A Week in Chania Where do I begin? It's Sunday morning.

A week ago I was spending my first few ho urs in Chania, Crete after an all night ferry trip on the ANEK lines Elyros, a b ig new and beautiful ferry that left Pireaus at 9am and arrived in Souda Bay, th e port of Chania at 5:30am while it was still dark. You probably won't believe t his but I woke up a couple hours earlier and went up on the deck where I could s ee the lights of Crete in the distance. I could smell olive oil. It was the smel l of olive presses, a scent I am familiar with and I was not imagining it. Ten m iles out at sea I was smelling the olive oil factories of Crete. It was somethin g of an epiphany like when you hear for the first time that radio waves and ligh t just keep going on and on into infinity. Crete was sending out waves of olive oil scent. It was not such an epiphany that I remembered to tell Andrea about it , in fact I forgot about it until I sat down to write this, and an hour later I was driving my Suzuki Grand Vitara off the giant ferry and into the night that s hould have been morning. Having a car in Crete is essential, unless you just plan to lay out on the beach by your hotel, basking in the sun and waiting for mealtime and drinking hour, w hich probably a majority of the tourists who come here do. But for those who don 't rent a car or hire a taxi to drive them around, they are missing the things t hat have inspired travelers who have written about the island for the last few c enturies. Most people have this image of Crete in their minds of colorful dolphi n wall paintings and ruins of red and brown stones, beaches with palm trees and old men in riding boots. But Crete is a huge island and could easily be its own country, separate from Greece. There are cities with apartment buildings, factor ies, supermarkets and shops, with traffic that can make you feel like you are in Athens at times. There are mountains with snow covered peaks, and hidden valley s of farms and citrus orchards, rivers and streams and agricultural villages tha t welcome the few tourists that visit the local tavernas and cafes, but don't re ly on them. With hundreds of miles of coastline there are beaches of all types, from long umbrella-filled to small coves that can only be reached by dirt roads and footpaths. There are giant modern resort hotels on the beach, and small pens ions and campgrounds, while in between are hotels, rooms, apartments and villas of every size, shape and category, in towns, cities, villages and some out in th e middle of nowhere. There are golf courses and mini golf, scuba diving centers, hiking trails and caves to explore, beach sports and meditation and yoga ashram s, churches and monasteries. In the cities and towns there are restaurants, cafe s, bars, discos and clubs to hear traditional Cretan music and good old rock and roll. You can't see all of Crete in one trip. We spent a week in Chania and my thingsto-do-list kept getting bigger though my days were filled to the brim and at tim es I felt like I had become one with the Suzuki and it all began in that first m agical hour or so of our arrival in Chania when I probably took a hundred of the several thousand photos that I would take in the course of my one week adventur e. I planned to sit down and write about my experiences every night but there wa s really no time to do anything but explore, and then come home to our hotel, sh ower and go out for tsikoudia and dinner with our new pal Nikos, owner of the Ho tel Ammos, who introduced us to his friends, fellow hotel owners, restaurants, a nd made sure we did not miss the important spots of which there were many that w e visited and some that we did not have enough hours of daylight to see. While w e explored Chania and the villages, monasteries, mountains, valleys, rivers, str eams and beaches of Western Crete, Nikos spent his days working to get his hotel open by Easter, meeting us at night for dinner in some favorite restaurant of h is and by the end of the trip he would announce that he was taking a night off f rom the eating, drinking and conversation that is required of our friends, for a quiet night at home to recover. But then I would hear the beep-beep of my phone that told me I had an SMS message and it was Nikos, asking us where we felt lik e going tonight.

We spent our first few days at the Porto Veneziano, courtesy of our friend Georg e of Fantasy Travel who put us in a suite on the top floor with a view of the ol d harbor (photo) and much of the Venetian warehouse district of the old town, wh ich have now been turned into fish restaurants, bars, cafes and cultural centers . The hotel was formerly a Best Western and is one of the few modern buildings i n the old port. For our purposes it was the best place to stay, mainly because i t was the end of March, beginning of April and we were not going to do much swim ming so there was no reason to stay on the beach. There was a large public parki ng lot in the area behind the hotel, probably a neighborhood or factories that h ad been blasted to smithereens by German bombs in WW2, but we never really had t o use it because in the off season there was a nice little spot right in front o f the hotel in the marina. The hotel had a cafe-bar with tables and chairs right on the waterfront and a small garden in the back where you could sit if you wer e tired of boats and sea. Some of the best seafood restaurants were right below us on the waterfront and on a small street called Salpidonas were a number of ca fe-bars playing pop and rock music and a small cafeneon at the far end that was more traditional where the local koukloforema and young hipsters would gather ev ery night. I can only imagine what the street is like in the summer. Our first day Nikos called me on my cell and came to meet us at the hotel. I had never met him in person, we had just communicated by e-mail but he was a friend of a friend and pretty much of a kindred spirit. We drove out of town for lunch to the small village of Afrata on the Rodopou peninsula west of Chania, to a li ttle traditional restaurant called H Kali Kardia (The Good Heart) run by an old man and his wife who made everything in their traditional kitchen. On the way we stopped to see the renovations at the Hotel Ammos. Nikos spends much of the mon ey the hotel takes in on improving it each year. Not that it needed much improve ment but he is the type that sees his hotel as a work of art that must be perfec ted. This year he had added a fish pond to go with the swimming pool, and was up grading the decor of the rooms. The hotel is one of the few that is right on the beach. You can walk into the old town of Chania in 45 minutes along the shore w hich Nikos does nearly every day to keep in shape or to go to the community pool when it is too cold to swim in the sea. After lunch we drove half way to Rethym non to the area called Apokoronas, a rich agricultural area of small towns, farm s, forests and a spiderweb of rivers and streams, to his friend Manoucho's beau tiful old farm house which overlooked the valley, where he had a large studio fi lled with his ceramic work and a dozen or so well fed cats to keep him company w hen friends are not dropping by to visit. Manouchos took one look at me with my eyelids drooping and put me in the guest bedroom where I slept for twenty minute s and woke up refreshed and ready for more fun. We also visited ancient Aptera a nd the Venizelos graves overlooking the city of Chania from the Akrotiri peninsu la(photo). Nikos dropped us off at the hotel where we showered and a couple hour s later met him at the Neoria Fish Taverna, conveniently located a half a block from our hotel where we drank tsikoudia, and ate grilled fish and local greens a nd home-made white taramasalata until we decided to call it a day. So my impressions of Chania after an absence of around 35 years? My first though ts were "What the $%&#@ am I doing in Athens?" Chania is a modern cosmopolitan c ity but unlike Athens, which has had periods where it was all but deserted, it h as been continuously inhabited since Minoan times. Let me write that again so yo u think about it. Chania has been continuously inhabited since Minoan times. In other words for at least 5000 years people have been living in this city, one ci vilization following another from Minoan, to Mycenaean, to Hellenistic, Roman, B yzantine, Venetian, Turkish all the way up to its present day inhabitants some o f whom share the blood of all these groups. Yes, there could be Minoans walking around the streets of Chania. Unlike Athens which lay dormant for centuries and basically began again from scratch in the mid 19th century, Chania has had a flo urishing culture and in the 18th century was an international center of commerce . Imagine what Alexandria and Smyrna would have been like had the nationalism of

