chestnut Anthony B.
While I work on the sequel to, A Place in the Choir, simmering away in my head is my next novel which is set here in Crete. To help bring my ideas to fruition our friend John brought us to the village of Topolia. This outing which happened some months ago helped me get a feel for the place. I wanted to absorb the atmosphere of a semi mountainous village overlooking an area of great Cretan history. As we drove the White Mountains loomed to the east, and northward towards Kastelli an expanse of sea rippled gently under a sunlit sky. Our journey took us through chestnut forests, orange groves and clusters of tall pines. Many colourful bee hives adorned the crevices where they were tucked away among the wild vegetation.There were huge rock formations higher up and what looked like deserted village ruins hanging over the cliffs.
Stopping for coffee in a cafe on the edge of the village I was eager to begin my research. At a table nearby a venerable white bearded man was seated. Surely I reasoned he'll be a source of information. My Greek was limited and I hoped he spoke English.
'Excuse me,' I said. 'I wonder if you would know what the oldest church in Topolia is called?'
'Goodness,' he replied 'I'm not that old!'
I smiled in embarrassment. 'I'm doing research for a book you see and I need some information. I don't live in this area, I'm actually from Ireland.'
'Don't worry about that -- we're crazy too!' He laughed.
He then willingly provided very interesting facts about the village and surrounding area. I hope I'll do justice to his generosity, humour and encouragement in my book where Crete is the backdrop..
After this meeting we set out for home. John drove us to Kissamos first for lunch. It was a lovely warm day and we sat at a table outside a Taverna. Nearby men were working on a building, they had scaffolding in place. Children were going home from school and there were a few visitors walking around. Suddenly we heard a great rumble. It was as if some heavy machine was being driven through the square. When our place settings began to move and the table to shake we wondered what was happening. Someone shouted Earthquake and everyone ran into the vacant space in the square. Feeling lightheaded we tried to hang on to John's car for support. It was swaying back and forth and continued to do so for several minutes.Workers on the ground called a warning to their companions on the scaffolding. They stayed where they were clinging tightly to the metal uprights.
When all was quiet and safe we continued our return journey.
'I'm glad we got our priorities right,' I laughed shakily.
'When we ran from our table John, you rescued your camera. Naturally I grabbed my bag and notebook but Matthew, you possessively clung to your lunch -- including the knife and fork.'
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