A day picking olives and wild greens in Kandanos

By Vassilis Gialamarakis

 

Half way down to the south of Chania, on the way to Paleochora and more specifically in an area called Selino, there is the beautiful village of Kandanos. There we decided to go on a sunny Sunday in January to pick olives for the annual needs of the family and the hotel. My mother had planned the day long before. We had also been invited to pick from Eytyxis Daskalakis's olives, who is a good friend of the family and at the same time our "koumbaros", since my brother Adonis is his son's godfather. We were determined to pick table olives from Kandanos as they are so famous for being the best in taste.      

A few days before our visit, the weather had been really bad in Crete with heavy rain, cold and loads of snow up the White Mountains. This was the first sunny day after many days of real Cretan weather. On route there, we enjoyed the magnificent view of the west side of the white mountains (Lefka Ori) covered with snow and parts of crops with only bits of snow on them.

 

 

After making some quick arrangements of the day's schedule, we were shown an old olive orchard with huge trees with nets laid under them. We would start picking from there. The trees were very old and their trunks looked more like monuments from another era rather than parts of someone's producing crop. In Kandanos village there is a huge olive tree, like the famous one in Vouves, God knows how old, and it takes four men with their arms wide open to encircle its trunk, which is about 12 metres in perimeter. It produces about 50 kilos of olive oil alone. Olive trees are an integral part of the Cretan landscape and a source of life and health to Cretans. They have also inspired our artists and symbolise peace and fertility.

The storm and winds had dropped many fresh olives on the nets for us to get. Olives must be large and deep blue in colour, in other words, ripe enough to be edible and of course good in taste. We had gone there with high expectations and could not wait to start the hard work of hand picking the best olives of western Crete one by one. We needed as many as possible because we also wanted to give some to our good guests in summer.

 

 

The olives had fallen scattered in the nets making it very hard and time consuming to pick, as you have to bend over and move around all the time. After an hour of low efficiency, I began to lose my patience. You see, I am the typical modern type that wants everything to run efficiently and consider time to be of high value. However, this day was to be spent in the Cretan countryside, the old traditional way with my mother, in a slow but constant pace of work just like the way she grew up. My mother had the answer to my worries. We needed to gather the olives in large piles so we could sit down and work with them. But we could not lift the nets as they were sawed up together in a huge sheet covering the entire field. So, my mother disappeared off to the woods next to the field and a little later, she came back holding a few bunches of thyme she had cut there. Using a piece of wire from the fence, she made a broom to sweep the olives on the nets to the same direction to make piles. It did work, although hard work, and in the next two hours we had about 30 kilos. We were greedy though and determined to get more.

We were quickly done with this olive grove and wanted more olives, since my brother Adonis, whose good friend and koumbaros is putting in for mare of Kandanos on the next elections in October 2006, had made it clear to us that, like all real villagers in Crete, he does not work on Sundays and had gone to mingle with his village friends. By the time I went to get Adonis, my mother, being a typical village woman born and raised in a village, had gone off to the field nearby with a knife and waist bag made of cloth to pick wild greens and radices, that we call "chorta". She had not stopped talking of the amounts of greens that grown in Kandanos on our way there the whole morning. And of course we should keep the whole expedition secret of her sister Artemisia, because had she found out we went for greens, she would definitely want her fair share! 

Just before noon we were off to Kampos, the area of Kandanos with the most olive trees. The landscape was amazing. The trees were loaded and absolutely stuffed with olives. This is a sight rarely seen on this variety of olives called "tsounati" in the Cretan dialect. This year is the best for olive oil that Crete has seen in many years and the price of olive oil has just come up considerably, so all farmers have a good reason to be happy this year. They have been struggling for very long (worldwide I think) and for most of them their annual income and future plans rely exclusively on olive oil price. Eytyxis was very proud of his orchard loaded with olives and showed us around explaining how well and promising this harvesting season is.

After a rather long conversation repeatedly refusing a lunch break at his house in the village, we left him with no other option but to go and let us accomplish the goal of the day, picking as many olives as we could. We started work quickly but the olives were too small for our purpose and unripe, green. We selected carefully as many large green ones as we could find from up the trees and not from the nets, with the view of making them cracked olives, known as "tsakistes", preserved in lemon juice and salted water. They are great eaten on their own or with bread and cheese or in salads or even to cook with them (using wild greens and olive oil, cuttle fish and fennel casserole).

