The Evocative Chania

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Snow clad mountains and Greece. The ignorant me wasn't expecting that.  And that is what we saw at a distance from the old port of city of Chania. The harbor is a mesmerizing sight. A walk back in time reminiscent of Venetian and Turkish architecture is a pretty sight to a tired traveler. The soothing walk along the many boutique hotels and restaurants that dot the port is just what the doctor will order. The light house at the mouth of the Venetian harbor was built in 16th century and is as photogenic as a light house can get. The cherry on top of this town was the white mountains or Lefka ori. It is a popular place  for the adventurous. For time bound traveler like me, it was sight to be experience from a distance and nothing more.






Old port Of Hania/Chania

 One of the  two things one must absolutely do in Chania is go on drives through the mountains across the many gorges. The traffic is calm and easy. The roads are dotted with flowering plants and quaint little mountain villages and towns with their byzantine or Venetian churches. The green landscape with winding roads is reminiscent of the drives through the Himalayas but on a smaller scale. The second thing on the must do list is go on a gastronomical journey. Greece's largest Island is fertile rich isle . The local produce is fresh and straight out of the descriptions commonly used on master chef. We had the most scrumptious local dinner and of course how can one forget the olives and local wine . It is also the place for the Cretan Thyme honey. A must have, even for those who are indifferent to the food journeys. Most of our souvenir food shopping was done in the lovely little traditional village of Elos. The village is surrounded by olive grooves and chestnut trees. The few stone house, sprinkling of locals, a mountain water canal and churches like the one of St John the Theologian reinforced  my love for travelling.


The drive 
The popular spots around chania happen to be the cave of Agia Sofia and Elafonissi beach.  The Stalactites and the stalagmites in the cave are impressive and provide many photo opportunities. Elafonissi beach a lagoon with white and pink sand and shallow turquoise water is perfect place to laze around.

 Cave of Agia Sofia


 The Pink beach of Elafonissi
 Church Of St John, Elos Village


After the multiple stopovers at many location, we were finally ready to say goodbye to the island of Crete. And i was finally boarding a ferry and spending the night in open sea for the very first time in my life. I was super excited about the 12 deck ferry ride from new port of Chania to Piraeus. The over night stay on land at Hotel Kydon , Chania felt insignificant compared to this ride. The dinner and breakfast on board, the tiny little cabins with even more smaller bathrooms , rolling and rocking of the rough sea that night, the cranking and crackling of unknown metal interactions , all of it made it a memorable night at sea!

May 2017
Chania, Greece

The Travel Connection: Local Produce, no Doubt!!
Tip: Local food Local Food and Local food

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