Attaturk and the Arabism of Nassar not caused the eviction of the multi-nationa ls who lived in those cities and you have Chania, a town with a sophistication t hat would allow them to view Athens as somewhat provincial. And what justifies t hat view better than the fact that Eleftherios Venizelos, who went to Athens as a member of the Greek parliament in 1912 when Crete was still a semi-autonomous state, and became within a few years the greatest Prime Minister in Modern Greek history, and one of the most important personalities of 20th century Europe? By the second day we were looking at the photos in the many real estate offices, trying to figure out how we could live here. And we still had a week to go. One thing was certain though. My plans to start with Chania and explore as much of Crete as I could would have to be altered. We barely scratched the surface of Ch ania and Western Crete in the week we spent there. Had the Friday night ferry no t been full with Cretan high school kids going to Athens for the annual Easter f ield trip (Athens high school kids come to Chania) we would not have left the re gion at all. As it turned out we visited Rethymnon for an hour or so and then dr ove to Iraklion for dinner with Lefteris the Taxi Driver who is to Crete as Geor ge the Famous Taxi Driver is to Athens, and then got on the midnight Superfast F erry which got us back into Athens at 6am. So now I sit here with thousands of p hotos, brochures, business cards, local guidebooks, maps, and little bits of pap er that I have to somehow put together in a website that does justice to the isl and of Crete, which my current page does not. It seems like an insurmountable ta sk. But at least with what I have written here, I have started it. You will want to have a guidebook. They will go into much more detail than I wil l be able to. Our hotel, the Porto Veneziano gave us a free guidebook put out by the city called Hania and for those who want to save money a free guidebook is worth at least a meal or two. If you can find a copy of the pamphlet Fenny's Han ia, written by the late great Tony Fennymore who loved Chania, that's all you wi ll need to explore the old city. For venturing further out you will need somethi ng like the Mediterraneo Editions Chania: The City and Prefecture which has a lo t of pictures and is similar to the DK Eyewitness Guides. We looked for the Roug h Guide to Crete but settled for the Lonely Planet version. Either will do but s omehow Rough Guide always seems to be a notch or two above LP. Maybe they pay th eir writers better. There are at least two bookshops that have a large selection of guidebooks for Chania and Crete along with maps, historical novels, travel j ournals, International newspapers and magazines, postcards, calendars and other reading material. Pelekanaki is at 89 Halidon Street right near the entrance of the Old Town. Mediterraneo Bookstore is at the west end of the old port, just be fore the Maritime Museum. Little Noah's Ark Silke Wrobel has been working in Chania for the past 24 years, crusading for th e well being of animal life on the island. She has helped over 10,000 animals a nd has found families for thousands of animals all over Europe. Besides cats an d dogs, Silke also rescues wild birds (owls, hawks, sea herons), reptiles (nativ e snakes, sea turtles, lizards) and rodents (rabbits, hedgehogs. In 2004, Silke received the medal of honor in Germany for Hellenic-German relations. She is r ecognized by PETA and other international animal welfare organizations. Silke's battle for animal rights has been an uphill climb. She has seen extreme suffering and has fought natives and governments for change. Silke's Little No ah's Ark is the leading animal welfare organization on the island receiving requ ests for help from the police, fire brigade and coast guard. With zero support from the municipality Silke has invested her own capital along with the help of a supporting German association, Tierfreunde Kreta, e.V., to do what she can to help animals in Crete. With the economic crisis upon Greece, the situation has worsened dramatically, stray populations have boomed (animals are the first to b e abandoned when times are hard) and her resources are far too little to keep up with the current situation. "No one has done more, has sacrificed more, will d

o as Silke has done", is what is commonly heard amongst those who know her. In the past couple of years she has been deemed by reputable Cretans as cultural gem and a gift to the environment working selflessly for the greater good of th e area. Currently, due to her excellent reputation, for the first time in the h istory of Crete there are talks of a cooperation between the local government an d Silke to form the first animal shelter (Eco-friendly animal park) run by an an imal welfare association. Noah's Little Ark Daskalogiannis 39 Chania, Crete Tel 28210 55030 or 6946 881155. Figuring Out the Old City Chania is a big town. Its a city really. But 90% of Chania you will never see un less you plan to live here. For those visiting for a few days or a week there ar e few places outside the Old Town that you will need to know about. Just imagine a modern city that has sprung up around a medieval fortress with giant walls an d even a moat, and within these walls are the buildings and ruins of the people who have settled here over the ages from the Minoans to the Byzantines, Venetian s, Turks and the current inhabitants, a mixture of Greeks, Albanians and other n ationalities. Most of the major buildings came courtesy of the Venetians who bou ght the island of Crete after the fall of Constantinople and preceded to fortify Chania which they controlled until 1645 when it fell to the Ottoman Turks. The center of the town was Kasteli which in those days meant it was the most heavily fortified, being the acropolis (upper village). It is also where the remains of the Minoans were uncovered. The massive wall surrounding Kasteli had four gates , two of which were destroyed by German bombing during the Second World War, the other two which are still intact. As the city spread out from Kasteli a new out er wall was built in 1538 and the inner wall and towers were turned into houses. If you walk up Kanevaro street from Venizelos Square you can see remnants of th is older wall. The easiest way to get your bearings is by going to the port. Many of the hotels are in the new town just across from the central market on Hatzimichali Gianhar i and if you are staying outside of Chania and are coming to the city by car and bus chances are this is where you are going to end up. If you walk two blocks w est from the City Market you will turn right on Halidon Street which will take y ou past the Pelekanaki Bookshop, the Archaeological Museum, the Cathedral of the Trimartyei, past lots of interesting shops and right to Venizelos Square with i ts fountain surrounded by cafes including a Starbucks. You are at the entrance t o the main harbor. For those who have been to a lot of Greek islands just imagin e Old Chania as a cross between Mykonos and Hydra without the whitewash and with a lot more interesting places to shop and eat and drink. Going West If you are standing in the square facing the sea the area to your left (west) is called Evraiki, which was the Jewish Quarter and features the Etz Hayyim Synago gue which was lovingly restored by my high school history teacher, the famous wr iter, cook and artist Nikos Stavroulakis. As in many places in Greece the Jews o f Chania were rounded up by the Nazis to be sent to concentration camps. The Jew s of Chania never made it that far. The boat transporting them was mistakenly su nk by the British and they all drowned. If you take a walk down Zabeliou street and turn left on Kondilaki street you will find signs directing you to the Synag ogue. If you continue down Zabeliou, you will pass numerous shops, cafes, restau rants, small hotels and the wonderful Tamam, a sort of mezedopoulion-taverna in an old Turkish Hamam (bath house) and one of the best places we ate in Chania. I

f you cut down to the waterfront there are the usual fancy looking fish tavernas and tourist shops that you will find on the high-priced realestate of just abou t any Greek island, most who employ people who stand out front and convince you that their restaurant is the best using a variety of methods to grab your attent ion. You will also pass the Mediteraneo Bookshop and if you turn up tiny Theofan is street, sandwiched between a couple cafes you will come to the Casa Delfino S uites where we spent the second half of our stay and if you are looking for a qu iet place for an espresso they have a nice little cafe in a beautiful courtyard with the world's tallest cactus. For what it is worth this is one of Tipper Gore 's favorite hotels. She stayed here when Al Gore was VP and a few years later Al showed up, bearded and incognito. It's a good example of how the aristocrats li ved during the Venetian period. If you continue on the waterfront you will come to the Maritime Museum housed in the Firka Fortress which was constructed by the Venetians. The museum includes about 2,500 exhibits like paintings and models of ships, different kinds of nava l instruments and devices, a model of Chania during the Venetian period, and an exhibition of the 1941 Battle of Crete. Behind the main building is a cistern an d the barracks of the soldiers. The building was used as a prison by the Turks a nd by the Nazis. If you climb the steps to the walls where two remaining cannon still point out to sea you will get a view of the harbor, lighthouse originally built by the Venetians and then continued by the Egyptians during the Greek War of Independence. If you continue past the Maritime Museum you will come to the d efensive walls of the city at what is called Talo Square which is one of the pri mary parking areas for those living or staying in Topanas, (a Turkish word for g uns or cannon,) the district northeast of the Jewish quarter. During the militar y dictatorship of 1967-74 a Xenia Hotel was built on the wall, then sat empty fo r the last twenty years before being demolished in 2008. Theottokopoulou Street is another entrance to the neighborhood and on the right is the Venetian Magazin e, where their gunpowder was stored, now a center for the restoration of icons. On the left is a large Turkish building built in the typical top-heavy style, a wooden structure that juts out from the stone foundation, which you will see in any town in Greece which had a Turkish population. Continue up Theotokopoulou st reet past more shops, restaurants, cafes and small hotels and turn right you can climb to the top of the walls and look across the moat to the neighborhood of N eo Hora (New Town). You can walk to Nea Hora from Talo Square, past the Monument of the Hand which commemorates those who died when the ferry Heraklion sank on the way to Pireaus from Chania in 1966. The community swimming pool, Nea Hora Be ach and the small fishing boat harbor and fish tavernas on the coast can all be reached in about ten minutes. Going East to the Inner Harbor Going East ... from Venizelou square along the harbor road which by the way is c losed to automobile traffic you will pass the usual large cafes and tourist rest aurants before coming to the Mosque of Kioutsouk Hassan, the oldest Ottoman buil ding in Crete, erected in 1645. Currently it is used as an exhibition hall but i t has been a shop, restaurant and a cafe in the course of its history. The back of the mosque has an ugly junta style cement structure that has nothing to do wi th the original building but was added when it was a cafe or restaurant and may one day be torn down. The area behind the mosque with the tall buildings that ov erlook the harbor is Kasteli which you can enter by going back to Venizelou Squa re as I mentioned before. But just to keep it simple we are going to continue a long the waterfront and come back later. After the mosque is a series of restaur ants, none of which I ate at, though Monastiri has gotten decent reviews in some of the guidebooks, and we almost stopped here but were deterred by the fancy ta blecloths and wine glasses. The next few buildings are the hip clubs and bars, t he kind of places that are still open when people like me are having breakfast. Across the entrance to the Inner Harbor is the Fortezza, a seasonal club with a free ferry shuttle that crosses the harbor in what was the Bastion of Agios Nich

