What happened??

We just got back from a 12-day trip to the south of Crete, and find ourselves to come home to what seems a different world.
First of all, we didn't even know if we were gonna get home at all due to a general strike in all the public transportation systems (amongst other companies and organisations). We also didn't have tickets to come back, even though I did get a confirmation and everything was paid for. Yep, I had the tickets to go there, but not the ones to come back. We knew this was gonna be trouble at the airport in Crete, but we got there early enough to beat the crowds so they had time to sort it all out.
The financial crisis is taking on proportions beyond belief. While we were gone, our number one bank got into so much trouble that only a government intervention and selling most of it to another bank could save it. Pheww! Maybe I should go and clear my account there? I really don't know what to do, coz there is no telling what the other banks will face. Moving it to another bank sounds just as dangerous as leaving it where it is now.

We try to follow the presidential debates from the US, especially when they're talking about the economic & financial situation of the country and international positioning. Like it or not, the US has a big influence on most other countries worldwide and their economic situation. Import and export are big issues for us europeans, so it's important to know where the candidates stand.

Being in the south of Crete is like being on another planet. Some of the news trinkles through, but mostly, you can be oblivious to what's happening in other parts of the world if you really want to. That's what vacation is all about for us. Forget all the worries, the trouble, etc. and just enjoy the good life down there. :-))
We had some friends from the US join us this time and she's a beader and mixed media artist too so we went looking for interesting items to use. Good grief, she could spot beads a mile away! Too bad we didn't find any really interesting ones. I've been looking for years for the "lucky eye" beads to ward off evil, but so far have found nothing but plastic ones. Wish someone would make really nice glass ones in different sizes for a reasonable price....
We went on little trips to some remote beaches (we drove there, the men walked to some), had a whale of a time swimming (yes, pun intended...LOL), had a great greek lunch at a local primitive beach bar and went hunting for some nice beach stones. I came home with a bunch of them to get me through winter. It'll be fun working on some more Cretan Beach Stone Pendants and remembering the good time we had there when the weather turns dark and cold here. :-))

Yesterday we went to get our kitties from the cat hotel. We've been going there for 11 years now and they too miss the kitty we lost in April. But for the new kitten, it was a new experience. Well, for the owners it was a new experience too. No cat ever broke out of the cages, but our kitten managed to do just that. Of course. The lady owner nearly had a heart attack when she discovered that! The kitten disappeared for 4 days, the owners tore up the whole place to find her, but she was hidden pretty well. They found her hiding under the roof tiles, but she still didn't want to come out. They were ready to have a company come over to get her out of there, when she finally felt hungry enough to sneak back into the cage behind their back. Our other kitty sat in the cage waiting patiently to see how this all would end. Guess she knew she didn't have to worry about the little one getting out and lost. She must have known where she was and that she'd come back. I'm sure this ordeal has cost the owners 10 years of their lives!! LOL
Believe it or not, the kitten is purring on my lap right now, and looking very innocent. How can we be mad at a little one that looks so cute??? Aaaahhh, at least she's back, and all is well again. Pheww!!
I'm sure next time we call the cat hotel they'll say "we're full, so sorry"..... I wouldn't blame them.... LOL

Hugs,
Wezz