Cutting up the Easter lamb !!

It seemed at Easter time that we had food everywhere. There was a lamb on the spit. A side barbeque for other meat. Food coming out of the kitchen. The cousins know how to celebrate Easter. Yiayia and Barpou just loved it. ( okay we loved it as well!!)

Chicken on the Spit !!

As I was walking back to the house I smelt something delicious. That is nothing unusal in Kritsa as there seems to be something cooking in the village all the time. Anyway as i was walking pass what the locals call the "blacksmith" shop I saw a spit cooking with 4 chickens. Big fat chickens. The man was cooking for one of the local tavernas that only the locals go to. Unfortunately you had to pre order so we didnt get the opportunity to taste the end result. For those who want to know the smoke was coming from the olive wood he was burning !. Oh I love Crete !!

Long and Glorious Days In Kritsa

We are loving our time in Kritsa - we have fallen into a routine of joining Yia Yia and Bapou just after breakfast, then a trip into Agios Nikolaus for shopping and coffee, back to Kritsa for afternoon sleeps and dinner at a local taverna.

Bapou has solved many riddles about his family, by stopping to speak to locals and asking questions.  He and Yia Yia found Maria Papadoulis, a lady they met when they were last here in 1987. They produced a photo of her taken in her 20s - she looked shocked until she realised who they were. Then we were invited inside her house to look at old photos - a lovely warm woman - and it made Yia Yia's day to have found her.

We've enjoyed delicious meals here - never anything fancy but always wholesome and delicious. Lots of horta (wild greens) cooked with olive oil and lemon, boiled eggs, the local dried bread with oil, tomatoes and feta cheese, greek salads, snails (manny and yia yia only), souvlaki meats, tzazkiki, crusty bread, wild cured olives, dolmades (stuffed vine leaves), and fava beans. 

Manny and I saw 8 houses for sale yesterday on our rather arduous walk up and down the village - everything from broken down farm yards complete with goats and donkey stables, to stunning bouganvillea terraced homes with three or four bedrooms.  We've can't decide between two - one a very traditional house with original hand painted green tiles and a small terrace, and another with stunning terrace views from the roof top down through the valley to Agioa Nikolaus and the ocean below. We're taking Yia Yia and Bapou for a second look in an  hour or so.  Not that we'll buy anything this trip, but it seems a real possibility that we will dream about more at home.

Off to look at homes now - miss you all!

xxxx

The Royal Wedding!

Another womderful day in Kritsa - but it's raining!  Yesterday was wonderfully warm - hats and t-shirts weather, but today it's back to winter. We woke to the raining pouring down, and did the long dash to the car through the river torent down the laneways.  Off to Yia Yia and Bapou's, then we decided to take a wet weather drive to the Lato ruins, via a narrow road up the mountains.  It was closed, but the view over the mountain was worthwhile. 

I decided we would heed my spirit of adventure and took a right hand turn towards an unknown village through the mountains.  We didn't make it as far as the village - car sickness and a general feeling of panic (apart from Yia Yia) among my passengers forced me back after a hair-raising ride along cliff faces.
We then went to an historic church built in the 1300s just out of town. Across the road was a taverna advertising souvlaki, tzaiziki and chips for 5 euros - as it was cold and raining, it sounded divine so off we went for lunch.  We were there just in time for the royal wedding, so I asked if we could watch the BBC on the TV.  We enjoyed a delightful lunch washed down with local red wine as William and Kate took their vowels.  Something to remember!

We returned to the apartments so Sophia could sleep, and then we spent the next few hours watching the wedding in the apartment restaurant TV, drinking red wine, and a little raki (given to us as a gift from the restaurant we've dined at for the last 2 nights).  I think I'm beginning to appreciate this local specialty. A lovely way to spend a rainy afternoon!

God Save the Queen!

Lamb on Sunday

The lamb on the Sunday. What a great day

Easter Videos and Pictures

Hi everyone I am going to attempt to load some more photos and videos. Mum and Dad are having a ball which is the main thing. They loved Easter and spending times with our family the Klontzas in Koutouloufari.
The Klontzas have been so warm and welcoming.

The following Videos are Midnight on Saturday. The start of the big celebrations. They know how to do Christos Anesti in Crete.

Not only do they have fireworks bells ringing, fire crackers but they have a huge fire where they burn Judas !!! I swear the whole place was about to burn down. It was scarey !!! ........but so much fun

The Great Escape

The start of Soup !!!

check out our pics and vids

Hi - we've just loaded more pics throughout the blog posts so go back and have a look at old posts if you're keen.
Love to Les who has a bad eye injury - we're thinking of you and wishing you a speedy recovery! (will some raki help??)
xx