olaos a fortified building where the Venetians and the Turks executed their pris oners. As you continue you will notice that the buildings are larger and more in dustrial, though most, if not all are restaurants, bars or clubs, and that there are actually fishing boats in the harbor, unlike the outer harbor. If you walk past the massive Customs House in Katehaki Square (or parking lot) y ou will come to seven very old, large and interconnected buildings called To Meg ali Arsenali (Great Arsenals) built by the Venetians which were the shipyards. O riginally there were seventeen of these buildings which were built between 1599 and 1607. Now they are used mainly for storage awaiting some higher purpose but of the three at the far end of the harbor one has been turned into the Maritime Museum's home for the Minoa, a re-constructed Minoan ship. The Minoa which sits impressively within the building was built in 2002 and launched with great cerem ony on December 1st 2003. Then on May 29th 2004 they left Crete with a crew of r owers and sailed 210 nautical miles up the coast of the Peloponessos, stopping a long the way on the islands of Antikythera and Kythera, the towns of Monemvasia, Kyparissi (my grandmother's village), the islands of Spetsai, Hydra, Poros, the town of Methana, the island of Aegina to Pireaus. The journey took 25 days thou gh only ten days were actually sailing because of bad weather, and returned to t he island by ferry. The museum also has historic photos and paintings of Greek w arships and fishing boats and two smaller latin sailboats. By chance I went ther e the day they opened and am the proud owner of ticket #00001. I was the first p erson to visit the new museum. Between the Arsenals are a number of fish tavernas with a mostly Greek clientele , at least in March-April when we were there. The most popular among the locals is probably Ta Neoria or known to the locals as Xalkiadakis, the owner's name, w here we were taken our first night in Chania by our pal Nikos from the Hotel Amm os for grilled fish. It was excellent and I would have gone back if I had more t ime, but felt I should experience a couple others. Lonely Planet had a couple re commendations but they seemed a little more fancy. Generally my rule is that if a psarotaverna (seafood restaurant) does not have paper tablecloths they have pr obably been spoiled by success. So a couple days later I went to the Tsipouradik o of Stelios Mastourakis which by no coincidence happened to be right next to th e Hotel Porto Veneziano where I was staying. No matter, again it was a good choi ce. I had their delicious white taramasalata (if it ain't white it ain't right i s my general rule with tarama), a green salad and a grilled soupia (cuttlefish) and because it was the day I planned to work and catch up on my e-mail I drank o nly water. It didn't matter. As is the custom of any restaurant that exhibits tr ue Cretan hospitality I was given a complimentary home-made halvah for desert an d a chilled bottle of tzikoudia which of course I drank and then blew off work f or the rest of the day. In fact for the rest of the week and was greeted by seve ral hundred e-mails from travelers desperate to find ferry connections when I fi nally got on my computer again once I was back home in Athens. After the fish tavernas you will see a large 4 story building that does not fit in with anything you have seen so far. This is the Hotel Porto Veneziano and des pite its appearance it is a great place to stay in terms of comfort and location . The rooms in the front all have a view of the harbor and you can watch the fis hermen repairing their nets and sailing in and out of the port. It seems to be a couple degrees cooler in the summer than the more congested areas of the old to wn to the west because of the lack of buildings, much of it due to German bombin g and the fact that you are right on the sea. Between the Arsenal buildings and the hotel is Salpidonos Street, which has a row of bars that are hopping at nigh t. At the intersection with Epimenidou Street is the small Cafeneon of Christos Paralas which is several hundred decibels quieter than the bars, where you can g et a nice tsikoudia and meze. Look for the honeybee and real traditional tables and chairs. On Epimenidou Street is a traditional bakery with a wood oven that m akes delicious tiropitas which I advise you not to eat in your car unless you ha ve a vacuum handy. On the same street is the Kritiko Kalitechniko Steki where yo

u can eat traditional Cretan food and listen to traditional Cretan music every n ight. From the Inner Harbor you can continue walking on the stone wall of the breakwat er all the way to the Bastion of Saint Nicholas to the lighthouse, along the way taking photo after photo of Chania, and as in my case during early spring, the snow-capped mountains beyond. If you have brought your fishing gear with you thi s is a great area to try your luck, especially out by the lighthouse on the end or near the small fishing boat channel that cuts through the wall and stone brea kwater. If you turn right after the Porto Veneziano, in front of the Minoan Ship Museum, you will pass a large parking lot and an opening in the city wall that leads you to a small beach. Above the beach is a park with a view of Koum Kapi, a Muslim settlement which was outside the city walls beyond the Gate of Sabbion era in a sandy beach area. Koum Kapi and Sabbionera both mean Gate of Sand. The gate itself was destroyed to make it easier for cars to enter the city and most of the sand has been covered by buildings, both old and new. The waterfront whic h is closed to automobile traffic, is one cafe after another and is where most o f the young people of Chania hang out. Splantzia From the hole in the wall that used to be the Gate of Sand, Minoos street runs s outh towards the new city. To the west is a maze of small streets and houses whi ch used to be the red light district of Chania, the largest such area in Crete. In fact it is still the red light district of Chania. If you are nervous about w andering around a neighborhood of brothels then turn right on Drakoloulou Street and that will take you all the way back to Venizelos Square, though it will hav e changed names to Sifaka and Karaoli-Dimitriou by then. This large neighborhood is called Splantzia and used to be the Turkish part of Chania. Its a maze of na rrow streets and interesting houses, many built in the ruins of more ancient str uctures and a fun place to get lost in. The centerpiece of the neighborhood is S plantzia Square on Kalistou Street, and the Monastery of Agios Nikolaos which wa s built sometime in the 14th century. It was later converted to a mosque and a m inaret was added, which still stands. It is now an Orthodox church. At the corne r of the square is the small church of San Rocco, built around 1615 to protect C hania from the plague. Also in the square it the Platanos Ouzeri-Tzipouradiko wh ich used to be the neighborhood cafeneon, serving Greek coffee and tsikoudia bef ore getting a facelift and a new diverse menu, full of traditional and neo Greek dishes at surprisingly low prices. If you walk up Daskalogiani street away from the sea you will come to Cuisina Epi, a hip little restaurant on the right side of the street, with excellent home cooked food, that is only open in the day. A couple blocks further up on Hatzimichali Daliani street are three cool restaur ants. Mezoleiako and For Anna are both traditional-modern ouzeri-mezedopouleons and around the corner on Kal Sarpaki Street is the Well of the Turk, an acclaime d middle eastern restaurant owned by an English woman, which had a small private hamam when it was the home of Turkish man a century ago. But the most interesti ng discover for us was the shop of Nikos Boulakas who makes the traditional silv er knives and other ornamental chains and jewelry which is used in the Cretan we ddings. It is really magnificent handmade work and if you are looking for the pe rfect gift to bring back, something that is uniquely Cretan then stop in here. H e is often working late in his shop which is on Hatzimichali Daliani #52 just ar ound the corner from those restaurants above. He is a very nice guy who will be happy to show you his work. You can also visit his website at www.boulakas.com Kasteli If you walk uphill you will come to Kasteli and on the way pass remnants of the old wall, much of it used as walls for later buildings. You will also see the Mi noan excavations on Kanevaro Street, covered by a large structure to keep out th

e rain. The small street west of the archaeological site will lead you past the Monastery Pension which is built in the ruins of the Dominican Nunnery of Santa Maria Dei Miracoli, built in 1615 and destroyed by German bombs. It was these sa me bombs that exposed Minoan pottery shards and led to the excavation of the anc ient city of Kydonia, which until then its whereabouts were unknown. At the peak of Kasteli is the former Venetian Palace complex which became a prison under th e Turks and is currently the Polytechnic. Through the gate on your left you come to a large parking lot and the Government House, built in 1898 by the Great Pow ers in the period between Crete's independence from Crete and union with Greece. It is now occupied by squatters. The Palace of the Rector of which little exist s was on the western side of the square at the top of Lithinon Street. From the edge of the square you have fine view of the old harbor and the town. The whole area is full of interesting buildings, some of which escaped the wrath of the Ge rman bombs and some which didn't and are now garden walls and property boundarie s. Stivanadika Between Kasteli, Splantzia and Evraiki is the area where most of the small shops are located. Skrydloff Street also known as Leather Street which becomes Tsoude ron was known for its shops that made the stivanania the boots that were the pre ferred footwear of the Cretan men up until the middle of the last century. There are still a small number of these shops left but mostly the street is something like Pondrossou Street in the Monastiraki neighborhood of Athens, full of touri st shops, clothing and the Cretan Knife shops that the island is also known for. Across Halidon is the Catholic Church of Saint Francis with its beautiful littl e courtyard and a statue of the Saint. The Folklore Museum, the Municipal Art Ga llery and the Archaeological Museum, which also has a beautiful courtyard full o f antiquities are all on the same street. A block north of Leather Street is the Orthodox Church of the Metropolitan, also known as the Trimartyri. During the T urkish period it was turned into a soap factory owned by Mustapha Pasha Naili wh ose son fell down a well and prayed to the Virgin that he be saved. When indeed he was saved he gave the factory back to the Christians to be used as a church a gain. It was renovated in 1897 by Czar Nicholas of Russia and became the metropo litan cathedral of Chania. Right next to the square is an old Hamam that has bee n converted into shops. A shop worth visiting is Mitos at Halkidon 44 which sells work by local artists and well known artists from around Greece. Some of it is pretty amazing and almo st all of it is unique and includes a lot of ceramic pottery, paintings, jewelry , blown glass. The shop is more like a gallery and has the feeling of a really w acky museum of modern art. Right across the street is Pelekanaki Books which I m entioned at the beginning of the page and this is another place you should make a point of stopping into browse their large selection of books, pick up a guideb ook and a decent map, maybe a phrase book and to say hello to the owner Reneta. A couple doors down is GS Tours where we not only bought our ferry tickets home after much deliberation, but the next day came back and the happily changed them , not only to another day but another ferry company. Most of the time when you t ry to do this the agents either refuse, or act annoyed or charge you extra. The general manager Mata Thimianou was pleasant and very good natured and I recommen d her for flights and ferry tickets. If you enjoy shopping you will like this ar ea. For a really great view of the city cross Halkidon Street by the Cathedral a nd continue on the small street that goes up to the Shiavo Semibastion. In the s pring it is covered in grass and wildflowers. Demotiki Agora Probably my favorite place in the old city is the Demotiki Agora (Municipal Mark et) which is on Taxiarchou Markopoulou Square on Hatzimichaki Gianari street whe re the new town begins. In 1911 the Cretans filled in the moat with the central