The snow-capped mountain across the valley was shining in the afternoon sun and the colours of the fields and village houses at the mountain were very bright. In the sight of such beauty, I thought that we are so lucky to be living in such a blessed place. The rest of the afternoon was spent wondering around the field gathering wild greens, different radish species, wild fennel, artichokes, and many more greens unknown to many people. They are weeds, as many would say but with great value for us. I kept picking the wrong ones and mother kept showing me the ones that we were after.  They all looked the same to me! The next week's menu would be greens with something else every day cooked in different ways and of course "kalitsounia", which are greens and cheese pies and "marathopites" (fennel pies).

Very few people realise the role of greens in Cretan diet, the healthiest diet in the world according to scientists and the study of 7 countries carried out by the American Rockefeler Foundation. When the results were published the international community was taken by surprise. The Cretans had the strongest hearts in the world, lived longer than any other people and cancerous and cardiovascular diseases were rare on Cretans, unlike in northern populations where heart diseases are a real threat.

On the way back we were feeling absolutely exhausted, yet very pleased with our lovely day out, and of course the pick-up truck was full of the fruits of the earth. The mission did not end there though. We had to pass from our winter vegetable garden in Maleme where the expedition was completed. There we got our spinach, red beets, lettuce, fennel, parsley, radish and rocket. Chickens and rabbits were fed and one rooster was to be part of the meal for the following day.

The next day the olives had to be checked again, all the bad ones should be taken out, then mixed with thick salt suitable for table olives. The salt comes from the western Sfinari and was given to me from Yiannis back in summer. Here is my father's task, since he has the patience to deal with all this!

If you ever have the chance to go on a day like this, do not miss it for anything! It is a real tribute to the goddess of agriculture, Demeter. Unfortunately it is only possible in winter and you need a Cretan like my mother Katerina, to take you around.

 

How to make your own table olives

 

The techniques of soaking the bitterness out of the olives and thus making them edible are ancient and very simple. The most famous method used today in western Crete is thick salt.

 

Alatsolies (black olives in salt)

 

Olives of the "tsounati" variety are used for this recipe and they must be harvested late in winter so that they are ripe and with loads of olive oil in their flesh so as to be of rich taste. They are just washed well and then mixed with thick salt in a sack or basket or plastic container so that all the juices produced out of the flesh run out. The olives gradually wrinkle and they are turned around regularly so that the salt goes everywhere. They can last for quite a long time up to a year. They must be stored in a dark and cool place to preserve. Before serving they should be rinsed well from the salt. They are generally a starter and enjoyed with bread and cheese or in salads. Make your own olives “a’la Greque” and do not buy what the supermarkets want to sell you.

 

Tsakistes (cracked olives)

 

The same olives here are harvested in October or November while they are still green, unripe and with not much olive oil in their flesh, which is really bitter in taste. Then, the olives are beaten gently with a stone or wood cracking the flesh open but being careful not to touch the pit. Then they are soaked in large glass containers in a mixture of water, salt and lemon juice or bitter orange juice. The water mixture is changed every 10 days tasting the olives to see when they will turn sweet and edible. Then put loads of lemon juice in the water and various herbs if you like and cover with some olive oil on the top to stop the top ones from getting mouldy. These olives can be used in cooking or eaten on their own as a starter. Wash them gently and drain before serving with a bit of lemon juice and olive oil and if you like sprinkle them with coriander or rosemary. They do not preserve for very long maximum a year. My friend Eleni at Sfinari village told me that she uses sea water for her olives until the bitterness comes off and she does not crack her olives at all, which helps to keep longer.

 

 

On a wet, dark and depressing Monday in January of this year, I found singlesincrete.com quite by accident on the Internet.  The information on the web page sounded just what I needed, so I emailed Vassilis for a brochure. My son and daughter worked in Crete for a summer, and warned me not to expect a prompt reply ... out of season ... that I'd be lucky to get a reply in April or May, if at all.  How wrong they both were! 

The next morning was a friendly response from Vassilis, saying that the new brochure was being printed and that I should receive same in the post within 10 days; 3 days later it arrived, I was totally smitten, both by the speed and the warm welcome from Vassilis, hoping I would be able to travel there this summer. 

I booked immediately, my first solo holiday, not knowing what to expect - but hoping I would fit in and make some new friends.  I needn't have worried ... within an hour of arriving at the Mistral on 3rd May, I was disgusted that I hadn't taken the plunge by booking for 2 weeks! 

