Volume 1, Issue 12, December 2007 Journalism as never before  

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Front PageAround TownThis MonthSpotlightRethymnon RecapLifestyleChristmas CrackersFun & GamesCommunityEnterprising LocalsClassifiedThe Back Page

Dec07 Issue

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Spotlight

Travelling Tales
Rethymnon Coffee Morning Bugle - Athens Townhall

Rethymnon Coffee Morning Bugle - Keramikos Cemetary

Rethymnon Coffee Morning Bugle - Baby Grand Hotel
In November, the Bugle team had their annual works’ outing to the frozen North. The happy wanderers have now returned from their trip to Europe and can now report back. Initial comments to the news that we were going away were mixed, for example: “You’re going on holiday…. To England? In November? Why?....” Now, in case you feel that we might just be providing you with some holiday snaps as a bit of a ‘filler’ because after living it up for a couple of weeks close to the Arctic we find ourselves with our backs against the wall with a deadline to hit for the next issue, you’re right. But we also hope that we can give you a unique slant to travelling abroad with a Rethymnon eye.
We started our trip by flying from Hania to Athens, flying with Aegean airlines (if you book in advance online, there are often good deals to be had). The flight was fine, but a word of warning — escalators! If you have not left the island for a year then you may have lost the knack of using these things. The one at Hania airport lulled us into a false sense of security — it didn’t start up until we had safely stepped onto it, and then moved at a sedate pace. But once we got to the Big Smoke things were very different. We nearly came a cropper on the flying machine that took us down to the metro, and as for ‘moving walkways’…. Well! Anyway,
Athens (once we’d got over the immediate culture shock of the hustle and bustle) was a lot of fun.
So what is there to do in Athens? Apart from the obvious ‘must do’s’ like the Acropolis (we did wonder why it was sporting a giant yellow barrage balloon during our stay) and the archaeological museums, there is plenty to keep the visitor entertained.
Food! Modern Greek cuisine is just fantastic — and Athens is the place for it. The area around Thission / Psirri is a good place to start. Also worth checking out is the Gazi district (but not on a Monday morning like we did).
Art! Apart from the obvious biggies, check out the Herakleidon museum and Megaron Mousikis (Athens Concert Hall) for exhibitions.
The Metro! It’s clean, it’s cheap and it works.

England is Strange….

Rethymnon Coffee Morning Bugle - Henry Moore at Kew GardensWe’ll get the rants over and done with first. And we won’t start with the obvious, that England is expensive and uses funny money (OK so we just have). Water: For a country that apparently had the wettest summer on record, getting a glass of water in a restaurant is surprisingly complicated. In some restaurants there are even ’water menus’. Coffee: Be prepared for the unexpected. Coffee in England is unpredictable. If it was universally awful, then you would just know to steer clear. This is not the case. You can get a decent cup of coffee in England, but you will never know when and where. Rules: Lots of them. Loads of notices in public places telling you how to behave (really noticeable (!) when you’re coming from Crete). Siga, siga, as they say in Greece, or London. For those of you in the Rethymnon Nomos who are wondering whether the electrician or carpenter is ever going to arrive and are having delusional fantasies about ‘English efficiency’, let us remind you of the following: 1: London Underground; 2: Queuing, 3: Chip and bloody Pin. So now let’s focus on the positive. Detox: This is the country for it when it comes to drinking and smoking. Enough said.
We did have a good time in Oxford and London, though. In Oxford, trust the guide-book says the editor (who is speaking as an Oxonian). If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Visit a couple of colleges and take pictures of the Radcliffe Camera, Sheldonian and Bridge of Sighs. Wander round the Covered Market. Buy a book in Blackwells. Have lunch in Browns and drink a beer at The Turf Tavern, and don’t try and go punting down the river in November. When visiting London—same thing really, except for a couple of caveats. Covent Garden (trendy in the 1980’s) is looking rather tired now, and it’s best to eat in Soho at night. November, if it’s sunny and you wrap up warm, is a good time to visit. Get to the London Eye early, and if you fancy a day away from the crowds, try Kew Gardens. Currently there is a Henry Moore exhibition in the grounds which runs until March 2008.

Belgium: See our Full Page Special in 2008!

Rethymnon Coffee Morning Bugle - Belgium

Rethymnon Coffee Morning Bugle - BelgiumWe visited Belgium, too. It is a beautiful country which is underestimated by many people and is worthy of so much more than just a footnote.

So, look out for our ‘beer, chocolate and so much more’ feature next year! And no photograph of 'Manneken Pis'
 

  Pashmina Delafonte