bastion and the Venetian walls and on the rubble built this copy of the market i n Marseilles in the shape of a cross. It was inaugurated with great ceremony by Eleftherios Venizelos as part of the celebration when Crete was united with Gree ce. It is one of the best markets in Greece though slowly but surely the tourist shops have begun creeping in. There are several fish stalls including the well maintained Yxthoupoleo Giorgos, owned by Greek-Canadian George Tzinirakis who is happy to tell you anything you want to know about fish in Greece. He has quite an assortment including moray eels and the dreaded drakinos, a poisonous spiney fish that must be handled very carefully if you don't want to suffer severe pain , paralysis and possibly nerve damage. Across from George's fish stand is a smal l restaurant called Manolis, one of several that serve the workers and shoppers in the market, with fresh fish, meat and vegetable dishes and also the famous pa tsa, the tonic of the working class, made from tripe. There is a modern looking coffee shop at the center of the market and a more traditional cafeneon a few do ors down, both usually filled with old men. There are several bakeries including one that still uses a wood burning oven, a few butchers and some very colorful vegetable and fruit markets. Somewhere in between the typical market shops and t he tourist shops are the shops that sell herbs, olive oil, soap and other Cretan goods, which are becoming the style all over Greece. If you eat in one of the r estaurants or have a coffee in the cafes and need to use the toilet don't be sho cked when they say they don't have one. People at the market use the public rest rooms in the square which are about the cleanest public toilets you will find an ywhere. Exploring the New City of Chania For the sake of convenience I will just call anything that is not in the Old Tow n: New Town. Chances are you won't visit most of these places anyway but I have included them because it would be like writing a hip person's guide to New York City's East Village without mentioning the rest of Manhattan. As I wrote in the section on Chania's old town, Hatzimichali Giannari street which is the same as N. Foka and Skalidi street is the border of the old and new towns. If you are st anding at the front of the Demotiki Agora (Municipal Market) with your back to t he market you will be looking at the New Town and it will be obvious because its mostly apartment buildings and there is a lot of traffic. If you have gotten us ed to life in the old town then life in the new town will be slightly alarming a nd you may find yourself running back in terror to the quiet narrow streets of S plantzia. But there are some things worth seeing in the New Town, not that I saw them all but trust me when I tell you that people who write guidebooks don't go to every single place they write about, nor do they eat at every restaurant the y review. One of the best ways to get an understanding of the difference between the old a nd new town is by climbing the western walls of the old town behind the Jewish Q uarter to where you can see the Venetian moat which in 2009 they were in the pro cess of restoring which will impress your kids if they are not impressed with Ch ania already. The most important reason for a tourist to go to the New Town is t o appreciate the Old Town. But there are reasons you may have to go to the New T own like for instance if you are taking a bus somewhere. The KTEL Bus Station is at the intersection of Kidonias and Partheniou Kelaidi streets, a block west of 1865 Square which is sort of the center of town, where old men play tablis (bac kgammon) or cards and newly arrived immigrants looking for work sit while they t ry to get their bearings and wonder why they ever left home. Another reason you may be in the New Town is because your travel agent booked you here or you booke d yourself in one of the big modern hotels because it looked nice on the website . That's OK. You can easily walk to the Old Town from most of the central hotels . If you have kids a good reason to go to the New Town is to visit the Municipal G ardens, created by Reouf Pasha in 1870 where you can see a few of the remaining

kri-kri, the Cretan wild goats that used to be quite plentiful. Or you can feed the ducks in the pond or grab your child and run from the geese when they are in attack mode or watch the male peacocks show off for the females. Or you can see the biggest rubber plants you have ever seen, or have a coffee in the shade at the cafe. If it is summer you can go to the outdoor Cinema, and set your watch b y the giant clock, built in 1927. If you are a runner who is not happy unless he is going in circles you can cross the street and visit the stadium sandwiched b etween Andreas Papandreou and Eleftherios Venizelos streets, two of Greece's gre atest Prime Ministers. If you walk up Papandreou street past the Turkish clock t ower you can go to Platia Venizelos to the Nomarchia, the government building fo r the prefecture of Chania which is also the courthouse. Originally it was built as a military hospital in the closing days of Turkish rule. If you walk along the shore of Koum-Kapi the old Turkish neighborhood outside th e eastern walls and now where the youth of Chania congregate in the many cafes a nd continue to where Tsilivaki meets Eleftherios Venizelos Street you will come to Halepa, the upper class neighborhood that features the home of Eleftherios Ve nizelos, built by his father in 1880 on Venizelos Square which contains the Elef therios Venizelos National Research Foundation. On the way you will pass the Pol itechnic University, another impressive building, and the Palace, the residence of the High Commissioner of Crete, Prince George. The Russian-looking church of Saint Magdalene is also on the same street while further on his the Church of th e Evangelists on Romanov Street. For those with a car you can continue on to the base of the Akrotiri Peninsula which separates the city of Chania from Souda Ba y where the ferry comes in by following signs to the airport until you come to t he Venizelos Graves where he and his son Sophocles Venizelos, another Prime Mini ster of Greece are buried. In a spot chosen before hand by Venizelos himself as his final resting place, where you have a view of the entire city of Chania. You can also go for a coffee at Koukouvagia, which means owl, a popular hangout for students and another amazing view of Chania. Last of all is Nea Hora which is west of the Old Town along the coast which is a must for anyone who loves seafood. From here the beaches get better and better leading out to the western suburbs of the city where the Hotel Ammos is located. For those staying here you can walk into Chania in 45 minutes beach by beach. F or those staying in the Old Town just keep walking until you find a beach you li ke. If it is a fish taverna you are seeking try Psarotaverna Manos, which we did . It has fresh fish, lots of mezedes and is one of the closest to the Old Town. Another reason to go to the New Town is because this is where to find all the la rger shops that won't fit into a small Venetian building. Supermarkets, big elec tronic stores like Kotsobolos, department stores and clothing shops that the loc als use are scattered around the downtown area. There are also a large number of real neighborhood restaurants and old man style cafeneons which in terms of foo d and atmosphere may be more authentic than what you will find in the Old Town w hich, lets face it, is a tourist town, though if not the best in Greece, close t o it. If you are like me and always searching for that perfect place where one o ld guy serves coffee and raki and simple mezedes prepared by his wife to his fri ends you are more likely to find it in the New Town than the Old. If you do find it, please let me know. The Classic Chania Restaurants Tamam: This is by far the most successful tavern for the last 20 years, located in an o ld Turkish bath, amazing interiors and a wide range of yummy mezedes at a fairly good rate. I brought Matt here and he loved it but with all the tsikoudia he wa s drinking they could have served raw onions on paximadia (dried bread) and he w ould have been happy. But his wife Andrea, a much more difficult customer loved it as well and you probably will too. Its easy to find in the old harbor on Zamb eliou which is the street behind the road that lines the harbor, on the west sid