Jo was the first person I met at the bar, and we immediately became firm friends.  Jo is married Nori and they both work long and hard to ensure that all guests are made feel welcome and happy.  It is an ordeal for anyone travelling alone for the first time, but, believe me, you could not have chosen a better place to start off solo travelling.  It's like being part of a large happy extended family. 

There is no pressure to join in with the many exciting trips and excursions; you are entirely free to spend the days and nights doing what you want - reading by either the front pool (nearer the bar for that freshly squeezed orange juice), or at the back new pool, where you can have complete peace and quiet (if that is what you want), or join in with the fun that is all around the Mistral - day and night. 

Behaving like children (which are not around at all) can be such fun - Free Willy in the front pool and limp Dick in the back pool, (although they both have been known to commute between both pools - depending on who is playing that day)!.  There is a lovely new outdoor jacuzzi too, and the entire new block of superior rooms is gorgeous.

Landscaped with great flowering plants, hidden lights, and little almost hidden paths around to the new rooms, or just for a stroll at night - trying to take a break from the bar or make room for a drink after mother Katerina's Greek banquets that are dinner each night. 

I was given a room on the second floor of the original hotel - perfect view of the beach and sea (which is only a short walk from the hotel), perfect view too of the bar and who is there.   If you need an early night for whatever reason (I didn't obviously, I'm Irish)!, the balcony doors are tripple glazed and with closing the shutters, you won't hear a thing.  I did manage to see over ! the superior rooms on the Tuesday (changeover day) and they are lovely, with double bed, fridge, bath, perfectly done out in every way, and quiet day and night.  Everyone who took one of them was happy - until some of the guests realised that they weren't using their fridge at all, that a single bed was OK, and there was no time for a long leisurely soak in the bath - as they wanted to be where the fun was and this usually centres around the bar area in the evening, before and after dinner, and around the front pool. 

Treating yourself to a "posh" room was what people liked most, being pampered after a tough year, and the Beauty Salon is in the new block, too.  Neck and back massages, stiff joints eased, pedicures and manicures to show off the newly acquired tans, seemed to be the most popular treatments.  You can have your treatments done in the privacy of the indoor room, or outside under a canopy, in the fresh air, relaxing on the beauty bed - it's up to you to decide. 

There is at least one room at the front of the hotel which has 3 beds and lots more wardrobe space; if 2 or 3 friends want to share, this is ideal, although if the hotel isn't full, I think you can ask for that room anyway, so you can spread your things about!  On the last day this week (that's another story about to be told)!, I discovered 2 bedrooms which have a bath too, both corner rooms, at the rate of the Standard Room, which is a bonus for me for next summer! 

 Little treats on arrival are a nice touch.  You buy your bottled water when you get there, and it's refilled with pure spring water either from the bar or the kitchen - free - for the rest of your holiday.  This is great because in the heat or while walking or taking trips, you do find you are drinking lots of water, and cold water the morning-after-the-night-before is always useful!  

There are pretty free postcards at reception, so that even if you had not intended buying or posting any cards, you always find that once they are there for the taking, you end up writing to someone; Kim has stamps at reception and will post them for you as well. 

 In your room, there is a little welcome card with a fresh flower; something most female guests take home, to use as a bookmark and remember the Mistral experience during the dreary winter months.  The hotel has provided a "speedy" kettle with supplies of milk, coffee, teas and sugar in the bedrooms.  ! This is very handy is you wake up early (the sun shining through my open window always blinded me with its intensity and heat at 7.30 a.m.,) so to have a cuppa while sitting in the sun on your balcony is a great way to start the day; if you run out of milk - no problem, just ask for more and it will be given immediately. .

 The enormous buffet-style breakfast is from 8 - 10.00 a.m., and even the most  picky eater will find something that they like.  Big choice of breads, toasters, ham and cheese, cakes (yes cake for breakfast)!, Feta cheese, bowls of olives, sliced juicy tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, fresh fruit salad with Greek yogurt, orange juice, and as much tea and coffee as you can drink.  This is eaten where you like - alone if you like, or with anybody else who is there at the same time. 

