CHANIA, TOO, HAS A VENETIAN PAST. And Roman, Genoese, Turkish, Egyptian and even German, from when Nazi paratroops occupied Chania during WW II. We are using the Christina Hotel Chania as a base to explore the western part of the island with no real destinations in mind. This place has everything — wifi, heat, both BBC and CNN, a real shower and a kitchenette — plus a view of the Med.
Lighthouse and mosque, Chania
I was able to combine two of my limited talents — a knowledge of the Greek alphabet from my short fraternity days (TKE, Rutgers) and mountain driving skills — to negotiate the twisty roads out of town. Even though the speed limit is 90 KPH, 50 was about our max so it took a while, stopping as we did for photos of quaint villages, Ottoman churches and the on-going olive harvest. Our GPS doesn’t seem to recognize the names of the villages (nor did we) so we had to rely on road signs but we eventually arrived at the wind-blown hippy windsurfing haven of Palaiochora.
Old woman Fruits of their labors
We had no intention of hiking 18 km trail through the Samaria Gorge, even if it hadn’t been buried under snow. But the scenery made the long drive worthwhile, nevertheless. It was strange to have lunch in the snow and return to Chania to see chubby women in bathing caps swimming in the sea.
