7.12.10
Back in the beginning of June when I first found out about this trip, Gail had asked me to arrive in Greece by July 8 so I could attend Neapoli's water conference on July 9 and 10. The group would also be having a meeting on July 12 before Tammo left for Ethiopia. As much as I had wanted to arrive in Greece by July 8, I knew it wouldn't have been possible. I had already made plans to go to Katie and Pat's wedding. I spared no time to mentioned this to Gail and she said it would be alright. It would be important for me to go because I was the only engineer on the trip; one student was in natural resources (Margaret who was bringing her 5 year old son James) and the other was a law student (Michael). Before buying my plan ticket I talked to Stephanie about coming back with her from the wedding. It made more sense for me to fly out of NYC than to go back to Ithaca and have to deal with a less direct flight. I found a ticket that flew from NYC to Paris, Paris to Athens, and Athens to Crete. It left on the evening of July 11 which would be perfect.
Thanks to Stephanie and her father, I made it to the JFK airport in NYC right on time. Overall the flight went well. I got a little confused in the the Paris Ch. De Gauille airport but I had fun trying to remember my French. I knew I was doing pretty well when I understood the French announcement enough to tell a bunch of People to People counselors that our flight to Athens was getting delayed by 40 minutes. Even though I asked for the vegetarian option, I was impressed by the menu on the Air France flight to Athens. It made airplane food sound so luxurious.
I was caught a little off guard when I arrived in Athens when I heard my name being called on the plane's intercom. When I got to the front of the plane, they explained that they were going to help me get to my next gate. This was a huge relief since I thought I was going to miss my next flight to Crete where Gail and Tammo were waiting for me. The airport worker guided me and two other French people quickly through the airport to our next gate, handed us our boarding passes, and said goodbye. I had never experience service like this before.
When I arrived in Crete, we were directed down the stairs of the plane onto the tarmac. We were picked up in a little bus and taken to the baggage claim. It didn't take me long to find my black roller bag with the green bandanna and I made my way outside. As I wandered along (at this point it was late and I had been traveling for quite some time) I hardly noticed Gail calling my name. I looked over and there was Gail, Tammo, and one of Tammo's old students (Panayiotis). They greeted me with hugs and said, "It was a good thing you came through the doors when you did. We were just about to leave." I was relieved that they had decided to stay just a little longer. Tammo explained that he had to go back with Panayiotis and he would be leaving for Ethiopia in the morning. I was a little disappointed that I wouldn't get to spend any time with my advisor but he's a busy man with many intelligent ideas.
Gail drove me back to Neapoli where we would be staying and we decided to get something to eat at the tavern next to the hotel. Michael came over to join us and we talked about Greece while eating mashed fava beans (not the same as hummus), cooked beets with olive oil, tzatziki, bread, and some Greek salad with feta. It was delicious.
7.13.10
I woke up a little later than usual (around 9:30am) and came down into the lobby of the hotel where I found Margaret, her sister Mary, James, and Gail all eating breakfast. They said they would be taking a walk around the town for a bit and make their way to the Mayor's office for a meeting.
Margaret lent me her notes from our group meeting on July 12 and I jotted down a few things. Panayiotis has talked about doing a water balance for the municipality of Neapoli. Collecting all the necessary data for this purpose was our first goal; it was to be accomplished during our stay in Crete. Our second goal would take place when we got back in Ithaca: we would analyze the water situation in the Neapoli municipality and suggest countermeasures that can be carried out in order to avoid water shortages. Panayiotis had provided them with background information of the municipality. For example, he explained that the city of Neapoli has a population of about 3,000 people with about 2,000 people in the surrounding villages. In terms of the water wells, their is a difference between between deep, drilled wells (yieotrisis) that supply all the people within the municipality and shallow, hand dug wells that are usually not for drinking water purposes. He had also explained the general pricing structure for water use. There is a maintenance fee plus a monthly water fee and if the household goes over a certain water usage (set at 40 m^3 / four months) they must pay extra. Each household has its own hydrometer so authorities can measure how much water has actually been used. Margaret had learned that water was the cheapest utility and each village sets its own price for water; no profit can be made from the sale of water. For a four person household, the average cost of water is about 200 euros. Water costs for irrigation are less, but as it seems, most olive growers within the municipality do not water their olive trees. However, they do water their vegetable gardens regularly.