 There is a welcome meeting at 10.30 the first morning (Wednesday), hosted by Vass and Kim.  A big map of Crete is up on a board, and Vass points out t! he places of interest, the trips that are available, and the history of the island.  Then Kim explains the practical things, like the rules (there really aren't any formal rules, just sensible things like no night swimming, no diving into a crowded pool, if glass breaks around the pool area, just to tell one of the staff so that the guests won't cut themselves, or Dolly might cut her feet, and to dry off a little bit when leaving the pool so that the tiles in reception don't become lethal. This chat is accompanied by Jo's famous long glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice, with maps and leaflets - although all information is available at reception, with piles of exciting trips, the little train takes the strain by bringing you to places you might not otherwise find, and lots of Cretan cookery books, and magazines about Crete and the Greek Islands.  It is a good idea to attend this meeting as you learn a lot about what is available, times of the local air-conditioned bus which, for E1.80 takes you on a beautiful coastal journey into the town of Hania, about 30 minutes, complete with bus conductor, driver and sometimes even an inspector!  You see a lot more by being up high, and even at the local bus stop, they helpfully provide you with chairs and seats, in case you are already tired!  Buses go very 30 minutes and GMT (Greek maybe time) always seems to work very well; the occasional little delay is always fun anyway, because you are on holiday and no deadlines to be kept. 

Within 2 days of returning home to Ireland, my daughter said that if I had had such a good time, why not return for a longer holiday.  She came up with the idea of getting her two brothers to pay for me to have the full 2 weeks next time, as a Birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day, St.Patrick's Day etc., present!  I couldn't believe this offer and phoned the Mistral straight away; Jo answered and said they'd love to have me back, so I booked 2 weeks for 20th September.  This of course, was not nearly long enough either, so thanks to a room being available, I managed to extend it by having a 3rd week - only home since Tuesday and already am having serious withdrawal symptoms, and planning and saving for next summer! 

One word of advice is, if you do want to stay on for longer, it can work out very expensive flight-wise.  You immediately lose out on your original return flight, and in my case, I lost the overnight hotel stay in Gatwick and the subsequent return flight back to Shannon Airport the following day.  But thanks to Kim's hard work, she managed to get me a reasonably priced return flight (very early, but since it's the end of the season, I'm lucky to have got a flight at all, as nearly everything was booked out).  I left the Mistral at 5.00 a.m., travelling Chania-Athens-Heathrow-Shannon all in the one day, and after a total of 15 hours travelling (including 2 hour Greek time difference), I arrived home tired out - BUT ...would I do it all over again - a resounding YES!  No amount of tiredness or travelling can block out the Mistral magic - you have all the time in the world relieving the new friendships formed, having new experiences, being included in Mistral's large extended family life - in fact, really being part of a new family in a different country - superb feeling!

 

By being lucky enough to have now spent one month in Crete this year, I was determined to take part in as much as I could; the week in May was just chilling out by the pool getting a sun tan, and totally relaxing - that was all I wanted then.  But this time ... I was determined to see and do as much as I could.  It seemed to work out that every second day we'd end up relaxing by the pool, reading, laughing, and trying to decide if we were hungry or not, and then reading the menu for about half a hour, just to see what we did want to eat; you give your lunch order and they call you when it's ready, so you don't even have to "dress for lunch" or make any effort at all to be presentable.  Determined to try all Cretan food, I gave in when Jo suggested double egg and chips one day - accompanied by such a large Greek salad that you have to share with one or two others; all for about the price of 2 Mars bars and a magazine back home! 

On the Thursday there is! the best day out ever, at Sfinari to a fish restaurant.  You leave about 10.30 in minibuses for a lovely trip to a white sandy beach, where you can swim in the crystal clear warm waters, walk for miles, relax on sunbeds, sunbathe, or have a drink at the beach bar; for anyone interested, there is a naturist area at the end of the beach behind some rocks - this seemed worth the effort to some guests! 

Vassilis will take you on a little history tour for 20 minutes, if you are interested.  Then, after 2 hours there, you are driven to the family home of Yiannis for lunch, a long lunch of 3-4 hours.  There is a long table set up under some trees beside the sea.  Eleni, his wife, does all the cooking, and his son Nikos harpoons the fish, so depending on what he catches that day, that is the menu!  All this fresh fish is lovingly laid out on ice, which the guests can inspect in the kitchen on arrival.  Photos are in the restaurant of Nikos with his previous catch, all posted to the family by guests from all over the world.