e of the port near the Jewish quarter. Their phone number is 2821096080 in case you want to make reservations which is not a bad idea if you come here in the su mmer. Well of the Turk In the interesting, and less touristy, area of Splatzia (where the Turks used to live a century ago), this Middle Eastern eatery is again one of the most famous , and rightly so. An absolute must, for the beautiful interiors, the serene yard which stays calm even in August and for the eggplant balls, trinity dip, cheese cake (with Anthotyros cheese). We were to visit here with Matt on his last nigh t in Chania but he decided instead to take the ferry from Heraklion so he could meet his friend Lefteris, the Cretan Taxi Driver who he had known for 15 years w ithout ever seeing in person. Well, that's another story which I am sure that Ma tt will go into in that entertaining way he has of making the most boring situat ion sound like the most exciting. As for the restaurant, if you are looking for a change from your usual Greek cuisine this is a good choice and the outdoor sea ting on the quiet back street is very nice. Its on Kalinikou Sarpaki 1-3, Splatz ia, old city tel. 2821054547 Karnagio One of the most respected, traditional Cretan food restaurants in Chania (again for the last 20 and more years). In a nice atmospheric location, very near but n ot on the waterfront, Karnagio is a secure option for those who want to sample t he traditional Cretan cuisine the same way that a Greek would. It is also perfec t for lunch. Try the boureki (zucchini and mizithra cheese pie). Platia Katehaki 8, old harbour, +2821053366 The New Restaurants of Chania Monastiri A very successful, occasionally unsteady quality, local taverna with a great adv antage: the best views towards the Venetian light house and the west part of the old harbour. It is always quite busy with tourists and locals. and like all the best restaurants is open year round except for those that are surprisingly close d in the summer which is the opposite of what you might expect. Its just a short distance from the Mosque of Kioutsouk Mosque with a big sign that makes it easy to find. Matt did not like the tablecloths or the fancy glasses and did not wan t to eat here but on the waterfront you really want find the simple working-clas s fish tavernas he favors, just those that cater to the tourists from abroad and from Athens and a few of the locals who want a semi fancy night out. Still the food is favorably reviewed in most guidebooks though whether they all actually e at there or just copy the first person who wrote about it is one of those indust ry secrets, at least according to Mr Barrett. Semiramis Live Greek music in a garden in the heart of the old city. Food is adequately go od, there is a touristy ambiance which some find enchanting and for some (includ ing me) it is kind of a turn-off (but I guess that comes with the live music). 8 Skoufon street, old harbor, tel 2821098650 Kariatis Successful Italian cuisine with a Greek touch. Good fresh salads come in generou s portions and the pizza is probably the best in town (try one from their gourme t selection). Service can be pretentious and arrogant at times (still they are q uite polite especially with foreigners). The only restaurant in town with a dece nt Italian wine list. You can find it by walking towards the inner harbor and it is right around the Venetian Arsenals. They usually leave their colorful brochu res in all the hotels and that has a map so you can find it. Lots of seafood dis hes, some with lobster and others with langoistines and scallops and vegetarian risotto made with wild porcini mushrooms and truffles. They have a sister restau

rant called Zafferano around 14 kilometers west on the coast in Platanias near t he Minoa Palace Hotel for those of you not staying in Chania. Tel 2821055600 for Kariatis and 2821038180 for Zafferano. For the best Italian food try Don Rosari o's who is a crazy Italian from Sicily who makes the best south Italian spaghett i. It is so popular that people literally fly to Chania to try his cooking. Ask for the sun dried tuna fillet. Call before you go as it might be full (and avoid it in weekends). Challenging (but rewarding) drive at Rabdouha beach on the wes t side of the Rodopou Peninsula. Call 2824023781 Safran Trendy European and Mediterranean cuisine with stylish interiors and ambitious ( too ambitious at times) menu. The location is unbeatable and it is kind of perfe ct for a romantic dinner (avoid the fish dishes). Akti Tompazi 30, Old harbour, +2821056333

The Fish Restaurants of Chania Fresh fish is an expensive sport in modern Greece. Per kilo expect to pay betwee n 40.00 to 60.00 euros for the better fish. Calamari, octopus, gopa, and small f ish (e.g.: sardines, gavros, marides) are always well priced and are delicious f ried or grilled and are usually the most fresh. Remember that fish goes very wel l with horta (boiled greens) and in Chania we have many different types dependin g on the season. Xilouris (Ta Neoria) Reliable fish and sea food eatery. Located on the water-front and favored by t he locals (Greeks) this taverna is busy always (even on a Monday night in the wi nter). This was the first place in town I brought Matt and he seemed to like it a lot. We ordered a variety of fresh grilled fish which is not cheap but Matt se emed to be enamoured with the white taramasalata and the tsikoudia of course. Ni ce assortment of bottled wines though as with any restaurant the local wine serv ed by the kilo is the best for saving money and often does not suffer in compari son. Matt claims that you are more likely to have a hangover from commercial bot tled wine, no matter how lofty the reputation, than from the homemade stuff from the barrel, the box or wherever it comes from. My reply to Matt is that if he d id not drink so much he would not have to worry about a hangover and could enjoy good wine for the taste. But I don't think he is the type who is concerned with the subtlties in the taste of fine wines. He does not have, how shall I say it without being too insulting... a refined pallatte, at least when it comes to win e. As for food he does seem to know his stuff and he claims that his meal at Tsi pouradiko of Stelios Mastourakis just a few restaurants down was just as good th ough I wonder if he bases that on the fact that he liked their white taramasalat a better or the fact that it was right next to his hotel. Well if you have to pi ck one who are you going to believe, someone from Chania or Matt Barrett? But yo u of course if you have more than one or two nights here you can try them both. They are both between the Venetian Arsenal (Shipyards) and the Hotel Porto Venez iano, the tallest building in the Harbor. And Matt claims the cafeneon at the en d of nearby Salpidonos street is a nice quiet place to have a drink before or af ter dinner. I prefer the less quiet cafe-bars on the street and if you are close r to my age than to Matt's you probably will too. It is customary for the restau rant to give you a complimentary desert, usually fruit or halvah but sometimes y ou even get loukoumades. They also will serve a complimentary glass of tsikoudia

at the end and sometimes even a battle which in Matt's case is like throwing ga soline on a fire. But like the Italian's serving grappa it really is a nice way to end the meal. Manos Fish Taverna This also very popular fish taverna is located in the pretty (and very modern Gr eek style) Nea Chora beach, ten minutes walk from the old harbor. It is right on the waterfront and in the afternoon you have picturesque views of the fish boat s while the guys download their catch! Matt will probably tell you to try the Me zedopoulio Stavros right next door, not that he actually ate there. He had dinne r with me at Manos and really enjoyed it and made friends with the waiter as he seems to have a knack for doing, but I saw him wander off and peer longingly thr ough the window at the Stavros because it has more of that working class, hard r aki-drinking atmosphere that he likes. You can do him a favor and if you have an extra day or so and the Manos is full go try it for him and let him know if it is good. Both restaurants are at Akti Papanikoli, which is the coastal road in N ea Chora, which you can get to by walking along the waterfront of the old port a nd go past the Maritime Museum and the walls of the city and just keep walking p ast the public swimming pool until the buildings start looking new and you will find them. Tel 2821086055 Thalassino Ageri Best location of all this is a truly spectacular setting which seems like coming out of the pages of Conde Nast Traveler! Tables literally on the rocks, with a panoramic view to the entire harbor area and the old and abandoned leather facto ries (Tabakaria) as a backdrop. Very popular by wealthy Greeks. I forgot to take Matt here. It either slipped my mind or maybe subconsciously I did not want him to put it on his site. Anyway here it is. Its on Vivilaki street in the Halepa neighborhood which is east of Koum Kapi. Tel 28210 51136

Meat Restaurants of Chania Kypros For the last 20 years this is a classic joint, beautifully located in the main s quare of the cute Mournies village (4 km away from Chania center), a perfect pla ce for meat lovers. Try the keftedes (meatballs), greek salad, tzatziki and Fren ch fries combination and enjoy watching fat spoiled Greek children running aroun d while the parents smoke, drink and eat. You will probably need to take a taxi here and back if you don't have a car but it should not cost much and can be eas ily arranged by your hotel. The restaurant can arrange a cab for your return. Alikampiotis Taverna You will probably be one of the very few tourists ever to visit this temple of c heap, good meat in the area of Agios Ioannis, a nice residential neighborhood of the modern city of Chania. Stelios, one of the owners, has a very dark-Greek se nse of humor but loves basketball. In fact once Matt began talking to him we cou ld not get him out of the taverna. Nice local wine, paidakia (lambchops), hirini brizoles (porkchops), keftedes (meatballs), the horta that is necessary at ever y Greek meal, fava (mashed split-peas) all served in this very family run and fa mily visited neighborhood taverna. Again you will need a taxi to come here and e ven if you have a car I suggest taking a taxi because you may never find it othe rwise. You can call for directions. Its at Platia Dexamenis, tel 2821040271

Matt suggests you try the restaurants in the Public Market too because the peopl e that the restaurants buy the meat from also eat in the restaurant so it has to be fresh.

