Tuesday, June 21, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SCOTTY!

Dear Scotty,


I realize that you will probably never read this post or even see it. However, I would certainly be remiss if I did not pause on this day...your day...to wish you a Happy Birthday. It was on June 20, 1939 that you were born. Today you are 72 years of age. If I were on Crete, I might not be able to bring you a birthday cake, but I would certainly bring you a freshly baked pastry and sit with you and reminisce about your earlier years on Crete at Matala. Perhaps some kind soul on Crete might read this post and visit you at the monastery and help you celebrate this most important milestone of yours.


So, in closing, I would hope that today you would be at peace with yourself and the whole world, and further, that all of your memories of Matala would be the most pleasant of memories. And, lastly, and most importantly, please know that you are remembered and held in high esteem by all those who have met and known...the Last Hippie of Matala!


Your Friend,

Bob Armistead

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

RETURN TO CRETE: 2011

Dear Friends,

Well, a year has passed since my last visit to Crete and many of you have been inquiring if I intend to return to Crete again this year. The answer to that question is a resounding, "YES!" I will leave Nashville, Tennessee on July 1, 2011 for Newark, New Jersey. From there I will fly to Athens, Greece, arriving there on the morning of July 2, 2011. I will depart Athens and arrive at Heraklion International Airport by mid-afternoon of that same day. From the Heraklion airport I will take a bus to the little seaside village of Amoudara, where I will be staying for the next three months. Amoudara is located just six kilometers to the west of Heraklion and is quite centrally located. I will once again be staying at the La Stella Apartments in Amoudara. I am looking forward to seeing my landlords again...Stella And Nikitas. They are kind and thoughtful people, and make me feel like I am family...and not just a tenant.

Once I have settled in, I am looking forward to walking down to Popi's little taverna which is located at the very end of Naxou Street and right on the beach. I can hardly wait to have a frosted glass filled to the top with good cold Mythos beer. Often I will sit in a chair with my feet propped up on a white-washed stone wall and lean back while sipping my Mythos beer, all the while watching the waves roll in from the Mediterranean Sea. I think the main reason I enjoy Popi's taverna so much is because of its simplicity and it unpretentiousness. I also like the fact that people from all over the world stop by Popi's...some to talk...some to eat...and some to drink. Popi's taverna is truly a crossroads of the World!

So, perhaps you are wondering what it is that I will be doing on Crete this year. It is my intent to do even more than I did in 2008, 2009, and even last year, 2010. However, this year I have decided to try my hand at snorkeling. I have purchased a diving mask with prescription lens...actually bi-focal lens...just in case I want to read the Wall Street Journal underwater! Ha! Ha! I have also bought an underwater digital camera. This way I can photograph the shark just before it devours me! I also hope to visit some of the more remote mountain villages on Crete this year, as well as some of the other Greek islands. I may also take a little side trip to Turkey, if all works out well.

So, please check back here often for additional entries, more photographs, and perhaps even a surprise or two!

Take care, stay well, and keep in touch.

Your Friend and Fellow "Silent Warrior",

Bob Armistead