Crete: Exploring the South Cost

June 22 is a special day for me. Apart from being one of the longest days of the year, it is the birthday of my dear late father Moisei Levin, who passed away 16 years ago. Today he would have turned 72. It is also the day when the Nazis attacked the Soviet Union 68 years ago, an event that left deep scars in the fates of our family (see http://www.levins.info/history/history.htm). We started the day by remembering my father.



As usual here, we had a delicious breakfast consisting mostly of the local food. I get up about 6 or 7 in the morning and walk downtown to buy some relatively inexpensive but amazingly tasty local produce, so we had freshly baked bread, local sheep yogurt and sheep cheese, local cucumbers and tomatoes, apricots, freshly pressed orange juice and a watermelon. I’ve made my usual smoothie for all of us, by mixing in a blender some bananas, oranges, apricots, peaches and strawberries.

Then we decided to relax at the swimming pool until noon, so that Anne Sophie can then sleep in the car on our way to a new destination. It was really enjoyable for all four of us to swim in the pool, although Anne Sophie was mostly running around or floating on an inflatable raft.

Having spent the previous days in the north and east of the island, today we set off for the south. After a 1.5 hour drive (which gave Anne Sophie plenty of time for her midday sleep) through beautiful mountainous countryside, we arrived to the Messara plain, which boasts some of the oldest and finest ancient cities: the Roman city of Gortys, as well as the Minoan settlements of Phaistos and Aghia Triada.

We skipped Gortys and started with Aghia Triada, which is an amazing ancient site on a hill top overlooking the Messara bay and the high peaks of the Psiloritis range (reaching up to 2500 meters above the sea level). There are remains of late Minoan and Mycenaean buildings (2500 to 1300 BC), such as a shrine, large Royal villa, the settlement area and the agora (market). It is fascinating to see the stones and walk the ground that ancient Cretans used to walk as early as 4500 years ago! Amazing if you think that it would take 1600 years before Jerusalem would be built and more than 2000 years before the peak of Greek (Hellenistic) civilization, which by the way borrowed a lot from the Cretan Minoans.

There is also a beautiful small 14-th century Byzantine church of St. George with fine frescos.

A 3 km drive took us to another fascinating ancient Minoan site: Phaistos, widely known for the disc of Phaistos, a clay disc with still undeciphered hieroglyphic characters, which is supposed to be some form of prayer or hymn.

Situated in a beautifully scenic location, Phaistos used to be a Royal Minoan palace with a number of courts, a theatrical area, the main palace, many store rooms, stairways, cult rooms, workshops and other dependencies, truly worth a visit. Anne Sophie was running around and talking all the time, making it difficult for me to concentrate on the numerous plaques describing the various parts of the site. Once again, my mind went “wild” imagining what it would be like to be here 4000 years ago.

To cool off, we drove another 12 km down to the coastal town of Matala, with its fine pebble beach and quiet clear sea waters. According to legend, it was here that Zeus swam ashore in the guise of a bull with Europa (his beloved Phoenician princess) on his back. It was nice to swim in the sea, view the sunset and enjoy a spectacular view of ancient caves in a nearby cliff. The caves are thought to have been started by the Romans or early Christians to be used for tombs, but many hippies made new elaborate caves in the 1960s. They say that people like Cat Stevens and Bob Dylan used to live here for some time.

On our way back, we stopped in a small village of Ayios Ioannis (St. John) for an evening meal in a picturesque local tavern (recommended by our Rough Guide). Being the only customers on a Monday evening, we sat under the grape vines looking down over the valley, savoring excellent rabbit and lamb meat with Greek salad and an amazingly delicious side dish (too bad I forgot the name) consisting of yogurt, Feta cheese and peppers. Anne Sophie ran around playing with a little kitten and with backgammon pieces. The hostess (the cook) and her son (the waiter) were extremely friendly and offered us watermelon and their home maid raki (a kind of vodka). Only my mother tried the raki, which was very strong, while the rest of us enjoyed the watermelon :)

It was fun driving home in complete darkness, listening to local music and switching the far lights on and off at the approaching cars, with Anne Sophie sleeping quietly in her seat. We stopped on a high pass for a few minutes to stare at the multitudes of stars in the sky.

It was a truly wonderful day. Sleep in peace, dear papa.

P.S. On our last full day on Crete, we visited the remains of the ancient Mycenaean city of Dreros. Then we went to Kritsa, which boasts a beautiful medieval church and an amazing gorge. Me and Anne Sophie (on my back) ventured to walk up the gorge, but had to give up after a few hundred meters because of a few huge boulders that I didn't dare to climb fearing that I can injure my daughter if I fall (see the pictures).

