Sometimes it takes a combination of elements to bring out the best in a place, a person or a task.
Cania seems to bring the three elements of Greek: Xania, Ottoman Turkish: Hanya and Venetian: Canea to create the superb town of Chania.
We ate in wonderful restaurants, walked Venetian fortresses, visited the mosques and the churches. One Venetian palazzo was roofless but housed a quirky restaurant with trees growing in the midst of the tables. The streets are narrow and winding, reminding us that a narrow windy path is easier to defend against pirates. Pirates like the dreaded Barbarossa had a cave full of followers and ships not far away.
We walked the Venetian Breakwater, that was full of fisherman, families taking walks out to the lighthouse and a film crew filming a soap opera or ad.
The town was so beautiful that we weren’t without cameras in our hands.
Barbara, wisely, decided to return home from Chania rather than sail to Kythera with us. So far we haven’t seen a ferry. We had a wonderful dinner one street back from the waterfront.
The sunset was wonderful and James left the boat to go and take this photo of the Venetian Lighthouse.
Chania gave us a warm welcome and I can forsee a visit to Crete without a yacht to walks its gorges and canyons and see the middle and southern part of the island.