in Crete

We have a little internet access... we're staying at the Orthodox Academy of Crete. The professor has his conference every day. I knit, read, and look at this scenery... This is part of the view from our room's balcony.

This is where we eat meals--outdoors, on this shaded terrace. I can watch from our room and when everyone starts appearing on the terrace, I wander over to eat with the scientists....

There's a beautiful old monastery nearby. They have an interesting museum with icons and art that I went to see on my last trip here. This time, I watch the repairs to the dome. See the scaffolding? The dome itself has been repainted a very pale blue. There's a long history of Muslim/Christian interaction here (not all that friendly, since much of it was marked by invasion of one kind or another)...and in many Middle Eastern traditions, blue is an auspicious color. Maybe it's just superstition, but many people believe blue wards off the evil eye. I wonder if that's why the dome is being painted blue? (or was it always painted blue?!)


There's a rocky beach with a little shallow bathing area just below the conference center. I watch fishing boats, children, older people, and even surf fishermen come to enjoy the water. It seems like there is an unwritten schedule about who comes to bathe and when. The fishermen are never out while someone is swimming.

The sunrises are also worth seeing... (and since we're jetlagged, we see all sorts of things at odd hours.)

You may recognize that yarn in the sock photo, above. It is one of the hand-dyed skeins featured in Fiber Gathering. I finally decided, after 2+ years of admiration and desire, that this one particular sample skein just needed to be knitted up. It's going along very well and I imagine two completed socks will emerge soon!

That's the news from our holiday! I hope you enjoy the snapshots and have a little vicarious vacation... We're off to other locales in Crete later this week after the conference, but for now, I'm happy to stay put here and admire the view...