Thought I’d just shove a photo-heavy post on this time. Hope you like these…

Above: Yes, they’ve finally opened the renovated Venetian fortress at the harbour entrance and it’s currently open to the public with no fee to go in. I don’t know if that might change and, to be frank, I think most people would be happy to pay a couple of Euros entry to help with the maintenance costs, but for now it’s free.

Above: Around the town this past week or two. The parrot belongs to Kostas, who runs the Acropolis Bar along the seafront. He gave the bird an ‘outing’ the other day because there were a few Greek tourists from abroad having a drink in the bar. Not sure how I feel about these birds being kept like this, and with clipped wings, but to be honest, this one seems to have a lovely relationship with his owner, and they understand each other brilliantly when Kostas handles him.

Above: Around the village this past few days. The last photo was taken from a crag across the valley. The white building you can see is where the village begins, as it sits behind that ridge, protected from most of the north winds during wintertime.

Above: These sheep were grazing in the field below the terrace that runs along from our house to our friend Sylvia’s, who uses her home for holidays. Letting the flock into such olive groves is a great way to get the grass and weeds cut. I was fascinated by the fact that their wool is long and shaggy, rather like angora goats, I thought. So I did a bit of digging and this was what I discovered: The long-haired sheep of Crete are commonly known as Sfakia sheep or Astrahan sheep. They are a hardy, local breed adapted to the island’s mountainous terrain. These sheep have long, shaggy wool and are primarily raised for milk, which is used in traditional Cretan cheeses like Graviera and Mizithra. They are well-suited to the rough landscape and can survive on minimal resources. Interesting, eh?

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