Around Town |
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Industrial Heritage in Dispute |
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It goes without saying that ‘preservation of heritage’ is a big thing
here on Crete. Those of us who live in the Old Town know that if we want
to do up our houses, we can’t move without consulting the Archaeological
Department. Rightly so, of course, to preserve the Venetian and Turkish
architecture—and, of course, those old Minoan ruins that go before….But
what about our more recent heritage? (And, before you ask, I’m not
talking about a certain bar that closed in the ‘80s ) Here in Rethymnon,
this is currently the subject of great debate. Before the mass tourism
boom, Rethymnon wasn’t just a quaint little ‘folk-lore’ place. It was a
town with industries (soap, oil, and barrel making are just a few
examples), and therein lies, if you pardon the cliché, the Tale of a
Town. Due to new apartment blocks and hotels, there is precious little
of this part of Rethymnon’s heritage visible to the public eye today.
So, the news of the possible destruction of the industrial chimney on
the plot of land in Koumbé has caused intense concern. |
Malia Protests
Not exactly around town, you might argue (Malia being East of Heraklion), but the effects of the really disgusting behaviour of certain ‘Brits’ on holiday on Crete in this particular ‘resort’ has had a knock-on effect on several parts of the island for any number of years. In fact, two members of the editorial committee do remember, in a previous life, meeting up with a friend (now a prize-winning journalist of international repute) in 1990 who had been sent out to Crete to file a report on this very same issue. Furthermore, in 1985 the place was already being cited as a ‘No-go’ area during the summer for any decent foreign citizen who had half a brain in their head and wanted to find out something about ‘Real Crete’. Plus ça change, or so they say. Well, finally, THANKFULLY, the penny appears to have dropped. Malia has now had enough of the ‘Lager louts’. Late in July, hundreds of local residents, including the Mayor, took to the streets saying they were fed up. GOOD. NOW CLOSE DOWN ALL THE BARS SELLING ‘FISHBOWLS’ THAT ENCOURAGED THOSE IDIOTS TO COME TO MALIA IN THE FIRST PLACE. Then I might actually pay a visit to the Minoan Palace there, which I hear is particularly fine. End of rant.
Sporting Update—AGOR: What’s the Score? |
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As you will already gather, this month’s issue has already got a sporting theme to it—but this is a local NEWS story, so it goes in this section. As we went to press, it was still not clear which division AGOR (our local basketball team) would be playing in next season. “How so?” you may ask. “Didn’t you tell us in the June issue that because AGOR ended up third in the A2 division they had narrowly missed promotion?” Well, yes, but….the situation with last season’s champions of the A2 Division— ‘Sporting’ (team from Athens, which won promotion to A1) has changed somewhat. The previous owner of the team has left to go and manage AEK (Another Athens team, which is in A1 Division). The ownership of ‘Sporting’ is now in doubt, and it is not clear that they will be in a financial position to play at A1 level. So, it is faintly possible that our lovely Cretan boys will be promoted after all. Watch this space. |
Sad Footnote: Rethymnon Fire-Fighting Tragedy
Many of you will know this already, but for those of you who don’t,
forest fires on Crete in July had tragic consequences in the Rethymnon
region. On 11th July, three fire-fighters from the Heraklion Fire
Brigade lost their lives whilst trying to battle a blaze in the
Rethymnon Nomos (district). The firefighters got trapped in a gorge near
Doxaros — which is on the Old Road to Heraklion, East of Perama.
Words in such a situation seem so inadequate: still, we would like to
express our deepest sympathy to the families, loved ones and friends of
these really brave men. Our thoughts are with you.