I should also mention that while Margaret and I concerned ourselves with the water balance, Michael was going to focus on the local water laws and their consequences. After all, he is a law student.
For the first few nights I stayed in Hotel Neapoli and then I moved into an apartment across town with Michael. The apartment was owned by a man who worked in the Mayor's office. When Michael left, I moved into with Margaret and James. They were living in an apartment that was owned by the Mayor's sister who is also the mother of Giannis (Greek for Jon) who I will talk about later.
The view from my hotel window.
Neapoli was a beautiful, old city filled with buildings that looked similar to this.
This was my shower. It wasn't typical for Greece, as I would later learn, but it did the trick. Maybe they designed it this way to save water?
Most of the buildings had steps made of marble. This always reminded me of my grandmother's marble butcher block at 38 Blossom Heath Drive in Williamsville, NY.
Poster for the Water Conference
About 40 years ago before the municipal system had been built, people used to come to these covered reservoirs to get their water. They would place their water pot in the indentations at the bottom of the fountain so the pot could be filled without tipping over.
There was a hole in the side of the reservoir.
Now it looks like it's being used for garbage.
There was an opening on the other side as well.
The decoration was found over the doorway of a little chapel. There were many chapels all over town. Each looked very similar but was dedicated to a different saint.
Giannis told me that women are not allowed to go behind this wall into the sanctuary.
Waiting in the shade. From left to right: James, Leonidas, Michael, and Gail.
We were very surprised to see the sprinkler systems being used during the afternoon of a hot day.
James and Leonidas
Greek Sprite...in a glass bottle.
Terracotta Pots
This is taken in front of the marble statue in the main square of the city. The cafe on the left, I will later find out, is owned by a man named Adonis and his brother. Not to much further to the right is the place where I will buy locally made yogurt and cheese.
This little Calico kitten was hoping we would give her a few scraps of food. Throughout this trip, I was amazed by the number of stray dogs and cats I saw wandering around. Most people would put out little dishes of water, bread, tuna fish, or yogurt for them. Giannis, the man that I will talk about later, left food out for a cat living near his house. He believes that cats and dogs are not meant to be in the house. I'm not sure if I agree but I was happy to see that he had adopted one of these hungry cats. You can also see the leaves of a fig tree in the background. Margaret and I were hoping that we would have a chance to eat some fresh figs. By the end of our trip we had a chance to eat some because they were just becoming ripe.
An Unripe Pomegranate
7.14.10
Today was a busy day. In the morning, Margaret, Michael, Gail, and I drove to Agios Nikolos to meet with Mr. Stefanos Karahalios, a geologist who works for the Lasithi prefecture. I should mention that the municipality of Neapoli is located in the Lasithi prefecture. Gail was able to stay for part of our meeting with Mr. Karahalios but left early to catch her flight back home. As soon as she left we would be on our own to collect the data we would need. I felt apprehensive about this. After meeting with Mr. Karahalios, we walked around Agios Nikolos and then headed back to Neapoli for our nighttime meeting with Chrisanthi.
Mr. Karahalios spoke to us at length about the process of drilling new wells. While he did this he explained the general characteristics of the aquifers in the are around Neapoli and Agios Nikolos. Many of the aquifers to the north of Neapoli are composed of karst limestone which is very permeable, and thus, the groundwater tends to be brackish (salty). Brackish water is unsuitable for drinking. The aquifers near Neapoli are siltstone aquifers which are less permeable and groundwater can be extracted for drinking because it's not as salty. Additionally, the low permeability of the bedrock reduces the possibility that groundwater can become contaminated by pesticides or other chemicals. He said that most of the water for drinking is about 500-600 m deep and went on to discuss a study he was doing. In order to avoid building expensive new dams, he and some other scientist were filling old shallow wells with excess rainwater to see if they could hold this resource effectively. One of the last things he mentioned was the autonomous network of local farmers (TOEB) that democratically decide the price of water for their village or local region.
