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Our time in Crete
Jan. 31st, 2019 07:45 pmThe archaeology department at Durham just got an email about a summer class on "The Lost World of Ancient Crete". Since we lived, briefly, in Crete when I was little I read the class description, and hearing of all of the cultural/historic/archaeological attractions I couldn't help but wonder if I saw any of those when I was little. My first impulse is, of course to ask mom, but I can't do that any more. (Asking Dad hasn’t been an option since 1997.) So instead I will share what little I can remember (I was five years old the summer we were there).
My only clear memories of our time there are:
* The hotel we stayed while we were waiting for a house (or apartment?) of own and the couple from Bangladesh who were performing there (a magician and a dancer—she had the most amazing long black hair, but I remember that mom was in awe of them because they could speak so very many languages). I also remember standing on the steps in front of the hotel with a boy (also living at the hotel just then) who was half a head taller than I, discussing how cool it would be if we could go up to those clouds and stand on them.
* Swimming in the ocean--dad took me out to the deep water (chest deep on him) and held me up so I could "walk on the waves".
* The boxes of our stuff being delivered in the brick courtyard at our house, and happily pulling out from the box a yellow stuffed animal (a bird with a wind-up music box in it) that I had missed (and which I don't remember having at any other place we lived after).
* Standing in the hallway while Dad explained to me that Mom and Beth were going to go to Michigan to visit Aunt Barbara for a while, and did I want to go too, or did I want to stay with him? (Given that the trip turned out to have been a permanent separation of my parents, I have often wondered what would have happened if I had said I wanted to stay with him instead of going to play with the cousins whose company I had enjoyed the year or so before when we last visited, when Grandpa died.)
That's it. If there was any sightseeing or tourist attractions they didn't make long term memory (because I wouldn't have understood them?)
My only clear memories of our time there are:
* The hotel we stayed while we were waiting for a house (or apartment?) of own and the couple from Bangladesh who were performing there (a magician and a dancer—she had the most amazing long black hair, but I remember that mom was in awe of them because they could speak so very many languages). I also remember standing on the steps in front of the hotel with a boy (also living at the hotel just then) who was half a head taller than I, discussing how cool it would be if we could go up to those clouds and stand on them.
* Swimming in the ocean--dad took me out to the deep water (chest deep on him) and held me up so I could "walk on the waves".
* The boxes of our stuff being delivered in the brick courtyard at our house, and happily pulling out from the box a yellow stuffed animal (a bird with a wind-up music box in it) that I had missed (and which I don't remember having at any other place we lived after).
* Standing in the hallway while Dad explained to me that Mom and Beth were going to go to Michigan to visit Aunt Barbara for a while, and did I want to go too, or did I want to stay with him? (Given that the trip turned out to have been a permanent separation of my parents, I have often wondered what would have happened if I had said I wanted to stay with him instead of going to play with the cousins whose company I had enjoyed the year or so before when we last visited, when Grandpa died.)
That's it. If there was any sightseeing or tourist attractions they didn't make long term memory (because I wouldn't have understood them?)