Anne Sophie was really looking forward to a bus ride to the airport and to the flight back home. She would repeatedly say "на автобусике, на самолетике", which means "on a bus, on an airplane". However, she slept peacefully in her mother's lap through most of our flight :) By the way, we flew above Venice and could clearly see the city!

Holiday on Crete!

Sometimes one has to decide very quickly. On Monday June 15th, Luda saw a last-minute, very inexpensive (195 Euro per person, 40 Euro per baby) offer for a week's holiday on the Greek island of Crete, which would start on Wednesday June 17th. And we thought what the heck and booked the holiday for the three of us and my mother, who is now visiting.

We've already been on the island for 4 days and are looking forward to the remaining 3 days! It is a wonderful destination through the combination of great weather (sun all the time), beatiful nature and scenary (the mountains and the sea seem to be everywhere), and very ancient culture which dates as far back as 2500 BC and is considered to be the cradle of European civilization.

We live in a simple but very nice, quiet accomodation on a hill overlooking Hersonissos, some 600 meters from the beach. We are renting a car, which is a great way to explore this island, where ancient sites and historical and mythical places await you everywhere.

Having spent the first day on foot, roaming about the city and the beaches of Hersonissos and relaxing at the swimming pool, on our second day we drove to the amazing Lasithi plateau and then walked up to the Dhiktean Cave, where according to legend, Rhea gave birth to Zeus. She was hiding there from Kronos, Zeus's father, who had been warned that he would be overthrowned by a son, and who accordingly ate all his sons. This very large cave is definitely worth a visit, despite quite a strenous climb of 15-20 minutes.

Almost all the roads on Crete can be marked as scenic routes on a map. The views from the roads are magnifiscent and often breathtaking. But to see the real gems of nature hidden on the island, you have to go on foot. For me it is a real pleasure, because I love walking. I carry Anne Sophie and some necessities such as water and food in a baby carrier on my shoulders, which adds another 12 kilo to my weight and gives me some extra exercise :)

On our third day we went to see the ancient city of Archanes, which has a wonderful small archeological museum, and the nearby ancient burial ground of Fourni. The burial ground, which is the largest Minoan cemetery discovered and has some Royal tombs, is very well preserved and dates back to around 2500BC. The coffins and other excavated objects are to be seen in the museum in Archanes. From there we took a winding mountain road to a place called Zaros, where Luda and mom relaxed at a trout lake, while I and Anne Sophie went up to a monastery and from their to the fabulous Rouvas gorge.

In the evening, there was a Greek party for the guests of our accommodation. Our elderly but very friendly hosts made a lot of delicious food, including barbeque, tsatsiki, etc. And there was music and a lot of dancing, including the draditional Greek dance of sertaki! Anne Sophie was enjoying herself too, running around the swimming pool, dancing on the pool table, and chasing the cat, who eventually got angry and left a couple of marks on Anne Sophie's arms.

The next day, we went eastwards to Aghios Nikolaos and down south to Ierapetra. Then we made a 3-km climb to the Dorian city of Lato. It was a very scenic climb up a very old stone road. Unfortunately, the site was already closed when we got there, so we might go there again today or tomorrow. But the walk was still worth it due to great views! From there we went to a small costal place called Plaka with a nice stony beach and a great view over the small prison island of Spinalonga. It was nice to cool down in the sea water after the very warm day and the tiresome walk!

That's it for now. I'll post the photos when we are back home! So stay tuned!

Film: Waltz with Bashir

A friend recommended watching this 1.5-hour-long animation film. It is an Israeli production about the Israeli army's incursion into Lebanon in 1982, amidst the harrowing civil war between various religious and political factions in that country.

Based on a true story, the film is written and directed by Ari Folman, who himself took part in those events as a 19-year-old and who plays himself in the film. Most of the other characters are also played by the real people they represent, which makes the film even more powerful.

The film is very well done, and is probably the best animation I've ever seen. But I usually pay little attention to the presentation, as my mind primarily focuses on the message of a work of art.

This animation film moved me deeply, bringing me to tears, as I watched the fear and suffering of both the (former) Israeli soldiers and the Palestinian refuges. Many years after the conflict, the former soldiers still have visions and are desperately looking for answers to make sense of what had happened there.

A great thing about this film is that it is not black and white (figuratively speaking). It depicts the good and the bad, the human and inhuman in people. Anyone of us could find ourselves in a similar situation, and I just hope that we will act with humanity and compassion, and not with cruelty and indifference.

Please, watch this film if you have a chance. I am sure you'd also be deeply moved by it.