During our meeting with Chrisanthi, we focused mostly on the different laws governing the use and extraction of water within the municipality, prefecture, district (Crete), and nation. This meeting was valuable for Michael as he received information about national water laws and was promised a translated copy of the local water laws. Chrisanthi spoke to us about TOEB too. For the farmer who wants to dig a new well to irrigate his/her fields, they must first consult their local TOEB branch and then address the department of water for the district (Crete). Step two is important because the district officials make the final decision on the new well. With only a small amount of agriculture in Neapoli, no TOEB organization needs to exsist; the water price is dictated by the municipality. TOEB is usually found in places with more people like Agios Nikolos and where there are many farmers/farms. The last thing we talked to Chrisanthi about was the merger of municipalities that is due to happen in the upcoming November elections. There are currently 7-9 municipalities in Lasithi and after the elections this will be reduced to 4. Each municipality will be in charge of a larger number of people. I think this would be interesting for us to look at from a water management standpoint. How will the demands and supply of water change? Over the course of our trip, I gained more and more respect for Chrisanthi. A hard working, no-nonsense lawyer, she directs her own firm, is a member of the city counsel, and is the president of the Neapoli's foster home for boys.
Marina in Agios Nikolos
Beach Umbrellas (Did you know that the English word umbrella originated from the Greek 'obrella'?)
Pictures of Agios Nikolos
This reminds me of the sponge docks in Tarpon Springs, Florida where my grandparents live.
Agios has the same fountains we saw in Neapoli.
Michael and I found this olive tree orchard in the middle of the city.
Olive Tree Leaves and Fruit Up Close
Fantastic Motors
Dakos was one of my favorite dishes. First you reviving dry bread with water and then drizzel olive oil on top. Last you top with diced fresh tomatoes, feta, a few olives, and oregano.
Meat Me Hear?
Bedrock Cross Section
7.15.10
More meetings today. Around 8:30am we made our way to the Mayor's office. We went over several spreadsheet documents outlining the cost of water usage for each village within the municipality. We also went over a document on the 16 deeply drilled municipal well. For example, the sheet told us the rate of pumping from the well, the duration of pumping, the depth of the well, and other necessary information such as this. The Mayor explained that water tests for the wells were conducted at 58 sites. Later we would get this information and suggest that the municipality use their GPS unit to mark these sample sights. Then the water quality data may be analyzed on a temporal AND spatial scale.
Elounda
On our way back to Neapoli from Iraklio, we stopped along the coast a few times to check out the view.
Our Rental Car
Solar Panels
More Solar Panels
When we got back to Neapoli, Margaret and I decided that we should go shopping for dinner. I forgot to mention that earlier in the morning, we had moved out of the hotel and into our respective apartments. James was really interested in this mayonnaise container and insisted on taking a picture of it with my camera.
Margaret (credit: James Kurth)
Me (credit: James Kurth)
(credit: James Kurth)
(credit: James Kurth)
(credit: James Kurth)
(credit: James Kurth)
(credit: James Kurth)
I'm not really sure what these jelly foods are on the top of the deli cooler but they were very intriguing. I think the sign is for baby dear meat?...Only! (Mono!) 5.20 euros per kilo.