Charming Small Village Tavernas Kali Kardia Kali Kardia (which means good heart in Greek) is a genuinely good hearted place with cheap, uncomplicated, cooked by an old couple food and served in 70s house china. The dcor is surreal-kitch and that only adds up to the charm (a favorite o f Matt Barrett's). Make sure you take a peak at their traditional kitchen. Matt re commends anything made with goat or served with roast potatoes. To find this pla ce just take the National Road west and follow the signs to Kolimbari and then t he village of Afrata which is so small you can't help but find it. Matt says be sure to drink the wine and eat the small Cretan olives and graviera cheese and b e sure you order the Pilafi. If you get lost and speak Greek call 2824022077. Ntounias and Amilias Ntounias (which means damn world in Greek) is another fascinating find. You driv e through the beautiful gorge of Therisso and you find yourself in what Greece m ight have looked like 50 years ago. The owner is an avid talker (have that in mi nd before you get into a endless conversation). You must expect that the owner t akes you in to show you his brand new kitchen (he does that with everyone). Ther e are two very nice historical museums in town, one for the war of Independence and the other for World War Two so be sure to visit them. Matt wants you to eat at Amilias which is in the next village of Zourva which also has delicious trad itional Cretan food served by an old woman named Amilia and her children who are adults actually. Try the Staka or Anthogalo, not recommended for people with hi gh cholesterol as it is the creamiest of milk products but like eating liquid ch eese. Nice fresh salads and a great view. Iliovasilema (Sunset) One of my favorite destination for good fresh fish (2 brothers, one serves fish and the other fishes the fish and the mother cooks) in an old fashioned setting, right by the water. It is nicely combined with a day excursion to Falasarna or Elafonissi beach. Its on the beach at Sfinari on the west coast of Crete, not to be mistaken with the main village of Sfinari which overlooks the beach from the mountain above where Matt went instead, in spite of my SMS message which told h im implicitly where to eat. He claims he forgot and instead went to a little roa dside family run roadside restaurant called To Kati Alo which he said was simple and good and a true non-tourist experience. He says to ask for their cheese kal itsounia or a potato, tomato and feta omelet. Milia Restaurant Milia is the most famous mountain retreat in Greece, and rightly so. It is worth for a short visit to try their amazing organic products local cuisine in their restaurant. Again nicely combined with Falasarna and Elafonissi beach. Challengi ng drive and you have to leave the beach early if you want to stop here on the w ay home. You can also just drive up here for lunch and skip the beach if you lik e. They have some really nice home-made tsikoudia which you can sample and if th ey have not run out you can probably buy some. They also sell some nice homemade

wine and a lot of agricultural products that they grow and make including their extra-virgin olive oil which is quite good. Aidonisos: A very nice, and very well thought off, effort to modernize Greek cuisine with l ove, knowledge and fine materials. Try the hand cut and fried in olive oil potat oes topped with piquant Ipiros feta cheese and oregano. Its in the village of Gera ni which is off the National Road on the way to Kissamos about half way to Rodop ou. Tel 28210 83560

Extra Food Stuff in Chania For locals the best souvlaki place is Oasis, a small joint that works only when the surround shops are open and serves a smallish and light souvlaki (Tzanakaki Street, opposite National bank). A decent souvlaki can also be found in any of the souvlaki places in the 1866 Square. Chania is famous for it's bougatsa which i s different from the bougoutsa in other part of Greece). The original Chania bo ugatsa (the one with mizithra cheese) is from Iordanis (right across the KTEL bu ses entrance). If you are wines friend and keen to know more about Greek wines t hen visit Miden Agan (70 Daskalogianni str, +2821027068) or/and their wine tapas bar 36 (Kalinikou Sarpaki str, old harbor, +302821057590). Matt recommends you visit the restaurants at the Public Market which are open for lunch and if you h ave a hangover try their patsa and if not just choose anything that looks good. His wife Andrea recommends Cuisina Epi, a hip little restaurant on the right sid e of Daskalogiani street near 1821 Square, with excellent home cooked food, that is only open in the day. They also say to try Platanos which is the former old man cafeneon of the square which has been converted into a trendy mezedopoulionouzeri with a very large menu with cheap but satisfying portions of mezedes and main dishes. Try their rega (herring) salad for starters and their different typ es of saganaki, (melted cheese). If you go for that ouzo-meze thing and palio re mbetika music then you can also try Mesogiako and For Anna, both on Daliani stre et in Splantzia. In Crete they have a special kind of tiropita called Kalitsouni a which they make with greens or with mizithra cheese. Try them. Also the local wine from around Chania which is called Romeiko is a local and ancient variety o f grape and the wine is kind of peach colored with a slight sherry taste. Its pr etty unique, often totally organic and can be really good. Tsikoudia and Raki ar e the same thing and in terms of purity are probably the most natural thing you can drink in Greece. Some people drink it before a meal, some drink it after and some people drink it before, after and during, like Matt for example. Don't for get that Cretan graviera cheese is the best graviera in Greece so you should get some from one of the cheese shops in the Public Market. Cretan olive oil, sausa ges and the small Cretan olives are all especially good. And there are no better fried potatoes in the world than what you will get in Chania. Remember that no meal is complete with fried potatoes and if they are cooked in fresh olive oil t here is nothing unhealthy about them. Also order the dakos salad when they have it instead of the horiatiki salad. Its healthier. Try the askralimbi, a kind of horta(wild green) that tastes better than it looks. The saligari are your common edible garden snails and Matt says if you have the choice get them stewed and n ot deep fried. He also says whenever you get the chance, eat goat. Way Out West Crete

Our main purpose in coming to Chania was to explore the western part of the isla nd which we attempted to do in a day. We needed more time but still managed to v isit some amazing places and see enough to be able to say that this is probably the best part of Crete to explore, especially if you love sandy beaches and are staying in Chania. Heading west from the city of Chania you have two choices which is really only o ne choice if you are a sensible person. The first choice is to drive along the c oastal road through the suburbs which are actually all separate villages that ha ve turned into one long line of beach homes, small hotels like the Hotel Ammos ( photo), larger hotels, even larger hotels and resorts, peppered with bars, resta urants, cafes and shops which until the spring of 2009 did not even have sidewal ks. If you are planning to swim at one of the many beaches along the way then th is is the road to take. If you are planning on driving to Rodopou, Kissamos and Western Crete this is the road to avoid. Just follow the signs for the Ethniki O dos (National Road) or Kissamos and get on the highway which if you like to driv e is a pleasure. If you are not a confident driver stay to the right. Most peopl e stradle the lane and move more right when a car wants to pass you. It is actua lly not wise to stay completely in the right lane because you may round a bend a nd find a car parked in it while its owner is picking horta or answering nature' s call. When driving in Crete it is best to remain alert and when driving on Sun day assume that everyone else has been drinking. Platanias and Gerani are two towns that have become very developed because of th eir excellent beaches and their proximnity to Chania and are the most popular re sorts on the western part of Crete. Across is the island of Agios Theodori which was heavily fortified by the Venetians in 1574 to keep the Turks from being abl e to land their ships at Platanias. Later it became the headquarters of General Timoleon Vassos in 1897 during the war of Independance from the Turks. Now it is a breeding center for the kri-kri, the wild Cretan mountain goat. Near the beac h resort of Maleme where much of the fighting took place during World War Two is the German Military Cemetary which contains some 4000 graves, most of whom were the parachutists who were shot from below during the Battle of Crete. Inland i s a vast area of agricultural villages, rivers, streams and hills. Just beyond t he town of Kolimbari at the base of the rugged Rodopou Peninsula is the Monaster y of Gonias, completed in 1634 and home to a collection of post Byzantine icons of interest to anyone with an interest in religious art, or any art for that mat ter. Further north in the village of Rodopos is a Venetian Villa. To continue no rth to the ruins of the Roman Sanctuary of Dyktina in the bay of Menies you ma y want to have a 4-wheel drive vehicle or a very understanding car rental compan y. But at the end of a rugged road the beach is worth it and is one of those pla ces you can probably pitch a tent and nobody will bother you. An added attractio n is the ancient Temple of Diana on the hill. For those not venturing so far nor th in the small village of Afrata is a wonderful little village taverna called K ali Kardia (Good Heart) run by Konstantinos Rethemiotakis where he and his wife cook and serve what will probably be the best traditional Cretan food you will f ind on the island. Continuing west on the National Road you will come to the Bay of Kissamos and a nearly endless beach, mostly undeveloped which ends at the town of Kissamos, als o known as Kasteli where you can catch the ferry that goes several times a week to the islands of Antikithera and Kithera, then continues on to Githeon and Kala mata in the Peloponessos and all the way to Pireaus though finding the schedule for this boat can be like the Holy Grail of Greek ferry travel. The port is nort h of the town of Kissamos which boasts a Venetian Castle (thus the name Kasteli) , Roman ruins including an aquaduct, graves, baths and mansions with mosaic floo rs. Though the town is mostly modern it is a perfect getaway for those who just want a beach where they can be left alone and a simple taverna or two on the sea . Of course in August like most beach towns in Greece it will send you to the ne

