Friday, August 29, 2008

KHOULES & THE CHURCH OF ST. TITUS












UPPER LEFT PHOTO: The Venetian Fortress, Khoules, in the Heraklion harbor.
UPPER RIGHT PHOTO: The Church of Saint Titus at night in Heraklion.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

GREEK FRIENDS I'VE MADE













UPPER LEFT PHOTO: Popi Mavrakis (L) and Bob Armistead (R). Popi had a small taverna down on the beach where she served cold drinks, sandwiches, and ice cream to the beach-goers. I would go down to her taverna almost every day and have a cold Mythos or two...or three.
UPPER RIGHT PHOTO: George Stamataki (L) and Bob Armistead (R). George was one of the kindest and nicest men that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. George is the owner of the Marirena Hotel and the Dionysus Taverna (Restaurant). He allowed me to use his internet access to make entries on my blog, and to keep in touch with family and friends back in the USA via E-Mail.











UPPER LEFT PHOTO: Maria (L) and Bob Armistead (R). Maria worked at the Marirena Hotel and the Dionysus Taverna (Restaurant). Maria would bring me coffee or a coke almost every morning, and in the afternoon would serve me at the Dionysus Taverna (Restaurant).
UPPER RIGHT PHOTO: Mania and Bob Armistead. Mania worked at the Chrystalis Jewelry shop which is owned by Irini Stamataki, daughter of George Stamataki. Mania and Irini were always eager to help me with my pronounciation of Greek words, suggest new words to help widen my Greek vocabulary, and tell me of places which might be of interest to visit. Both were two of the nicest Greek ladies I met while on Crete.
NOTE: Two Greek friends whose photos I failed to have taken with me before I left Crete were Irini Stamataki, owner of the Chrystalis Jewelry Shop, and Emmanuel (Manoli) who was the late afternoon and evening waiter at the Dionysus Taverna (Restaurant). I saw both Irini and Emmanuel almost on a daily basis, and I consider both of them to be good friends of mine.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Chania & Agios Nikolaos (St. Nicholas)


















UPPER LEFT PHOTO: The lighthouse at the harbor in Chania.
UPPER RIGHT PHOTO: Small boy poses with a python around his neck at the harbor in Chania.


















UPPER LEFT PHOTO: Mosque-like architecture at the harbor in Chania.
UPPER RIGHT PHOTO: The bell and tower at the old Catholic Church near the harbor in Chania.



















UPPER LEFT PHOTO: Interior shot of the old Catholic Church near the harbor in Chania.
UPPER RIGHT PHOTO: Harbor and village of Agios Nikolaos (St. Nicholas, facing northeast)














UPPER LEFT PHOTO: Marina and harbor in the village of Agios Nikolaos (St. Nicholas, facing east and slightly south)

Sunday, August 10, 2008

NEW PHOTOS...ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Dear Friends,

I have some more photos taken on Crete which I have not yet posted, but I hope to do so within a week or perhaps less. I also intend to post some additional commentaries in the coming days or weeks as well. So...stay tuned...and, as always,

Take care, stay well, and let me hear from you.

Your Friend and Fellow “Silent Warrior”,

Bob (Midget) Armistead

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

SAFELY HOME...WITH JET LAG

Dear Friends,

I apologize for not posting an earlier entry stating that I had made it safely back to the USA and to my home in Tennessee late on the evening of July 31st. But once I had arrived back home, I had to recover from a terrible case of “jet lag”. Now, I don’t know if you are familiar with “jet lag”, but some define it as the physical, psychological, emotional and mental changes that one’s mind and body go through when transported through several time zones over a short period of time – in other words, the body’s time clock is fooled into thinking that it is either much later or much earlier than it really is. When I had completed the last leg of my journey and had landed for the final time, I think that my body had been fooled into believing that it was 1835 or 1836, and Andrew Jackson was President! However, I think that I have come up with a much better definition for “jet lag”. “Jet lag” is simply that condition which mimics the worst case hangover. The symptoms are almost identical: headache, body aches, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, tiredness, stomach pains, double vision, and the loss of control of various bodily functions. Now, whenever I have had the misfortune to wake up with a hangover, I knew that it was God’s punishment being visited upon me for having consumed too much of a good thing! But with “jet lag” you are being punished for simply having taken a plane ride. Somehow that just doesn’t seem fair to me! So, the next time that I have to take a long flight from one continent to another, prior to boarding the plane I think that I am going to consume a very large quantity of Raki (or its generic equivalent, i.e., Tennessee moonshine) so that when I land at my final destination, I won’t know if my symptoms are a result of a hangover or “jet lag”...nor will I even care!

Take care, stay well, and let me hear from you.

Your Friend and Fellow “Silent Warrior”,

Bob (High Flying, or is that, Flying High?) Armistead