Contents
This Month
Carnival: Let the Fun Begin!
As we said last month, there seems to be no let up in the partying in our region. Carnival officially began on the 24th January, and finishes with the Grand Parade on Sunday 14th February. As we were going to press, the adult treasure hunt was in full swing, and on 4th February we will be celebrating ‘tsiknopempti’ (otherwise known as ’burnt meat’ day) with a huge fancy dress party in the old town. There will be music and dancing in the streets and plenty of fun. This year we are proud to announce that the core members of the Bugle editorial team will actually be participating in the grand parade for the very first time. The carnival group that we have joined is called ’emeis kai emeis’ and we will be in red costumes, so look out for us on the day! The 15th February is ’Clean Monday’ which is a public holiday to mark the official start of Lent. This is also an extremely jolly occasion, and is traditionally a day for people to get out and about in the countryside, to have family picnics and to try and fly kites!
And, of course, even though the 14th February is Grand Parade day, this is no excuse for failing to mark Valentine’s Day. And guys, I know we say this every year but really, really don’t forget this one (we have your health and safety in mind). And don’t even try pulling the stunt of ‘my love for you cannot be expressed in a mere bunch of roses’ or the other one of ‘How could I tarnish my adoration of you by pandering to the shameless commercialism associated with this festival?’ Bite the bullet, buy the card, the flowers and the chocolates. If necessary put a reminder in your cell phone. It makes sense in the long run.
February Excursion with the Rethymnon CIC Group
As we reported last month The CIC group from Rethymnon have started a new monthly activity to show you a bit more of Crete and to enable you to visit places that you might not know (you can see some pictures of the January excursion on the following page). Coach excursions which will be guided by Albert van Elst have been organized by Tourist Services Satellite which has
its office in Rethymnon on the beach road opposite the Delfini. Excursions will take place on the last Sunday of the month and costs will be kept as low as possible. Please note that lunches, entrance fees and gifts to guides are not included in the prices quoted.
We need a minimum of 20 people for the trip to take place. Any profits made will go to Charity - this month our chosen charity is the Samaritan Branch of the Red Cross. Remember, the more people we get on the bus, the more money we can give to this really worthwhile cause!
Program for 28th February: Arkadi Monastery - Margarites Pottery - Zoniana Caves - Anogia village and the plateau of Ideon Andron. We will start at around 8.30am from Georgioupolis main square. We can pick up people from Georgioupolis-Kavros-Rethymno-Misseria-Platanes-Adele-Skaletta-Panormos, but always only from the main highway. Our tour will follow the roads along the slopes of the highest mountain on Crete, - Psiloriti. Our first visit is to the Monastery Arkadi and although many of us have maybe visited this symbol of the Cretan Freedom, we’re going to make it extra interesting, because we’ve invited a specialist who will tell us all the horrific but also nice stories from the Monastery. We continue on to Margarites, the village known for its terracotta ceramics. This ancient tradition of unglazed and unpainted pottery is still the major occupation of local inhabitants. A local potter will show us some of his techniques. Our next stop is at the cave of Zoniana, where we will learn about the story of the lost cave girl. Then on to the village of Anogia, it was here that locals participated in the kidnap of General Kreipe during the Second World War, which resulted in serious reprisals by the occupying German forces. All males from the village were executed. This left women without any income so they started the first female co-operative for making and selling embroidery and textiles. Last stop is on the plateau in front of the Ideon Andron caves and because this tour is in February we might need a warm coat, because it’s the place where we’ll find the snow of Crete. We’ll have lunch in the taverna owned by Stelios Xilouris, his family is from a well known Cretan music background. A specialist will introduce us in to the art of the “Mantinades” the famous Cretan rhyming folk songs. After lunch we return home by going down to the highway and back to our original pick up points. Price: 15,00 euro per person. for members of the CIC and 17,50 for non members. You can book via by email. info@winterincrete.com or by phone 28310-56641 Tickets can also be obtained at the coffee morning on 4th February in La Bamba bar.
28 MARCH: KRITSA CHURCH & VILLAGE - AGIOS NIKOLAOS - SPINALONGA-LASSITHI PLATEAU. Full details of this program will be announced in the next issue of the Bugle’.
Bugle Outlets and Contact Details
Hard copies of the Bugle are distributed in a variety of locations around town.
These include: International News—Market (Square of Unknown Soldier), Satellite Tourist Services (Sof Venizelou 21, by the Marina), Tapas y Vinos (Melissinou 14), Galero Bar (Rimondi Fountain), Mediterraneo Bookstore (Paleologou), Octopus (Tsouderon 13), Stella’s Kitchen / Olga’s Pension (Soulion Street), Friends of Animals Charity Shop in Pigi, The Terrace in Platanes, Chaplin’s Pub (El Venizelou 52, beachfront), Fantasia Kinderland in Kavros and Restaurant Paradiso in Agia Galini.
To contact the Bugle, telephone Kate Brusten on 28310 54594 / 6942635515, or email editor@rethymnonnews.com – the deadline for the next issue is 22/02/10.
All previous issues have been archived on this site and can be viewed through the archive section.