7.16.10
The Mayor and his wife Roula helped us get a car to visit Mr. Marinos Kritsotakis, a geologist for the entire district of Crete, in Rethymnon and Mr. Apostolos Sarris, a water resource manager in with the FORTH institute, in Iraklio. Mr. Kritsotakis gave us a copy of the powerpoint presentation he had given for the conference and spoke to us about the availability of data. After our meeting, he took us to a natural spring that has been dammed up. Mr. Kritsotakis said the prefecture was thinking about expanding the size of the dam because the water emerging from the spring had become salty. Unfortunately, this project will be put on hold until the funding is secured. After visiting the spring, we took a stop at the Natural History Museum in Iraklio. They had some interesting exhibits on the various Cretan ecosystems as well as some reptiles and small mammals (i.e. field mice) that are native to Crete.
Back in Iraklio, we wandered around trying to find Mr. Sarris' office. It was tucked away in the side streets of Iraklio. Mr. Sarris presented us with a great deal of geographic information systems (GIS) data and talked to us about our study. He offered us some really great advice on various ways to involve the local community in our study; Margaret and I both think this is very important for our recommendations to work.
Spring in Rethymnon, Crete
This dam holds back the spring waters.
Throughout my stay, this is the most surface water I would see in one place.
Offices of the FORTH Institute in Iraklio, Crete. Here, we met up with Mr. Sarris.
Bakery Window in Iraklio
The Cats of Greece
Pirate Ship in Iraklio's Venetian Port
Doorway in Iraklio
Streets of Iraklio near the FORTH Institute.
7.17.10
Since it was Saturday, Michael and I decided to get out of Neapoli for a bit. Our destination: Knossos, the ancient Minoan city that you may know from ancient Greek mythology as the labyrinth guarded by the minotaur (half man, half bull). We took the bus to Iraklio and then got on a second bus that dropped us off right next to Knossos. We waited a little while for our tour guide to find some other visitors, and once she did, we all entered the ancient city. The city was built by the Minoan civilization during the Bronze Age (1700 - 1400 BC). Many people think it was called the labyrinth because of the large quantity of two headed axes called labrys. The arrangement of the palace came to represent the modern connotation of a labyrinth; it was a complicated maze.
This is a bust of Arthur Evans, the British archeologist who started uncovering Knossos in 1900. Most of the palace was excavated by 1903.
The bones of sacrificed goats were left in these large pits. There are steps down to the bottom of the pit.
Palace Plaza
Our tour guide explained that the palace had aver 1200 rooms. From my own research, I knew that Knossos was also one of the first places to use various stormwater management practices; these were very advanced given their ancient origins. The palace had some of the first flushing toilets. I'll explain this more below.
Here are some of the stormwater channels used to convey rainwater into large cisterns. Once in the cisterns the water could be used to wash clothes, feed animals, or flush toilets.
Our guide explained that these pillars were originally made from the trunks of Cyprus trees. I overheard someone saying that Arthur Evans referred to frescos (paintings on plaster) for the color scheme and structure of the restored area but he may have exaggerate this.
Alabaster Stone Steps
Reconstructed Stormwater Channel
Three Royal Women
Bull flights were famous at the Knossos. It's thought that fear of the bull fueled the stories for the minotaur.
The King's Religious Throne Room (He did not accept many visitors here.)
The prince is shown in a pink color to highlight his royal status; he didn't have to work in the field, and thus, was not tanned.
Michael
Me
It's hard to see but inside this small room there is a bathtub for the queen.
The king's political throne room where he accepted guests.
The palace also had underground plumbing for the flush toilets, baths, etc. Here is a terracotta pipe fashioned completely by hand.
7.18.10
On Sunday I went with Margaret, James, and Mary to the Marian Beach in Agios Nikolos. We had fun building a sand castle together. James directed, I was the structural engineer, and Margaret and Mary built the front barricade.
Our Sand Castle
(From left to right: James, Margaret, and Mary.)
James and Margaret
7.19.10
Today we met with the Mayor. He gave us water quality data for 58 sites around the municipality. The data was taken at different days and we tried to translate the different measurements that had been made. It was difficult for me to find consistency in these measurements but perhaps we can make a suggestion in our report. The Mayor also gave us a GPS unit to use while we visited the cisterns ('sterna' in Greek). See the next entry for my explanation of on this.
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