arest car rental agency for a jeep to explore the rugged Gramvoussas Peninsula i n search of somewhere more private. There are really some amazing beaches in the area, some of the best in Crete if not all of Greece. The ruins of the ancient Roman town of Agnion and the Church of Agios Sostis where the road ends is direc tly across the peninsula from the bay of Balos with a beautiful beach, reachable by footpath and sea the color of the Carribean. Like Menies across the way if y ou pitch a tent chances are nobody is going to come out this far to bother you t hough you may want to make sure you have water and some food with you. The islan ds shielding the bay from the north winds are called Imeri Gramvoussa (Tame Gram oussa) which has a Venetian castle that is still in good condition, and Agria Gr amoussa (Wild Gramoussa) both reachable only by excursion boat from Kissamos. For those visiting Kissamos, Crete, the Bikakis Family Hotel in an inexpensive, family run hotel that features an impressive gallery of the owner's paintings an d they also do nature tours of the area. Kissimos is the furthest town west and is very unspoiled by mass tourism. Polirinia, an ampitheatre-like village south of Kissamos was a power from the 6t h Century BC through the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Venetian periods due to its dramatic natural fortifications. Remnants of its walls from all these hi storical periods still exist as does a reservior built by the Emperor Hadrian du ring Roman times. But most people will skip this and head north of Kissamos and then south through the village of Platanos to the incredible white sandy beach a t Falasarna (photo), one of the best in Greece, on the edge of a huge agricultur al coastal plain filled with green houses, a small settlement with a few taverna s, small hotels and rooms to rent and the remains of Polirinia's ancient port. B etter than the sandy area check out the rocks with your mask and snorkle and exp lore the channels between them. Because agriculture is more important in western Crete than tourism, the area has not been fished out yet since most Greek fishe rmen don't like to travel too far from home and you are likely to see fish in si zes you won't see in the more populated areas. The best time to come here is whe n it is warm enough to swim but not hot enough so that everyone is swimming. If you visit in July and August you will have a completely different impression tha n if you come in April, May, June, September or October, though this can be said for any beach in Greece. Can you swim in April here? I did. For about as long a s it took Andrea to take a photo and then I was ready to be put on life support. The coastal road south from Fallasarna is not for the fainthearted or the easily distracted. Though it is fine in terms of quality it hugs the side of the mount ain with drops of several hundred feet or more where the only way you will stop before hitting the sea is if there is something big enough in the way to stop yo u. But since you are now prepared you should not have any trouble gathering the courage to do it. If you follow the road south like we did you will come to the village of Sfinari where there is a road that leads down to its beach where ther e are tavernas and once again a beach where the color of the sea is so beautiful you want to drink it, or breathe it or more sensibly, immerse yourself in it. W e chose to eat at a small taverna in the upper village, only because I had forgo tten to look at my cell phone where Nikos from the Hotel Ammos had sent me an SM S telling me to eat at the taverna on the beach at Sfinari. But we had a nice me al anyway and though it was on the main road the only people who drove by were t he Horafia-filaki, the agricultural police who came in to interogate the woman m aking our omelet which so rattled her that she forgot to bring us our wine, prob ably a good thing in the end because we still had a long way to drive. As you co ntinue south the road winds along the mountains through villages, some nearly de serted, past more roads leading down to beaches and eventually to the village of Chrysoskalitissa (Golden Steps) named for the Monastery of Chrysoskalitissa whe re one of its many steps is made of gold and only the purest of souls can see it . Continuing south you come to the beach of Elafonissi, again one of the most beau

tiful in Greece with a small island that you can walk to. The white sand and sha llow sea reflecting the blue sky gives the water that Carribean-South Pacific lo ok that tourists crave, though in my case by the time I arrived it was close to 6pm and clouds had been gathering from the west. Still I forced myself into the sea knowing that its coldness would revive me for the rest of the trip, if it di d not kill me. But here it was more shallow and a lot warmer. I wouldn't say war m but not so cold that I couldn't swim around for about twenty minutes until And rea showed up again with the camera so once again I had proof that you could swi m in Crete. Elafonissi, which means deer island, is an especially beautiful plac e and well worth the drive from Chania. There are signs posted at the entrance t o the beach which show you the different kinds of rare plants in the area, some of them rare, maybe only existing here in this unique little ecosystem. On the way back to Chania instead of returning the way you came follow the signs to Chania and the village of Kefali. Then go towards Elos but cut north for Lim ni, Rogdia and look for signs for Milia when you get to Vlatos. Its a small road and the signs to Milia are not ordinary road signs but sort of handmade. Thats because its not an official town or village. It was an abandoned village that wa s bought up and restored and turned into a self-sufficient ecotouristic mountain retreat. The road to it is long, narrow and most of it just dirt and there will be moments when you will curse me for suggesting it but once you arrive it is a n interesting place, high in the mountains in a lush wooded area with a mountail stream running through it. The 'enterprise' (I don't know what else to call it, has small houses and rooms for rent and a very good restaurant serving natural foods. They also sell a lot of the things they grow and jar, mostly fruit perser ves, honey, their own wine, olive oil and if you are lucky raki-tsikoudia. Its n ot the kind of place I would stay since I would go stir-crazy and it looks so mu ch like the North Carolina mountains that it does not seem 'special' to me, plus you can't play music. But for those who have the peace of mind to be able to st ay somewhere high in the moutains where the entertainment is long walks or readi ng a book on your roof, it really is a retreat, almost zen. You may even want to just come here seperately rather then on the way back from the beach. They use solar power for the lights and in the cold weather they burn wood which seems pl entiful. Its an interesting place so check it out and maybe Tassos will offer yo u a glass of their excellent tsikoudia. But if you are like me you will want to be back in Chania before dark for a drink and dinner so don't accept more than o ne glass unless you plan on spending the night. Beaches in and Near Chania, Crete

To list and describe all the beaches in and around Chania would take forever. Mu ch of the north coast of Crete is one long beach and where one ends another begi ns. In the more mountainous areas the beaches are more isolated some in sheltere d coves and some long stretches of sand with a clear beginning and ending. Within Chania itself you don't have to walk far to find good swimming. Chania ha d the forsight to create a sewage system that hooks up every home and hotel and sends it to a plant far from town where it is processed and purifed and then pum ped far out at sea, which means that the waters around Chania are clean, even by Greek standards which are the highest in the Mediterranean. Though people do sw im on the small beach outside the walls on the eastern end of the old town and i n Koum Kapi, you are better off walking west where the beaches get better and be tter. By the time you get to Glaros Beach where the Hotel Ammos is, you are swim ming in the kind of sea that people dream about. As you continue on down the coa st you come to towns that people visit for their sandy beaches where hotels that are not on the beach may have bridges or tunnels across the road to give their guests instant beach access in places like Platanias, Gerani and Maleme. Kolymba

ri, the first town on the Rodopou Peninsula has a long pebble beach and the gulf of Kissamos has a long pebbly beach as well as sheltered coves(photo). On the A krotiri Peninsula east of Chania the beach at Stavros is a must, not just becaus e it is a great place to swim and it is full of fish tavernas but because this i s where they filmed Zorba the Greek. Further east are nice beaches at Kalami, Al myrida, and much of the coast between Georgiopouli and Rethymnon is one long be ach. There is also a water-park on Akrotiri if that kind of thing interests you. For the truly spectacular beaches you need to drive a little but if you love bea ches you will find them worth it. Falasarna(photo) on the western coast of Crete is one of the most beautiful beaches you will ever see. If that is not enough f or you then continue south to Sfinari Beach or all the way to Elafonissi which i s spectacular, especially on a clear sunny day when the white sand and sea creat e the kind of color people go to the South Pacific to see. For those willing to walk a little bit for their pleasure the beach at Balos on the tip of Crete's we sternmost peninsula is an island seperated by a stretch of sand with beaches on each side. In the south Sougia has a long sandy beach and the beaches at Frangok astelo and Koraka are all worth daytrips from Chania. Paliohora has a long sandy beach and a pebble beach and like many of the beaches in southern Crete going t opless for women is almost required and complete nudity is found on the outer fr inges and in small sheltered coves and among the rocks. Glika Nera near Hora Sf akion and Orthi Amos near Frangokastelo are two beaches that are popular with na turists, as they are called. For those who are worried that they will be out of place wearing their bathing suits, don't be. Any beach is a mixed crowd. When you look at a map of Crete you will notice umbrellas which of course signif y beaches. These in most cases are popular places, with tavernas, cantinas, umbr ellas for rent and some watersports though when it is not July or August many of these businesses pack up and shut down and you are left with long beautiful bea ches with a handful of people on them, especially from mid-September to late May . From November to Easter you are likely to have an entire beach to yourself, th e only footprints in the sand being yours or a bird's. With Crete's mild winter you can swim into December and if you are the hearty type you can swim year roun d in certain places, depending on how deep the sea is and how warm it has been i n the preceeding days. In the summer when beaches are crowded there are many sma ll beaches that are not in anyone's Guidebook, maybe known to the locals with a small hand-painted sign that points the way to the beach or the fish taverna on it. If you are looking for places like this keep your eyes open for the small di rt roads that lead to the coves between two small mountains or hills or the mout hs of Crete's lesser known gorges. A jeep is advisable if you want to be able to face your car rental agent again though in some places you will be surprised at what kind of vehicles show up. If you drive slowly and carefully you can go jus t about anywhere but take it from me that it is a lot less stressful with a jeep when you know that there is probably no road that is impassable unless there ha s been a landslide or it has been flooded by a river. Remember that you can buy inexpensive masks, snorkles and flippers in Chania and even in the supermarkets and tourist shops in the coastal towns if you didn't b ring your own. The best diving is in the rocky areas usually on either end of th e beaches and in the small coves. There are very few dangers. Anything big enoug h to take a bite of you either left years ago or soon after the first summer swi mmers arrived for the summer and anyway even the largest fish does not want to m ess with anything even close to its own size. If you have a portable fishing pol e you can fish anywhere and you will probably catch something. It may not be som ething you would want to eat or even touch but that is part of the fun of fishin g, the unknown thing beneath the sea that you are helping to give the first glim pse of the surface world, against its wishes. Hiking the Samarian Gorge

