Luca Dan Șerbănați at the baccalaureate, 1961
Luca Dan Șerbănați in the early 1970s
Luca Dan Șerbănați giving his last fifth-year lecture, April 1989

Luca Dan Șerbănați

Emeritus Professor at Politehnica University of Bucharest

Research, teaching, industry and memoirs

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Luca Dan Șerbănați in Venice, 1990
Luca Dan Șerbănați in New York, 2005
Luca Dan Șerbănați

Crete – IHIC 2008, between the sea and Knossos

Anissaras, Hersonissos and Heraklion, October 2008

Knossos · Travels · Memoirs

A conference in Crete

In October 2008 I travelled from Italy to Crete for the ninth International HL7 Interoperability Conference, IHIC 2008. Held from 8 to 11 October, the conference was hosted at Knossos Royal Village, a vast hotel complex in Anissaras, a few kilometres from Hersonissos. The professional trip was also to bring me several unexpected encounters with the island: the sea, a sudden and severe illness, the city of Heraklion and, above all, the palace at Knossos.

I attended the conference with two colleagues from Italy, Gregorio Mercurio and Angelo Rossi Mori. Gregorio had also brought his four-year-old son; I no longer remember whether his wife accompanied them as well.

I had two papers at the conference: LuMiR: A Region-wide Virtual Longitudinal EHR and Supporting Continuity of Care with a Virtual Electronic Health Record. They emerged from two different collaborative settings and showed that my interest in the virtual health record extended beyond the boundaries of a single project or a single country.

From Heraklion to the sea

I arrived by plane in Heraklion. A bus was waiting at the airport to take us to the hotel. The road was interesting: it ran among low, arid hills with sparse vegetation. From time to time, the sea appeared on our left. In the distance we could see a mountain massif that we were told was Mount Ida, associated with the mythical childhood of Zeus.

Legend has it that Zeus was hidden in a cave so that he would not be swallowed by his father, Cronus — Saturn in Roman mythology — as his siblings had been. There he was said to have been fed by the goat Amalthea, whom a later tradition subsequently placed in the heavens. The myth gave a special meaning to the dry landscape through which we were travelling.

On the road from Heraklion airport to Anissaras: an arid landscape, with a mountain massif in the distance that we were told was Mount Ida.
Fig. 1. On the road from Heraklion airport to Anissaras: an arid landscape, with a mountain massif in the distance that we were told was Mount Ida.
The first buildings of the Aldemar Knossos Royal complex, appearing almost unexpectedly among gardens and palm trees.
Fig. 2. The first buildings of the Aldemar Knossos Royal complex, appearing almost unexpectedly among gardens and palm trees.
The resort’s low-rise buildings, arranged like a small holiday village.
Fig. 3. The resort’s low-rise buildings, arranged like a small holiday village.

A holiday town

The hotel complex suddenly appeared before us as a surprise. It was not a single hotel, but almost a self-contained settlement: low-rise buildings, villas and bungalows, paths, gardens, swimming pools, restaurants and beaches. Check-in was quick and the staff were courteous. My room was on the first floor, in a row of rooms along a path descending towards the sea.

The Russian presence in Crete was conspicuous in those years: numerous tourists, Russian heard everywhere and goods intended for that clientele. At the time, I was left with the impression that the resort might even have Russian owners. Research carried out today shows, however, that the complex belonged to the Greek Aldemar hotel group, owned by the Angelopoulos family. My impression probably arose from the resort’s strong orientation towards Russian tourists.

The palm-lined path along which the rooms were arranged, descending towards the sea.
Fig. 4. The palm-lined path along which the rooms were arranged, descending towards the sea.
One of the complex’s swimming pools, surrounded by white buildings and Mediterranean vegetation.
Fig. 8. One of the complex’s swimming pools, surrounded by white buildings and Mediterranean vegetation.
The main entrance to the hotel complex on a clear October morning.
Fig. 10. The main entrance to the hotel complex on a clear October morning.

My first swim and its consequences

The weather was splendid and the sea an irresistible blue. My first thought was to go for a swim. I left my things in the room, changed into the swimming trunks I had prudently brought with me and, in a flash, headed for the beach.

The beach in front of the hotel was narrow and sloping. That did not bother me: I ran down and plunged into the water, which was not cold at all. I began swimming out to sea, as I usually did. There were few people around. Most were on the wider beach to the left, with almost perfect sand that reminded me of Mangalia. The lifeguard station was there as well. When the lifeguard saw me appear around the tip of the headland and swim farther offshore, he began blowing his whistle insistently.

The narrow, sloping beach in front of the hotel, where I took my first swim in the Sea of Crete.
Fig. 5. The narrow, sloping beach in front of the hotel, where I took my first swim in the Sea of Crete.
The wider beach to the left of the headland, with fine sand, sun loungers and the lifeguard station.
Fig. 6. The wider beach to the left of the headland, with fine sand, sun loungers and the lifeguard station.
On the seashore, after the weather and the waves had already changed their appearance.
Fig. 7. On the seashore, after the weather and the waves had already changed their appearance.

Taken by surprise, I decided to turn back. I was swimming a relaxed front crawl when an unexpected wave struck just as I was breathing in, and I swallowed a large mouthful of water. I was not alarmed: how many such mouthfuls had I swallowed in my life? I carried on, reached the shore pleased with my swim, took a shower and dressed for my first meal at the hotel.

