This post is part of our adventures in Greece in September and October of 2013. To see other posts in the series, click here.
Chania, Crete is not nearly as well known as Athens – or even the other more famous Greek Islands of Mykonos or Santorini. Chania is a beach town, known for a beautiful harbor, a mosque and a tangle of streets that draw you in with restaurants and sweets and vendors. Crete is the cradle of civilization, home to the Minoan ruins which are even more ancient than the temples we had seen the previous day. We would see ruins the next day, but first, Chania itself.
We woke to a beautiful morning overlooking the sea.
After a long walk to enjoy the fresh air and sand between our toes, we headed out to explore the town. The town is situated on a harbor which is surrounded by restaurants overlooking the water. There was a breaker protecting the harbor that curled out into the water where I would guess there had been a fort or perhaps a guard post.
We wandered until we found lunch. After lunch we checked out a maritime museum with exhibits on making rope and filling holes.
We then walked all the way to the end of the breaker – a long walk under the pounding sun but worth it for the incredible views.
Finally we had some frozen yogurt – mine with peaches and honey and then wandered back to the hotel to watch the sunset. The owner of the yogurt shop was extremely friendly – even insisting that we not pay until we finished the yogurt and making sure it was up to snuff.
Sunset over we returned to the town and found a restaurant where we could view the lights of the harbor and eat seafood.
The next day we would take a bus to the capitol and see ancient ruins, but for that day we were happy being beach tourists under starry skies.
Both of us agreed that Chania had caught us under her spell.
Have you visited a less famous town during a trip and had it enchant you? Those are the places that you talk about first, before the ones that everyone recognizes, the secret that you want to share – or go back to. Crete was that for us.