Buy, Keep, Give away...

People buy things all the time, but before holidays, it becomes madness.  The good news is that the urge to buy  can be controlled just like the urge to overeat.  People, however, seem more interested in controlling things they cannot control, like the weather, for instance.

Those who do not participate in the shopping race will say, 'Hey! what do you need all this stuff for; remember, you'll take nothing with you when you leave this world'. True, though it wasn't entirely so in antiquity, and that reminds me of the archeological museum in Heraklion (Crete greek island).

entrance to the Archeological Museum in Heraklion (2016)

Heraklion has one of the finest archeological museums in Europe (it's a Must when visiting the island). At the museum, my attention was caught by the display of a great variety of personal belongings and tools found in people's graves. Also decorations and worship figurines. The ancient Cretans actually believed they'll need all this stuff in afterlife, and demanded to be burried with them.

miniature works of ivory, gold, semiprecious stones

figurines

daggers

jewelery

Back to our modern times .
Over the years, following decluttering, many accumulated items will be discarded, donated, sold   by the owners or their heirs ( the latter will usually concentrate first on what can be turned into some profit: house, art, jewelery).

Apropo heirs - Inheritance might cause them a lot of 'headache' about what to keep and what to give away or sell . Some inherit "overloaded" houses, others, houses with few possessions. In both cases they have doubts as to what to keep and what to dispose of.
I think perhaps parents can make it easy for them by leaving clear instructions or...clear houses.

A friend of mine  whom I've always known as a dedicated daughter, discarded or sold after her mother's passing, even items that had sentimental value.
That was not like her at all and, I was rather surprised (she had also offered me some items).  When I asked her why, she blamed it on pressure from what she called ,'her insensitive husband', who favored only space and money.  I believed her, and yet, I was disappointed in her. 

I thought it was not fair to the memory of her Mom (single mother, divorced after only five years of marriage) who worked  hard  to achieve all those things left behind .

Regards from Heraklion

I'm back from a visit to Heraklio , the capital of the greek island of Crete, the birthplace of El Greko (the painter) and Nikos Kazantzakis( the writer; remember Zorba the Greek?).

The city has an airport (the second largest in Greece), and an impressive port with a venetian fortress named Koules which is quite an attraction for the whole family.

Fortress of Koules

The heart of the town comprises two major squares: the Lion Fountain Square with the 1866 market street on one side, and  the  25 August street which goes down to the port on the other side, and the Elephteria (Liberty) Square  with the famous archeological museum behind it. The cafes and eateries in the area are full at all hours of the day, both with tourists and locals.

Lion fountain

Lion fountain in the early evening hours

central market (str. 1866)

campaign for helping sick pets in the Liberty Square

Liberty Square monument

I enjoyed  sitting  on a bench in the pedestrian 25 August street for the breeze that came from the sea and caressed my face. but more so for the amazing sight from this street, of the sea with its two distinct colors: deep blue and blue-vert.

deep blue and blue-vert colors of the sea

On my second day in town, I discovered a place called The Chop which sells for only 2.80 euros a souvlaki (greek fast food consisting of meat grilled on a skewer) with a huge portion of hot chips, slices of tomatoe and whatever addition you fancy - all in a warmed soft bread - a real bargain! You can sit there with your meal and a bottle of sparkling mineral water, or take away. I did both.

At the cafe, in the  evening , after coming back from my tours, I usually ordered a bougatsa ( greek dessert - phyllo pastry with filling) with a capuccino,  or a crepe (thin pancake) with a scoop of banana ice cream filling.  If I add all this to the feta cheese and croissantes of the breakfast at the hotel, no wonder I gained 3 pounds to my weight.

people  and pets at the cafe

Heraklion was my basis for the excursions to Knossos, (5 Km southeast of Heraklion - considered the oldest city in Europe, the craddle of the Minoan civilization), and to the islet of Spinalonga known for the last leper colony in Europe. 
I'll elaborate on these topics in my next posts.