May 21, 2009
Excitement was high at the Sissy Village yesterday as we readied for an evening with the Canadian Ambassador plus other dignitaries and supporters of the program. Dr. Cat’s planning and diplomatic negotiations had been going on for weeks and I further ramped up the excitement with a pizza meeting on Tuesday night at Bella Pizza where we briefed everyone on the evening’s program, guest list, what to wear (or not to wear), how to address an ambassador, what not to do, say etc.
In addition to the ambassador, our guest list included archeologists, cultural dignitaries from Chania, one of the city’s deputy mayors, media and representatives from the Technical University of Crete, our host institution. Dr. Cat and I met with the Ambassador and her entourage at KAM an architectural delight in the heart of Chania and the site of an exhibition of the works of Alberta painter, Doug Haynes which will be curated by Dr. Cat in 2010. Doug Haynes was also with us and while we waited for the ambassador to arrive (after all the discussions about schedules and timing, the ambassador’s driver got hopelessly lost and arrived 40 minutes late) he and I watched the world go by and everyone else’s stress level mount. The KAM tour and gift exchange truncated, we returned to the Sissy Hotel where our students were dressed in their best clothes and ready to board the bus.
The event was held at the Manousakis Estate and winery in Vatolokas where they produce some of the loveliest boutique wines on Crete. Our bus couldn’t negotiate the road to the winery so we left it at the village square and walked through a lush and lovely valley for the final kilometer to the estate. Many puzzled villagers watched us pass by and quite a few young men followed us for part of the way curious and very interested in our young women. The estate winery cellar is in the old farm building and Kostis, the wine maker, gave our students a lesson on how to make wine whilst surrounded by over 80 casks of their signature wine. Finished with the lesson, the students received a welcoming glass of 2008 pink wine. I’m not sure what enthralled the students more,Kostis, the wine, the cellar casks, the grove of orange, lemon, olive and pomegranate trees outside the door or the litter of squiggling puppies under the trees!
Soon the Ambassador (and entourage comprised of commercial, defense, political and cultural attaches) arrived and after introductions and photos, we proceeded to the patio of the estate home where tables were ready for our meal. The only way to describe the setting is to tell you to think of the ‘Mamma Mia’ movie with an orchard instead of the ocean over the patio edge. A five course dinner had been prepared by a local tavern and Nostos paired five wines to go with the boureki pies, goat, horta(local steamed weeds), lamb and veggies. To finish it all off we had lemon tarts and a birthday cake for Shaista and Jamin and of course, raki. In addition to comments from the Ambassador, toasts to our guests (Dr. Cat), the program supporters (Fauve Strachan), cooks and winery (Darren Hopkins) and the traditional one to Mr. Seymour Schulich (Dr. Lynne) were given and lots of wine was enjoyed by all. All of our guests enjoyed meeting the students who were fantastic – high spirited, lively and wonderfully well-behaved! Between the wine, food, atmosphere and heavenly fragrance of the orchard it was another truly memorable night for us all. Yassos!