LivinginCrete.Net Forum

My old dad used to tut whenever he heard someone use the phrase 'cut in half'. "You can't cut something into a half," he'd shout. "It's HALVES!" I've tried for years to correct people in this regard but have now given up. In fact, nobody says 'cut in halves' any more. As someone ...

Looks like your jostling and stampeding skills will be going to waste in future, Warwick, as it doesn't look like you' ll have any choice under the new system. Also, I'm pretty sure that when I've flown Monarch and Thomas Cook they use allocated seating. Not sure about Thomson. The EJ website lists ...

Hi all I'm probably the last person to have found this out, but I'll pass it on anyway. Starting from, I believe, this month, EasyJet have introduced allocated seating - certainly on next years flights from GTW to HER - but almost certainly on other routes to Crete. This should have the effect of tu...

I was granted a residency permit after having only lived on Crete for a few weeks back in 2008. Had to jump through a lot of bureaucratic hoops at the police station to get it but was told I couldn't buy a car without it. Never been asked for sight of it since and not sure (now being non-resident) w...

Good cops and bad cops? I'm sure that's right. On my last visit to Crete I was pulled over by a motorcycle cop, having committed several traffic offences. He was professional and courteous and, once he found I could speak a little Greek, friendly. (Still cost me a lot of money though!) Tim

I think the game's changed recently. In the last few weeks I've noticed a newfound determination by the EU/Germany to keep Greece in the club, come what may. I think this has more to do with the rise of Golden Dawn (and the popularity of the hard left) than it does with economics - and the EU's horr...

They sound a lot like penguins to me Al?? Had wine been taken??

How did you notify the Greek authorities that the car was now UK not Greek registered? I drove a Greek registered car back to the UK and scrapped it. Cue administrative nightmare. Nobody told me the number plates are integral to the car's registration, so when I went to the car licencing office to ...

That's top notch info, Warwick. Thanks very much.
Tim

Hi all I thought anybody who was following this thread might like an update. Unfortunately the person responsible for the quote below is an idiot. However, it might be worth noting for non-resident home owners that the cessation of the liability to transfer funds annually, and obtain a pink slip as ...

I don't think I'm especially allergic to bee stings but I've been stung twice as an adult and both times I've found the pain to be excruciating - three or four times the intensity of a wasp sting - and seem to recall screaming like a girl on both occasions. Lord knows what I'd do if stung by Derek S...

Thanks for that, Y&Y. Back in (unseasonably sunny) UK now so there's nothing I can do until April. You're right about the black light. There's historically been a colony of scorpions living in a wall near the docks for many years at one of the South Eastern ports (Hythe, Deal, somewhere round th...

Thanks for all your replies - the idea of a 'scorpion-cat' is intriguing but probably impractical for someone who only visits infrequently. The lavender oil solution sounds like the way to go. How would one go about obtaining some - is it sold in supermarkets or would I have to go to a more speciali...

Hi all Does anyone have any advice on discouraging these pesky critturs from coming into the house. I've made three trips to the island this year and I've had scorpions twice downstairs and once, more worryingly, upstairs. Cue paranoia about walking round the house barefoot and stripping the bedclot...

The only way forward for any country that's broke is to grow its economy. Period. I can't see any way that Greece can do this while it is constantly having to go to the Germans et al with a begging bowl, and keep implementing savage cuts to its ability to function as a working Western economy. The c...