Hellenic Seaways: Ferry Godmother?

Dismay in many quarters in March when ANEK pulled the plug (so to speak) on their standard ferry service with the Prevelis between Rethymnon and Piraeus. This is the first time that there has been no standard direct ferry crossing between Rethymnon and Piraeus since the summer of 1989. Given that when ANEK took over the Rethymnon crossing some years ago they promised to maintain the service, some of us are none too impressed with the company right now. The problem was further compounded by the fact that NEL Lines, who operated a high speed service during the summer last year, decided not to renew their contract in 2008.
Hellenic Seaways, to a certain extent, have now come to the rescue. They started running a high speed service on March 21st. Currently, the service runs on Fridays and Sundays. The catamaran leaves Piraeus at 18:45 and arrives in Rethymnon at 23:15. It then returns from Rethymnon at 23:45, arriving in Piraeus at 04:30. Over the Easter period (from April 18th to May 5th) there should be a daily service, for the rest of May services are due to run on Friday, Sunday and Monday, times as above. At the time of going to press, there were no schedules available for June. And please bear in mind that ferry schedules have frequently changed in the past, so check before you sail!

You can find Hellenic Seaways online at the www.hellenicseaways.gr website. Ferry tickets are also available from a number of Travel Agents in Rethymnon, including Satellite Tourist Services opposite the Marina (see advertisement on the back page of this issue). Current prices quoted are 58 euros for passengers, 87 euros for VIP seats and 86 euros for cars.
The new service notwithstanding, this still leaves the problem of transporting heavy goods from the region to the mainland—the catamaran is not equipped to take trucks. ANEK initially said that they would provide a ‘roll-on / roll off’ service for trucks only so that truck drivers would not have to drive to the ports of Hania or Heraklion (which will continue to operate daily services from Crete to the mainland). We’ve yet to see this happen, though….
But Rethymniotes can look on the bright side and be thankful that British Airways isn’t operating the link between Rethymnon and Athens. Our travel glitches are as nothing compared to the fiasco of Heathrow Airport’s newly opened Terminal 5!

Sport Life: There is Life!

As we reported in our last issue, the sport scene in Rethymnon in February was absolutely dire. True to predictions, though, once Carnival was out of the way, local teams started to pick up the ball again. Asteras, the local football team had a reasonable month, with 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss. However, at 13th place in their Division, they are not safe from relegation yet. Our basketball heroes AGOR have played very well recently, with 5 consecutive wins. Their chances of survival in ‘A1’ start to look realistic. The women’s football team Krisses had expected losses against the top teams in their division, but gained a ‘freebie’ of 3 points at the end of March, as the team they were supposed to play has withdrawn from the league. And as for volleyball? Unfortunately, once again, the less said the better. Maybe try ice skating? Except we don’t have an ice rink here yet…..

Periptero Panic

The Periptero (kiosk) is part and parcel of life in Greece. When the Bugle editor first visited Crete in 1983, she was fascinated by kiosks. For her, these small little huts were magical. They sold everything you could ever need at any time of day — aspirins, batteries, cigarettes (OK, OK, we know what the Surgeon General says) chocolate, stamps…. and you could use them to make phone calls abroad. It was like Doctor Who and his Tardis. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept of Doctor Who and Daleks, let me explain. Doctor Who is a long running science fiction programme about someone who travels through time in an old fashioned British telephone box called the Tardis. The thing about the Tardis is, that once you get inside, it opens up to be a room of huge dimensions with wonderful things inside.

There is a serious point to be made, though. The physical dimensions of a Periptero are, or should be, strictly regulated. A Periptero is supposed to be small, it is a unique entity which is NOT A SHOP. Concessions to run a Periptero were initially awarded by the Greek Government to disabled veterans of WWII and also to those who had large families to support. However, as years have gone by, certain kiosk owners have been abusing the privilege, with the result that some of the peripteros are more like mini-markets than kiosks. The mayor is now about to take action on this so expect to see some down-sizing in the weeks to come.

Rejuvenation of the Sea Front

As we reported earlier in the year, plans are afoot to tidy up the beachfront, which at the moment has something of an image problem. From the photo on the left you can see that we’re not quite ready to welcome summer visitors yet! According to the local press work should be starting soon to make the beach road more attractive. Plans include the restoration of business ‘canopies’ to their original state (this is likely to ruffle feathers), and the provision of proper footpaths and a cycle track. It will be a tough call to get the work done by the beginning of the season. Anyway, we will be monitoring progress and look forward to seeing the face—lift!