Mid January in Crete

After our trip to Amsterdam we had 6 weeks or so on the boat in the marina. We made friends with a nice German couple who are berthed beside us (he is a software guy, and she is a lawyer.) Exactly like me and Victoria. You would think the universe would be more inventive. We went out for dinner several times and it was always inexpensive with very good food. They have been using Agios Nicholas as a base for 7 years and they know all the restaurants and the restaurants all know them.

I did a few boat chores, changed the oil and oil filter in the main engine and the generator which was *way* more pleasant to do with a new oil extraction pump. I bought an expensive one in Sicily that turned out to be junk and made a huge mess……this one was from Amazon Germany and was much better. I also had to clean the bilge. On the Amel’s all of the sinks (bathrooms and kitchen) drain directly into a bilge in the engine room before getting pumped overboard. This means that the other ‘bilges’ in the boat are normally dry and can be used for storage. The only downside is that all of the crap from the sink and soap scum builds up in the engine room bilge.

We left for 2 weeks in Canada for Xmas in mid-December. We only spent a few days in Toronto (thanks Jana!) and the rest of the time in Kitchener at my dad’s place. I had lots of feelings flying back over Toronto. Really looked forward to seeing my kids after more than a year of not seeing them. After spending time in Italy and Greece, Toronto looked like a new city in the ‘new world’. Lots of green space which is great. Definitely a better place to make money…..but I was already missing the boat. I was also looking forward to eating some good Chinese and Indian food which is harder to come by in Greece. Ordered both and was a bit disappointed both times. Just not as good as I remembered. Plus it was cold and icy! Of course we had PCR Covid tests before we left, and were PCR tested again on arrival (and had to stay inside for 2 days awaiting the negative results) but I had to cancel a few outings because of Covid which was unfortunate. Hopefully next year will be normal.

After 2 weeks in Canada we flew back to Europe and spent a few days in Athens with V’s daughter (I visited the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens…..did you know that the iconic Cycladic female figure is not just one figure…….it was copied with few variations for hundreds of years!), and then 2 weeks with Victoria’s mom in Volos. After gaining a few pounds in Canada, I’m sure I gained another 5 pounds in Volos. Victoria’s mom is a very attentive host and makes me breakfast with coffee every morning, a full dinner in the mid-afternoon, and then snacks in the evening. We also visited Victoria’s uncle’s cottage which is 10 minutes from Volos overlooking a bay. He has a great spot with a small garden, olive trees, lemon trees and orange trees. Really spectacular.

By mid-January we were back at the boat. We had several days of 14/15 degree weather. In Canada I would have been out in sandals and shorts. Today we are having rainy weather and it is only 5 degrees which is as cold as it gets here (Greece has a cold weather alert active). I was told that while we were away it was so windy for a few days that no-one could leave their boats because the boats and the docks were moving so much!

That’s it for now. Victoria and I had a great hike that I’ll post about next.