 For anyone who doesn't like or can't eat fish, there is a choice of meats; even a vegetarian will have no problem - lots of salads, breads, sea grass, fruits, all washed down with copious amounts of wines, water, frappes, and more wines!  It is such a beautiful setting that the time really goes so fast; the talk on the way home is of how we were going to face yet another Greek dinner at 8 that night!  But somehow we managed to ...

Some guests travelled into town on the Friday to do some shopping, and had a pleasant long lunch at the harbour, watching the world go by.  It is the only place I've ever been to that being alone while eating does not matter.  The family have a friend who has the "blue restaurant" by the harbour, and if you mention him or The Mistral, suddenly a welcome free drink will appear, and you are left alone for as long as you like, no pressure on ordering, eating, paying  and going.  4 of us were there last week and even after the meal, another drink was offered "on the house" - not like being at home at all! 

There is "leather lane" a long narrow street full of shops vying for the sale of bags, shoes, purses, lovely souvenirs; every shop has something different and they are all so helpful, even if you aren't buying from them, they will recommend somewhere else for you to go.  The shop which makes you leather boots within one week was crowded out; they measure your feet on a piece of paper, draw around your problem areas, you decide what you want, and for E150 you can have a new comfy pair of long leather boots to bring home!  I can't give an idea of the prices in May because I didn't shop much, but this time, being the end of their season, everything was being sold off very cheaply.  I found you didn't even have to haggle; clothes that were billowing in the breeze suddenly - like magic - were sold off so cheaply that guests bought their entire Christmas and birthday presents, for very little.

There are numerous boat trips from the harbour, too.  A yellow submarine (yes it is yellow) takes you out of the harbour for a trip; glass bottom boats are popular too, as is a 5 hour trip to two islands; it goes around one and then you have the chance to swim ashore to your very own treasure island for a while; if you don't swim, you can either stay on board or wade ashore - a big adventure.  There are PADI driving courses too, and snorkelling so that you can see all the fish in the clean waters.

 

The little train trips are great - letting the train take the strain is marvellous when you are tired out, but still want to explore.  There are many different trips, all leaving from the big hotel across the road from the Mistral.  We took a gorge trip which gave us about 15 minutes to look at souvenir shops and have a cold drink.  Twice we took the trip that brings you to the oldest olive tree on the island, 5000 years of history, where you have a short stop for photographs, ice creams, and admire the views.  This same train then takes you to see raki being made, where you can drink as much of it as you like - warning ... it is not like a pint of Guinness, a small glass or two is more than enough!  Free popcorn is provided, and the family let you share in their life, by playing with the family dogs, and trying to explain how important visits are to improving the quality of their lives.  All along the route, you will have young children, teenagers, mums and dads and grannies waving at you, with the security that tourists bring to their future, it gives you a great feeling.  The last stop on this trip is a visit to a church within a cave, where everything is unspoilt and left for the visitors to see and touch.  Doves are hiding up in the rocks, and even the flash of the cameras doesn't phase them - they are used to it.  Panoramic views from there over olive trees, spectacular sea views, and with the constantly changing skyline, it's essential that you remember a camera. 

 

On my first week 20th September the Mistral was booked out - a total of 43 happy guests, making friends and enjoying themselves.  We met Lara, a lovely lady on a 3 week Greek trip, ending up her holiday at the Mistral.  She left the Ukraine when l4, and settled with her family in Toronto.  In May, we had Ian, a pharmacist from Edmonton, Canada, who made the long trip for just one week, and despite lots of problems on his return home, told us given the chance, he'd do it all over again!  We had a guest from Scotland and another from the UK., who are going to live out their life's dream in their new homes in Crete - such excitement around the tables with them off selecting tiles, shower trays, and saving up for their swimming pools., in between picking up hints and advice from Vassilis and his family on their permanent move to the sun.  Age is just a number at the Mistral; my three weeks seemed to consist of men and women ranging from 30's to! 60's, all mixing well and enjoying meeting new friends, and enquiring about local customs, vine leaves (and how to stuff them), etc. 

 Each Friday there is a wine tasting and "nibbles" at 1.30 p.m.  This is no ordinary wine tasting - and no ordinary "nibbles" either!  You sit at a long table, outside if the weather is OK, and every type of wine is produced, and Vassilis explains the history of each one, and you must - not just try - but actually drink each one!  Nibbles turns out to be the usual Cretan banquet, more and more plates of delicious foods keep on coming from the kitchen, with explanations of how they are cooked, Mum Katerina's vegetables are used from their garden, and even now at the end of the season, there is no waste - they just use whatever is left, and conjure up so many different ways of cooking and presenting it.

