We had a full day but tomorrow will even be busier. The typical schedule was changed due the Easter Holiday and that is okay with us because nothing was dismissed from our trip, just rearranged. Tomorrow will be "extra" full but we will rest the next day when others leave Athens. But today it is CRETE - Just 26 kilometers from the African Continent.
Today we left the hotel at 8:30a for our day trip to Chania. It was a three hour drive but most of it was along the coast and we saw a lot of beautiful things along the way. There were snow covered mountains, sandy beaches, goats, sheep, and a plethora of villages, farms, olive orchards, fruit orchards, resorts, and homes to marvel at.
The White Mountain Range or Lefka Ori
The Tallest Mountain in Crete, Psiloritis
Goats of Crete Statue
The first stop in Chania was the Municipal Market housed in a very old and distinguished building. There is just about anything you can think of wanting in there from baby clothing, kitchen ware, leather goods, Crete knives, salted fish, spices, herbs, cheeses, even fresh meat - a rabbit skinned with just the back paw fur left on ... not used to seeing that ... Thumper? Well the list goes on ... Let's not forget the boot maker who goes to work every day at age 87! One little impressive thing is the Fesi, the Traditional hat the National Guard wear here. We also saw these balconies made with shutters with somewhat wider slats. This was a vantage point to watch what was happening from the homes so if you needed to escape during the occupation you would have a head start.
87-year-old Boot Maker
Say Cheese!
Fort Wall Made From Ancient Ruins
We briefly walked through the Market then continued our orientation tour. We stopped at church sites including a Synagogue where our guide told us the horrendous story of the Jews who were living in Crete during WWII. In 1944 the Germans attacked and 1,800 children were killed. There were 2000 British soldiers who died trying to protect Crete. The Germans never occupied Crete, though they made a great effort to do so. The remainder of the Jews had 45 minutes to show up in the town square with all their gold and money, etc. At that time they were loaded on a German boat to be sent to the camps. However, the allies saw the German boat and it was bombed and all aboard perished. One more story of the hate-filled era of Hitler. We saw the Orthodox Cathedral where a large funeral was taking place so we could not go in, and the cozy Catholic Church where no talking is allowed. Most impressive to me was another tiny Christian church where the Christians came to pray during Turkish occupation of Crete. Such thoughts of the past run through your mind when you look at the worn stairs and humble structure.
Small Christian Church
Outside the Church
Just before our lunch stop we went to an old Mosque called Janissaries in this lovely Venetian port of Chania. Katarina our guide sang us a lovely song where the acoustics were outstanding. She has a beautiful voice, it was quite moving. Next was our lunch overlooking the Venetian Harbor. We were served family style: Bread, Cretan "salad" which is sort of like bruschetta with thicker bread, cheese, and tomato, herb pie like an empanada with greens for a filling. Greek salad, a pork dish that had mushrooms, potatoes, onion, and red peppers, then a grilled chicken dish with fried potatoes, and lastly a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a piece of "spoon sweets" which was like a wedge of baked apple.
Our Lunch View
After lunch we had our free time in the area with a meeting point back at the bus by 4p with arrival back at our hotel by 7p. John and I walked around a bit and got a few items shipped back to us for some of the family for Christmas. (a secret). I got a little tote bag with olives on it, some spices, and a few other little things. We were all back to the bus almost on time for a change! We made it back to the hotel just before 7p. We already decided we would have pizza at the place right next to the hotel. That was quick and we need to get packed tonight as we FLY back to Athens tomorrow after an excursion. As I said above, it will be a full day.
Dinner
Did I say there are several ladies with very bad colds and coughs on this tour. So far we have escaped catching it, though I am not sure how! We are popping a lot of On-Guard and steering clear of the coughers as much as possible.
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