Congratulations, Roger!

I am so happy Roger Federer finally won the French Open tennis tournament today! He is such an excellent, graceful, intelligent and dignified player! A pure pleasure to watch him play and talk.

Roses in Roosendaal

This morning we went to Roosendaal once again. Luda and my mom went to buy some more clothes at the Mexx sale, while Anne Sophie and me went to walk around the town. We had really good luck, and not only because the weather was good.

Today Roosendaal's main square was also the venue of a Roses Festival, with lots of flowers, music and cheerful people. By the way, the name of this town, located near the Belgian border, means Rose Valley, so I guess this was no coincidence.

Anne Sophie and I had a really good time. She was running around the square, danced to the music of the brass bands, played with other kids, and entertained the people around her with her smiles and dancing. In between, she ate strawberries (they are now at their best) and some rice cookies.

I managed to do all the important groceries at the market and at a nearby organic shop. While I was shopping, Anne Sophie fell asleep, just in time for us to go and pick up the ladies and go home!

Sample Sale Experience

Last night, at the invitation of Mexx (for whom I do a lot of work), we went to a Mexx Sample Sale event in Roosendaal to buy ourselves some brand clothing for little money. Well, that's what it's all about. You get into a huge warehouse with lots of clothes and other stuff hanging around, and you just go and grab what you like. You pay 3 to 10 times less than what you'd pay in a regular shop. That's a real bargain.

This event is organized once a year, and we almost always go there. I always go there with mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's a great opportunity to buy some good clothes for almost nothing (especially for Luda). On the other hand, I always sense something wrong hanging in the air. It must be a spirit of raw consumerism and greed, with people running around grabbing stuff, filling their plastic bags to the fullest. Suddenly it looks like everyone is loosing their reserve and their manners. What matters is that you get what you want.

I wonder how much money people spend on a sale like this. Judging by the size of their bags, it must definitely go into several hundreds. Yesterday I spent 50 Euro, buying myself a pair of shorts (my old one are completely worn out), two pairs of socks, and two sport jackets. Luda spent another 150 Euro, but she seems to have bought a lot of stuff (also some for my mother). The best piece she bought was a black leather jacket, downpriced from 299 to 50 Euro. That was a good deal!

It was funny to experience the raw consumerism at such a close range. It leaves a dead feeling inside of me, but it has its place in our society. The trick is not to get swept by it. Once a year should be enough. Happily, the sample sale only happens once a year!

Eat for Health

A few posts back I wrote about bicycling as a way to keep fit, be healthy and contribute to the environment. Well, from April 1st I started biking to and from work again, and has been doing this for 2 months now with great enjoyment, pleasure and enthusiasm. In these 2 months I biked 293 km / some 14 hours in April, and 262 km / also some 14 hours in May. In May I also walked a total of some 50 km with Anne Sophie in a stroller or in a baby carrier on my back (actually all of those walks were done during our holiday in Portugal).

Another important aspect of well-being is healthy food. In our affluent Western society, the biggest killers of people are cardio-vascular diseases and cancer. According to many, the principal cause of these ailments is our unhealthy nutrition.


I've been trying to improve my diet for years. I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, etc. But still I was gaining weight. Recently, I came across the book called Eat for Health by the American nutritionist Joel Fuhrman. The biggest conclusion I made when reading this book was that I needed to review my whole diet: eat much more foods rich in nutrients, and much less nutrient-poor foods. Dr Fuhrman provides a lot of advice and lots of great recipes for gradual transition from SAD (Standard American Diet) to healthy diet.

Two weeks ago I started experimenting with his diet. And I must say - it's just great! I started by making healthy breakfast for all three of us (and now four with my mother visiting), which includes freshly pressed orange or mandarin juice, and some kind of oatmeal with berries and nuts or a fruit salad. Also I make a smoothie for myself and for them to eat at lunch. For lunch I also take a bunch of green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, cucumbers, crisp bread and humus (my colleagues find it very funny). In the evening I'd make a healthy desert, such as poached pears with raspberry souse or some blueberries and bananas mixed with nuts and seeds.

This past long weekend I cooked most of the meals myself. Today for dinner I made broiled fish (tilapia) with braised bak soy, and a delicious raisin/apple/cinnamon/nut desert. I must say that I really enjoy this healthy cooking, which I thought I never would. The downside is that it still costs me a lot of time to cook. I am not yet experienced in doing many things at the same time. But I am getting there!

So if you wish to improve your diet, try this book:
Eat For Health: Lose Weight, Keep It Off, Look Younger, Live Longer

Bon appetit!