This experience can take up to 2 hours, and then - it's not over yet - you have the chance to go into the kitchen, where Vassilis will teach you how to cook typical foods which we already had enjoyed.  Starting off with large tomatoes and marrows already having had their flesh scooped out, he proceeds to show us how to stuff them, no garlic as it would kill the delicate flavour, just a bowl full of natural ingredients, their own olive oil, grated cucumbers, and Bena then finishes them off for our dinner that night!  Next we are shown how to fill strips of fillo pastry with mint and soft goats cheese; everyone gets a turn, they are then fried, drizzled with honey, so you get to eat even more!  Finally, recipes are given to you all to bring home and show off your new culinary skills!  And you leave with a precious bottle of their own olive oil and - if they haven't run out at the end of the season - a jar of delicious black olives.

On our last day, last Monday 10th October, the weather turned a bit gloomy, so Vassilis and Nori brought us up through the mountains to a restored village, no electricity, cooking done in a huge wood-burning oven, and all rooms fully booked out - including Christmas.  We went to see Vass's aunt who had the key for the lovely little church, with fresco and ornate work; while the key was being found, she produced a tray of raki and chocolate fingers for all of us, which we duly devoured in her garden, full of lime and lemon trees.  Her grandson, Yorghis was with her, and was a lovely little boy, totally bemused by us all taking photos of him and his granny! 

Then Nori took his passengers on a lovely drive to the village Milia, while Vassilis parked his bus and we all spent a lovely 2 hour walk up a mountain, slipping and sliding, watching a goat giving birth, collecting chestnuts for dinner at the Mistral that night, all the time being constantly informed of all the local customs, people and animals we met en route; even a large freshwater crab scuttling among the fallen chestnuts, was amusing! 

We all met up at the restaurant, where yet another "light" lunch was being prepared.  We walked around the village, were shown the rooms where people stay, so much peace and quiet and time to think there - no wonder it's a very popular place to stay.  Guests there can chop the wood, read from the large library, or do as little or as much as they want - a bit like the Mistral idea really.  It's very isolated, which is even better, as batteries can be recharged for days at a time, or you can mix with other people from all! over the world.  Lunch there - as usual - was a 2 hour feast, more and more typical Cretan foods were being produced, with explanations given as to their origins, again all washed down with wines, raki, more wine, delicious desserts, and coffees.  Then a bloated/drunken stagger back down to Vass's bus, and home again! 

 

Whether you like or dislike horses and grapes, a visit to the Riding Centre is a must.  This centre offers an hours horse riding for E30, but Vass being Vass, managed to put together a very competitive price for us Mistralites, which included transport to and from the Centre, about an hour leisurely riding a horse up through the mountains with spectacular views (not wise or easy taking photographs from the top of a horse), but always Nori or Adonis are there too, armed with cameras, to capture your moment!  There are I think, a total of 7 horses, which are so used to this daily trek, that they just amble up and back down again at their own pace.  Riding hats are provided, experienced riders are given a suitable horse, and those who have never been on a horse before always get new found confidence on the return trip! 

This exciting event is accompanied by yet another gorgeous sex-on-legs man, who, while always ensuring that everybody is safe and comfortable, then puts on a little show of his expertise for entertainment purposes!  We were so lucky to be there for the grape harvest which lasts about 2 weeks at this time of year.  There is a big concrete pit with crates of grapes just waiting to be loaded into it.  They sluice your feet and legs down first with a power hose, helpfully provide Greek music to get you into the mood, then you can dump in the grapes or just trample them - what fun this is, people slipping and sliding around, laughing, taking photos, with Adonis clutching us for dear life before some of us disappeared down the big gulley along with the grape juice!  We never imagined we'd be included in something like this - you usually only see it in the movies. 

 After being sluiced off again, we all headed back to the huge terrace and dining area, for another "light" lunch - hours of more delicious food, more wines, more raki, frappe and coffee.  You can buy bottles of wine (! which we made earlier!), honey and raki to take home, but there's no pressure to do so.  The owners are genuinely delighted to meet you, and are justifiably proud of what they have there.  Each horse is carefully looked after, given their own stable and tackle, and you can ask for your one by name, too - mine was "Filippo" (so I ended up riding Phil two weeks running)!. 

