Where does the sea stop being sea and start being sky?
Where does the sky stop being sky and start being sea?
Tavronitis beach, North-West coast of Hania, Crete.
Friday, 15 August 2008
SkyWatch Friday: sea or sky?
Where does the sea stop being sea and start being sky?
Where does the sky stop being sky and start being sea?
Tavronitis beach, North-West coast of Hania, Crete.
Thursday, 14 August 2008
Day camp
My children attended summer camp this year - the programs finishes today - held in the newly opened gymnasium operated by the local council. This was one of the best schools they ever attended: no books, no pencil cases, just bathing suits and walking around barefoot all day (to prevent the surface of the gymnasium floor from getting damaged).
The gymnasium is located on the outskirts of the oldest suburb of Hania, called Nea Hora, which means 'the new country': at the time this area was developing, it was considered a new place because it was the first real outer suburb of Hania, built westwards of the old port, which was the focal point of the old town. Nea Hora stretches out from the old town to the point where the river Kladissos pours into the sea. It is here that the gymnasium has been built.
The children assemble every morning some time after half past seven (a great help for working parents - working hours vary, but an early morning start is usually the norm, to beat the heat of a Mediterranean summer). Wearing their bathing costumes, they walk to the beach for an early morning swim - the first activity of the day. Because the main entrance of the gymnasium is situated on a side road, the children march along a purposely built footbridge that safely gets them to the beach without the need to cross any roads. Apart from safety reasons, the bridge has been designed very aesthetically.
The road runs directly along the riverbed which empties out into the sea.
The beach comes into view at this road. Once their beach time is over, they are taken back to the gymnasium and given a snack: sandwich rolls, croissants or cheese pies, and some orange juice - just the kind of food they love to eat. The rest of the day is shared among various activities: athletics, ball games, board games, arts and crafts, and team work.
This is the kind of school that makes me wish I were a school child once again.
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
ABC Wednesday: D for Dakos
It's ABC Wednesday and D is for dakos.
Dakos is a favorite dish in the town of Hania. It represents a sunny summer and good health, as it is made with very nutritious and fresh ingredients: hard dry brown rusks, mizithra curd cheese, fresh tomatos and locally produced Cretan olive oil.
The twice-baked rusk is a kind of brown bread that has all its moisture removed. It is eaten as is, but some people soak it if they haven't got good teeth, or they find it unpalatable to eat in such a dry hard form; we LOVE dakos DRY and CRUNCHY. It's available in supermarkets and bakeries all over the island.
Soft white mizithra is a local variety of curd cheese found all over the island of Crete. Mizithra doesn't travel well, which is why it isn't exported, although it does make it up to Athens, for ex-patriate Cretans to enjoy in the big smoke. It is used in all forms of cooking: as a sweet or savoury pie filling, as stuffing in meat, as a side dish, added to salads, as a spread, you name it; it's use is ubiquitous.
If you ever come to Hania, you will see dakos on all the menus of all the tavernas, cafes and restaurants of the town; it is never omitted, and no wonder: after having your first dakos, you will never forget it. It will probably be your meal of choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner, throughout your stay in my sunny town. Don't forget to buy a pot of fresh mizithra just before you leave the island with your chartered flight, and pack it in your suitcase, so you can recreate this dish in your own home.
When I took my family on holiday to London (twice), we carried with us a can of olive oil which was produced in our village and a bag of those traditional rusks, as well as a pot of soft mizithra cheese in our baggage. Every day, we prepared some dakos and took it with us to all the free museums where we picnicked: St James Park, the picnic room of the Duxford Air Museum gardens, and the panoramic Parliament Hill, as well as many other best-of-British tourist spots were blessed with the presence of this most Mediterranean delight tucked away in our backpacks. There was only one problem: the tomatoes that we bought in London were always unripe and too hard to puree over the rusk. No surprise, since they were imported products. One bag we bought came all the way from the Canary Islands...
Dakos is extremely easy to make. It is extremely easy to eat, having that finger-licking good quality to it; you wouldn't want to waste all that aromatic olive oil, soft white cheese and juicy tomato on a towel. I have been making dakos for my children ever since they were old enough to crunch on a rusk, as a morning snack, a quick lunchtime meal, a dinner snack and even for morning interval at school. You can literally eat this any time of the day all year round - as long as you have good quality tomatoes.
Visit Organically Cooked for more Cretan recipes.
