 bitter almonds (see note)
• 1700 grams sugar
• 1700 grams water

Preparation:

Remove the skins from the almonds by boiling them for a minute or two. The skins will slip easily.
Dissolve the sugar in half the water and boil until you have a syrup consistency. Set aside. Using a food processor or blender, grind the sweet and bitter almonds into a fine powder. Combine the ground almonds with the remaining water.
Using a strainer lined with cheesecloth, strain the liquid from the ground almonds and reserve. Kyria Anna passes the ground almonds and water 2 or 3 times through the cheesecloth to extract the most flavor.
Combine the strained almond liquid with the sugar syrup and heat on the stove, being careful not to allow the mixture to boil.
To serve, add about an inch of syrup to a tall glass with some ice. Add water and enjoy.

 A bit more information about soumada (pronounced soumatha)
 Mastic resin is exported throughout
the world for confectionery, distillery
and pharmaceutical purposes. In
Greek cuisine, masticha is used in
cakes, cookies, drinks, liqueurs and
candies. In the summertime, Greeks
enjoy a masticha drink called
soumatha. To make soumatha, a
syrupy almond milk is made from
pounded almonds, sugar and masticha,
which is then mixed with an equal
part of water.

It has been a fantastic day in Vrahassi today, blue skies, sunshine, about 15 degrees. The moon is coming up to full on Tuesday so I'm looking forward to our 'full moon' outing. Not sure where to yet.

Have a good week.
Love Jane x

Strange Music

Now, I think the pianist put emotion into the equation, thus turning the piece into something higher than just a series of pings. An interesting experiment though, don't you think?

And now for my appointment with scales and arpeggios!

It's been very cold in Vrahassi today, and in Neapolis, definitely a winter woolly day. David walked from Vrahassi to Neapolis and met me after Greek class. We had a glass of wine and headed back to our log fire. I've got to get walking myself, maybe tomorrow. Hello to the Gang and Eric, hope you are all OK.

Have a melodious weekend folks!

Love Jane x

Neapolis, Crete, in November Sunshine

It was so good to get out of the house today, but foot is far from being okay. I'm still limping. Maybe another week will see it right. Apart from the slight inconvenience I'm enjoying this lovely November weather. I must say that I am feeling very price conscious at the moment, as the money in my purse is not stretching very far. I filmed my visit to the supermarket in Neapolis, and I will post it tomorrow. It is really as a record of today's grocery prices. The cheapest sugar I could find was 1.12 euro, maybe it is cheaper in Lidle's but the petrol cost to get there would wipe out the saving. My bargain of the day was a half litre of wine and mezze for 2.50 euro, not bad for two people, but it wasn't anywhere posh! Still, you'd be hard pushed to find anywhere posh in Neapolis. Beggers can't be choosers as they say!