There is so much to do based at the Mistral, and as the days go on, guests become braver about venturing out on their own.  I walked the local beach one evening for 90 minutes, nobody else around, resting on a beach chair looking into the waves - a Shirley Valentine moment! 

The German cemetery is a l0 minute walk from the hotel and is well worth seeing, if only to bring it home to people the futility of war.  There are over 4,000 German men buried there, some graves have 2 men in them, with a list of other Germans who had died there too, but who could not be buried in full; there is a long history of how their families coped before, during and since their deaths - one family lost 3 sons.  The entire place is so well looked after, and if you climb up to the back of it, the views are spectacular, and the peace and quiet is wonderful.  You think a lot while there, and can leave your own personal message in the visitors' book, too.

 

There's no point in me going on and on about the whole Mistral experience - this is just a taste of what you can expect while there.  Every time guests return (and one girl has been l5 times so far), you find different guests and different things to see and do.  The one constant thing is that Vassilis has such a passion for his homeland and such knowledge that he is able to impart on us all, that it is such a big learning curve.  Being fluent in the English language, with a wicked sense of humour helps too; no query or question is ever left unanswered, and I found that I learned more about Cretan history in a fun way, than I could ever have learned during a history class.  He even gives a informal talk about history in the evenings back at the hotel - he never seems to run out of information.

Finally, Greek night is not to be missed on Friday nights.  Because May 3rd was a Walking Week, some planned events did not happen because the walkers were away for long periods.  However, having been to 3 Greek nights for the past 3 Friday nights, it's an experience that is so enjoyable that the extended family and friends turn up too.  Nori starts off with Greek music in the bar before dinner, then the live musicians turn up, complete with 2 native dangers, dressed in full Cretan dance uniform.  The music gets louder and more exciting, Vassilis dresses up too and joins the dancers in full costume - he sure can dance, too!  Being a natural coward, the first night I was too nervous to take part, so just lurked around the bar armed with cameras.

 The second Friday night, once it was explained to me that hospitality is important to the Greek families, and by taking part, you are showing them you are enjoying their lifestyle, there was no stopping me!  A male guest who had the great knack of knowing when to help out nervous or shy people came to my aid.  A table was produced on the dance area beside the pool (deep end, too!), and before I knew it, I was up on that table with him, barefoot, dancing in time to the music!  Luckily the lights were dimmed at that stage, so it was not so embarrassing but fun, then without realising it, I was on the floor again, this time dancing barefoot in a fire circle!  This encouraged others, and soon we were all doing Zorba the Greek, stumbling and laughing while trying to master the steps, changing circles and ending up doing a "conga" type dance in and around the bar, being force-fed a raki on the way out again! 

The same thing happened on my 3rd Greek Friday night (last week), this time others were brave and performed strange acts with little plastic beakers full of some dangerous alcoholic drink, balancing them on their heads, and trying to drink from them off other! guests' feet or heads - what fun it was, and lots of photographs to remember it all by.  Yiannis (from the fish restaurant) turned up with his wife, found me in the dining room, and launched me out in the thick of the dancing - I seem to be more Greek now than Irish, and I loved it all.

 

Dolly is, well Dolly.  She has her own thread in the Mistral Chat room, and is well worth meeting.  She is a member of Vass's family for years, and is known as the old tart - having had a variety of partners over the years, eats everything in sight and still keeps her slim figure - I don't know how she does it!  Having used up most of the garden to bury food in over the years, gives you a clue ..... yes, Dolly is the Mistral pet dog, getting older and less able to join us on the sun beds, but still is always in the right place at the right time.  I spotted her last week dashing into the hotel at 7.00 a.m., one morning, with a large pizza in her mouth; she didn't want or need it, just spent a bit of time trying to find an available burial place!  She's always wagging her tail (instead of her tongue) at breakfast, now in her latter years, only sniffing distainfully at bread and going for ham or cheese. 

She relaxes during the day, drinking from her pot plant water tray, lying in the shade, coming to life when she hears the sound of cutlery at lunch time.  Then from 7.00 p.m., onwards (and the photos prove this)!, she places herself directly in front of the dining room, back to the bar, ready for the bell ringing to signal "dinner".  If it's a particularly nice menu for her, e.g., kalamari, veal, meatballs, swordfish, beef or lamb, she comes to life - giving the occasional bark to remind us that she is there, and will visit us all - last week she managed to reach the entire length of the table between our legs, always getting a tasty titbit or two!  Then, her evenings are spent either curled up on the sofa in reception having fascinating dreams, or watching TV with Mum Katerina.  It's so lovely that she is part of the family, and not shut out away from us all.