Dakos is a favorite dish in the town of Hania. It represents a sunny summer and good health, as it is made with very nutritious and fresh ingredients: hard dry brown rusks, mizithra curd cheese, fresh tomatos and locally produced Cretan olive oil.
The twice-baked rusk is a kind of brown bread that has all its moisture removed. It is eaten as is, but some people soak it if they haven't got good teeth, or they find it unpalatable to eat in such a dry hard form; we LOVE dakos DRY and CRUNCHY. It's available in supermarkets and bakeries all over the island.
Soft white mizithra is a local variety of curd cheese found all over the island of Crete. Mizithra doesn't travel well, which is why it isn't exported, although it does make it up to Athens, for ex-patriate Cretans to enjoy in the big smoke. It is used in all forms of cooking: as a sweet or savoury pie filling, as stuffing in meat, as a side dish, added to salads, as a spread, you name it; it's use is ubiquitous.
If you ever come to Hania, you will see dakos on all the menus of all the tavernas, cafes and restaurants of the town; it is never omitted, and no wonder: after having your first dakos, you will never forget it. It will probably be your meal of choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner, throughout your stay in my sunny town. Don't forget to buy a pot of fresh mizithra just before you leave the island with your chartered flight, and pack it in your suitcase, so you can recreate this dish in your own home.
When I took my family on holiday to London (twice), we carried with us a can of olive oil which was produced in our village and a bag of those traditional rusks, as well as a pot of soft mizithra cheese in our baggage. Every day, we prepared some dakos and took it with us to all the free museums where we picnicked: St James Park, the picnic room of the Duxford Air Museum gardens, and the panoramic Parliament Hill, as well as many other best-of-British tourist spots were blessed with the presence of this most Mediterranean delight tucked away in our backpacks. There was only one problem: the tomatoes that we bought in London were always unripe and too hard to puree over the rusk. No surprise, since they were imported products. One bag we bought came all the way from the Canary Islands...
Dakos is extremely easy to make. It is extremely easy to eat, having that finger-licking good quality to it; you wouldn't want to waste all that aromatic olive oil, soft white cheese and juicy tomato on a towel. I have been making dakos for my children ever since they were old enough to crunch on a rusk, as a morning snack, a quick lunchtime meal, a dinner snack and even for morning interval at school. You can literally eat this any time of the day all year round - as long as you have good quality tomatoes.
Visit Organically Cooked for more Cretan recipes.
ABC Wednesday: D for Deckchairs
D is also for deckchair.
In my town, they're all over the beach in the summer.
You can't miss them when you come to Crete on holiday.
In my town, they're all over the beach in the summer.
You can't miss them when you come to Crete on holiday.
Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Thodorou Island
Thodorou Island (the large island in the background) is located just a few miles northwest of the coast of the town of Hania. It is used as a wildlife sanctuary, and it is prohibited to enter it under any circumstances, without a special licence. There is one open day in the year, June 8th, when the church on the island - where it gets its name from - celebrates in honour of its patron saints, the Saints of the Theodori (theo= god, dori=gifts). This view of Thodorou (as the locals call it) was taken from Kalamaki Beach.
The animals under protection are the famous Kri-Kri goats, the Cretan ibex. They are an endangered species, suffering mostly at the hands of illegal poachers. Apparently, their meat is very tasty, but I've never tried it, and it's unlikely I ever will, as the animals are hunted by very corrupt people with no sense of law and order. The goats' habitat is the White Mountains (Lefka Ori), near the Omalos Plain. It is highly unlikely that you would get the chance to see one, as they are not human-friendly. This view of the island was taken from Stalos beach, three kilometres west of Kalamaki beach.
You can see another view of Thodorou here; CreteTourNet also has some nice aerial shots of the island.
The animals under protection are the famous Kri-Kri goats, the Cretan ibex. They are an endangered species, suffering mostly at the hands of illegal poachers. Apparently, their meat is very tasty, but I've never tried it, and it's unlikely I ever will, as the animals are hunted by very corrupt people with no sense of law and order. The goats' habitat is the White Mountains (Lefka Ori), near the Omalos Plain. It is highly unlikely that you would get the chance to see one, as they are not human-friendly. This view of the island was taken from Stalos beach, three kilometres west of Kalamaki beach.
You can see another view of Thodorou here; CreteTourNet also has some nice aerial shots of the island.
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