Lunch was excellent and remarkably plentiful, with Greek flavours that suited my stomach very well. After the meal I withdrew to my room to rest and prepare my presentation for the following day. Towards evening, however, I felt something unusual in my stomach and before long developed a digestive disorder more severe than any I could remember. I asked for help at reception, but no doctor was available nearby that evening. I could no longer go near the abundant meals, and I hardly slept during the night.

At daybreak I set off on foot along the coast towards the settlement visible in the distance — Limenas Hersonissou. At the pharmacy I asked for Imodium, which I knew could help me, but it was not available without a prescription. The pharmacist gave me something else instead. The symptoms continued to torment me for almost the entire day.

Towards evening, conversations with colleagues, hotel staff and several local residents suggested a possible explanation. Apparently, some buildings on the headland discharged insufficiently treated wastewater into the sea. I had no way of verifying the claim, and the connection was never medically confirmed, but it gave an unpleasant significance to the mouthful of water I had swallowed while swimming.

IHIC 2008

The conference was held in the complex’s dedicated conference building, a short distance from the rooms and restaurants. The event banner had been mounted on the façade. IHIC brought together the international community concerned with HL7 standards and the interoperability of health information systems. The HL7 Hellas congress was being held at the same venue, which explained the large number of Greek and international specialists in attendance.

The first paper presented LuMiR as a region-wide virtual longitudinal electronic health record and resulted from my collaboration with the Italian team. The second had been prepared with my students at FILS, including Andrei Vasilățeanu, who was later to become my assistant, and examined the use of such a record to support continuity of care.

Taken together, the two contributions revealed the transnational nature of my work on the Virtual Healthcare Record (VHR): the research carried out in Italy was directly connected with the teaching and research I continued in Bucharest. In both cases, the central issue was the transition from isolated systems to an infrastructure capable of providing a coherent, distributed view of the patient’s medical history.

The conference building; the banner of the ninth International HL7 Interoperability Conference can be seen on the façade.
Fig. 9. The conference building; the banner of the ninth International HL7 Interoperability Conference can be seen on the façade.
In the hotel restaurant, where generous meals and Greek cuisine were part of the resort’s hospitality.
Fig. 11. In the hotel restaurant, where generous meals and Greek cuisine were part of the resort’s hospitality.
Gregorio Mercurio with his four-year-old son in the hotel restaurant.
Fig. 12. Gregorio Mercurio with his four-year-old son in the hotel restaurant.

The resort effortlessly combined the professional programme with holiday life. After the sessions, participants met in the restaurants or around the swimming pools. One evening, a programme of traditional Cretan music and costumes was also organised.

An evening of traditional music and costumes organised for the guests of the complex.
Fig. 13. An evening of traditional music and costumes organised for the guests of the complex.
The main swimming pool illuminated at night, the peaceful image with which the resort ended its days.
Fig. 21. The main swimming pool illuminated at night, the peaceful image with which the resort ended its days.

Knossos and Heraklion

On the morning of 11 October I visited the palace at Knossos. It was a direct encounter with the Minoan world, but also with the bold reconstruction through which Arthur Evans made the site easier to imagine and, at the same time, more difficult to separate from his own interpretations.

A page devoted to the archaeological site

Photographs and the full account of the visit can be found on the page Knossos – between myth, archaeology and reconstruction.

After Knossos I also passed through Heraklion. Among the city’s buildings one can still find traces of the long period of Venetian rule over Crete. The Loggia, built in old Candia as a meeting place for the city’s nobles and rulers, now houses the town hall.

The inner courtyard of the Venetian Loggia in Heraklion, now the town hall.
Fig. 14. The inner courtyard of the Venetian Loggia in Heraklion, now the town hall.
The arcades of the Venetian Loggia, one of the representative buildings of old Candia.
Fig. 15. The arcades of the Venetian Loggia, one of the representative buildings of old Candia.

Hersonissos and the final days

Limenas Hersonissou, the modern port of Hersonissos, lay a few kilometres from the complex. The small harbour, promenade and row of terraces contrasted with the resort’s elegant seclusion. From the surrounding heights there was a broad view of the coast, with the mountains descending towards the sea.

The small harbour at Limenas Hersonissou, a settlement a few kilometres from the resort.
Fig. 16. The small harbour at Limenas Hersonissou, a settlement a few kilometres from the resort.
The promenade at Limenas Hersonissou, between the harbour, terraces and waterfront buildings.
Fig. 17. The promenade at Limenas Hersonissou, between the harbour, terraces and waterfront buildings.
The coast towards Hersonissos seen from above, with the mountains descending towards the sea.
Fig. 18. The coast towards Hersonissos seen from above, with the mountains descending towards the sea.

The weather did not remain clear throughout the stay. The sea grew rough, the waves began striking the shore and the light changed from one hour to the next. It is precisely this alternation that remained in the photographs: the calm blue of the first day, the approaching storm and the sun descending through the clouds.

The rough sea on one of the following days, with waves striking the rocky shore.
Fig. 19. The rough sea on one of the following days, with waves striking the rocky shore.
The sun descending through the clouds above the sea.
Fig. 20. The sun descending through the clouds above the sea.

In the evening, the complex regained its tranquillity. The illuminated pools, palm trees and white buildings formed the almost unreal setting of a journey in which the conference, mythology and an unpleasant incident had become inseparably intertwined. Crete remained in my memory through this contrast: the beauty of the sea and the landscape, the hotel’s hospitality, the ancient world of Knossos and the traveller’s unexpected vulnerability in the face of a single wave.

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