|
When Arjan Schriek and Menno Hommers
decided life was too short to spend it living in a country with a bad
climate doing jobs they didn't like, they packed up a few personal
belongings, grabbed their dog Ziggy, and headed for Analipsi.
Like many other new
arrivals to Crete, Menno and Arjan left most of their material possessions
behind in their native Holland. However, in their case the "possessions"
weren't only a bedroom set, television and stereo.
"We left a Buick
Riviera, a Ford Thunderbird, a Mercedes SLC 350 and a Ford Galaxy," Menno
said, sounding like a used car dealer checking his inventory. "But, we saved
the best of the lot for the trip over here."
The "best" is a
classic red 1966 Dodge Dart convertible, which draws admiring glances
whenever it rolls down the main drag in Analipsi.
"We've always been
classic car collectors," Arjan said. "We find old cars and fix them up –
well, Menno fixes them and I try not to turn them to wrecks again."
Arjan and Menno first
manoeuvred the big Dodge onto Cretan streets this past May, travelling from
their home in Terneuzen, Holland, after deciding to move to Analipsi.
Although they had
been coming to Crete for several years on holidays, they weren't 100 percent
sure that this would be their final destination. In fact, Analipsi had some
pretty stiff competition.
"We checked out other
places – like the south of France and Tuscany – but we kept coming back to
Analipsi," Menno said. "There's something magical about the place."
When they first
started planning their new life, Menno, an electrical worker, and Arjan, an
administrator, agreed on a career move which would put them into closer
contact with people. They chose to open a snack bar-café.
Upon arrival in
Analipsi, they immediately found a suitable location on the main road
leading to the beach – a former English bar. They added a kitchen,
re-designed the main room, slapped on a new paintjob, added several new
features, designed a new international snack menu and the Ziggy Lunch Café
was created.
"Everyone always
commented that the name of our dog, a female Jack Russell, was unique,"
Arjan said, "so we decided to name the café after her."
|
Ziggy (the café, not
the dog) features a menu which includes large hamburgers with a variety of
combinations, specially-created fresh sandwiches, several types of fresh
salads and a number of special Dutch snacks. Also, the regular menu is
supplemented by daily specials, featuring classic dishes from France,
Greece, Holland and several other countries.
During the season,
the café is open every day, which doesn't allow Arjan and Menno much time to
pursue their hobby – collecting classic cars. But the winter, well, that's
another story.
"Beginning December
21, we'll be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday," Menno said. "So that
will give us the rest of the week to start looking for old cars to
refinish."
They've already
joined the Classic Car Club of Iraklion and registered the Dodge Dart as a
classic car, which entitles them to special numbered plates.
"It means we can only
drive the Dodge on Sundays, or to and from rallies and club meetings, but we
have another, smaller car for everyday," Arjan explained. "And, now we're
really looking forward to driving the Dodge in the next rally."
It seems whatever Arjan and Menno do,
whether with cafes or cars, they do it in a classic style.
Arjan
(left) and Menno,
a couple of guys with classic moves
|