 So now, I have to start saving again for next year - I still am not convinced that even 3 weeks is long enough - but in order to get the entire season over there, I would have to have a large Lottery win, or write that book I've been promising myself to do, for years now!  Any budding authors out there ... there is enough fuel for 2 bestsellers and the movie rights, in one week - let alone three weeks!

 The only thing I'm a bit nervous about is that with all the great experiences you get once you find The Mistral, what will happen once it gets booked up throughout the season?  Already, they have a lot of confirmed bookings for next year, with Greek Easter week being particularly popular; guests get to become part of the celebrations, and apart from the gastronomical feast that is part of Easter, you do what the Cretan families do, visit the same families, be included in the processions, and all the way along, it is all explained why they do what they do.     

 So, if you have any doubts about what this Mistral experience is all about, I hope I have gone some way to dispelling them now, after all of the above!

 Read thoroughly through the Chat Room Forums, and any and every question will be answered by any of us who love it there.  The best testimonials are given by the guests who return there year after year after year. 

So a big thank to Vassilis and his family, Kim, Jo & Nori, Tracy, Vass's brother Adonis (who really is great fun and a big help to us all), Roseta, Bena, and last but not least Asan, the gorgeous Bulgarian bar man who has sadly returned to University in Varne, Burgaria, to carry on with his studies to become the Captain of a Ship.  More commonly known as sex-on-legs, this 24 year old made life so much better for a lot of the guests. As well as being an excellent barman, he too had a wicked sense of humour (having been taught the language by an Irishman who he worked for in New York), and had wisdom beyond his years

This is the first time I've never ever had a complaint about anything on a holiday; but this is no ordinary holiday, it's an experience where you can arrive solo, and be made part of a new family, who genuinely do care about you, and don't emphasise paid excursions or clipboards while boarding you on trips you don't really want.  There has to be so much praise for Vassilis, Adonis, Katerina and all the staff (more friends than staff, really), who all go out of their way to make certain all guests have a wonderful time with them.

 

 On leaving the pool on my third evening in May, I mentioned to Kim just how lucky I was to have found the Mistral.  She replied - and I'll never forget this - "Pat, people do seem to find this place at a time when they need it the most" - this has really been proved to be true, time and time again guests have arrived there feeling angry, lonely, depressed or with nothing in their lives but work-related problems, but they always leave in a better and stronger and happier frame of mind - more Mistral magic which continues working long after you return home.    

So now, all that is left for the rest of this year is great memories of new friendships formed, lots of photos being emailed or posted, text messages, lovely phone calls, constant emails from guests who you really became close to and want to continue this friendship, the Reunion in Milton Keynes in November (last year over 80 turned up for the weekend, armed with photos, memories, video recordings, and fun). 

This December for the first time, Nori & Jo are organising 3 and 4 day trips to Prague - Nori's native land.  The dates of 12-15th December are fully booked up, but there are still some vacancies for other dates.  The idea seems to be to recreate a Czech/Mistral type break - a small hotel situated within walking distance of everything in the centre of town, airport transfers included, trips up into the mountains, visits to places only the locals know about, Christmas markets, crisp cold air, mulled wine and little sausages given! to you while browsing the market stalls - I can't wait for this, too! 

My final plan - if it works out, is to have a Greek Night here at home.  Thanks to the generosity of the Mistral family and friends, I returned home with Cretan wine, jar of black olives, large bottle of olive oil, glass bowl from the Riding Centre, and 2 glass ashtrays given to me by nice people in restaurants.  I've also bought lace tablecloths (made locally by women sitting outside their homes, working away), little handmade olive branch coasters for those unfortunate drinking accidents, blue and white paper for the Greek flag, blue and yellow paper to recreate our favourite restaurant by the harbour, my new Greek CD of typical national music and dance .....  It will make a change from the usual Irish house parties at Christmas time anyway.  I'll have to put into practice all the new recipes I've learned from the Cookery Classes, and try and locate some vine leaves too (supermarket manager told me yesterday that ! if they are not over by the vegetables, then they don't stock them)!.     

Hope all of the above helps anybody considering taking a holiday at The Mistral - you will never ever regret taking the plunge and booking your holiday there - a totally life-changing experience.

 

See you all next summer over there!

Keep in touch, Pat

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