One of the many reasons people come to Chania and Western Crete is to hike down the Samarian Gorge, an 18 kilometer crack that cuts through the white mountains and ends at the Libyan Sea. The number of people who do this trek is getting clo se to 200,000 a year which is even more amazing when you consider that it is clo sed from November to May to limit the number of people washed away by the torren t which rages through it during those months. When I hiked the gorge in 1978 the re were no tour buses, just the public bus from Chania that came several times a day and dropped people off in groups of tens and twenties, enough to fill the t wo or three tavernas at the bottom in the isolated village of Agia Roumeli where they would wait for one of the two boats that would ferry us to Hora Sfakion or Paliohora for the bus back to Chania. In those days if you kept moving it was p ossible to go through the entire Samarian Gorge and not see another soul until y ou reached the bottom. Now its hard to imagine there not being bottlenecks in th e more difficult spots, as professional hikers are slowed down by grandmothers, families and husbands, who would be happier on a golf cart in Hersonisos but wer e forced into this walk by their wives with promises of special treats at the j ourney's end or back in the hotel when the kids have gone to bed. That being sai d its like going to New York and taking the elevator to the top of the World Tra de Center, whoops, make that the Empire State Building. Despite the crowds you g otta do it. It will be one of the major experiences of your life and if your kid s are with you they will never forget it either. It doesn't take an athlete or a n experienced hiker to walk down a mountainside and then follow a path for a doz en or so kilometers and if a couple hundred thousand people a year are doing it then chances are you are in good enough shape to hike the Samarian Gorge yoursel f. There are three buses a day from Chania to Omalos where the Samarian Gorge begin s and you can ask at your hotel if there are any excursion buses should you be s taying somewhere other than Chania. Lefteris the Cretan Taxi Driver will drive y ou to the entrance of the Samarian Gorge and then pick you up in Hora Sfakion or Palio Hora at the end of the day which is a convenient way to do the journey es pecially if you have two or three other people sharing the cost. If you have a r ental car you can park in the parking lot at the entrance and from Hora Sfakion take a taxi from Sougia or one of the other coastal towns for about 40 euros. Or if there is one person who does not want to walk the gorge they can drive the c ar to one of the towns on the coast and meet you there though it will be helpful to have a couple cell phones so they don't go to Hora Sfakion while you are wai ting impatiently at Palio Hora. But as anything in Greece where there is a will, there is a way, and the easiest way is if you are staying in Chania and you tak e the public bus to Omalos, walk the gorge and then return by ferry from Agia Ro umeli to any of the coastal towns and take a public bus back to Chania. You can also do the Samarian Gorge Trip through City Discovery The Samarian Gorge itself begins high in the Lefka Ori (White Mountains), also c alled the Madares, which means bare, and in the winter and spring their peaks ar e covered in snow. It is the melting snow which makes the gorge dangerous in the non-summer months. My best friend, Dino Nichols came to Crete to walk the gorge in 1989 and found the entrance closed and decided to climb a nearby mountain in stead, and suffered a massive heart attack and died. His last words were "Oh Wow !" which I hope will be my last words as well. In winter and early spring it is worth the trip to Omalos to see the entrance. You are close to the snow line and you can hear and see the water rushing down the mountain. The high plane of Oma los is fertile and green with flocks of sheep and goats and there is a small lak e on the plateau filled with frogs who poke their heads out of the water to see who you are. The drive up is beautiful and you pass through green valleys of cit rus trees, rivers and streams before climbing through the less friendly terrain of the Lefka Ori (White Mountains). A nice detour is the village of Zourva where there is a traditional Cretan taver na called Emilia's with wonderful home cooked food by Emilia herself and a view

of the green valley and tree covered mountains. Nearby is the village of Theriss os, known for being the hometown of Elefterios Venizelos and the place where the 1905 revolt against Prince George began, which led to the union of Crete with t he rest of Greece. The road runs through the 6 kilometer Therisian Gorge which i s an ideal walk for those who visit Crete in the non-Samarian Gorge month or wan t to try something easier. There are two museums in the small village, one the E leftherios Venizelos Museum which focuses on the revolution against Prince Georg e and the Great Powers and the other the Museum of National Resistance which foc uses on the Cretan resistance to the Nazi Occupation of World War Two. Both muse ums are open daily except Monday. There are also several tavernas in the village serving traditional Cretan food. The village of Meskla has a very ornate church built behind the small original church(photo), across from a taverna surrounded by fast moving streams in a valley filled with orange trees. In the winter and spring the smell of citrus fills the air. There are dirt roads through the orcha rds, some ending at seasonal rivers where they begin again on the opposite side. Just because there is a road that goes through a river does not mean that you a re able to cross it, regardless of what kind of vehicle you have. The river leve ls rise and fall and sometimes its safe to cross and sometimes it isn't. The gen eral rule to follow in this situation is unless you have a jeep or a high 4WD ve hicle it is probably not safe unless you can walk across it without getting your feet wet. For those who are walking down the Samarian Gorge who have been patiently waitin g for me to continue with that part of the journey, wear comfortable walking sho es. Ladies, that means no high heels. The trip down into the gorge is steep and a long fall, though dangerous areas are softened by guard rails and steps. Unles s you are a complete idiot it is unlikely that any harm will befall you in the g orge. Along the way there are areas which are only a few meters wide and other a reas wide enough to fit an entire village, the abandoned town of Samaria, which was inhabited until 1965. There is a Byzantine Church to Agia Maria (Saint Mary) of Egypt, which is where the name of Samaria comes from. Finally you exit the g orge at the sea near the small town of Agia Roumeli which has no roads to it but several tavernas and small hotels. In 1978 I was able to camp out here where th e river from the gorge meets the sea, as it turned out a great place for spear-f ishing, and I stayed several days, entertaining the thought of never leaving. Fo r those with hotels and luggage waiting for you in Chania or elsewhere, staying forever is probably not an option so take the boats to Hora Sfakion or Sougia an d Paleohora where either someone is wating for you or you can take the bus. Advice from just about every Cretan guidebook is to start your journey early and avoid the crowds. Having to stand on a bus from southern Crete to Chania will e nable you to make lots of friends but may not be the experience you want after w alking for six hours. Again, for those who did not take the hint before, if you are a group or family of three or four arrange for Lefteris the Cretan Taxi Driv er to drop you off at the entrance of the Samarian Gorge and pick you up in Hora Sfakion. You will be happy you did it this way. If you miss the last bus at 7pm you can take a local taxi or find a hotel. In the summer there are also buses t o Rethymnon from Hora Sfakion. For those who are intriqued by the sound of Agia Roumeli there is a walking path to the village and the boats that go to pick up the gorge trekkers can take you there as well. It may be a good idea to buy a ro und trip ticket if you can. You can also do the Samarian Gorge Trip through City Discovery and they take care of all the details. Hora Safkion is covered in its own section. The town of Paliohora was a former f ishing village turned into hippy paradise and is currently a reasonably low impa ct summer resort town of small hotels and the kind of tourists who fell in love with the place in the last 40 years and have come back every summer since. There is a 13th Century Venetian Castle, a scuba-diving center, a long sandy beach, a small pebble beach and in the summer a beachfront road of tavernas and cafes th at they close to automobile traffic. There are nice walking paths, all the way t

o Elafonissi in the west and past the ancient city of Lissos to Sougia in the Ea st. In fact you can walk as far as Hora Sfakion if you want to spend a few days doing it. The Hellenistic town of Lissos which is about an hour walk from Sougia was known for its healing springs and its Temple to Asklepios. The Romans were here as well, as were the Byzantines who left behind two basilicas with mosaic f loors which are now the churches of the Panagia and Agios Kyriakos. Sougia flour ished during Roman and Byzantine times and was destroyed by the Saracens. There are a couple Byzantine churches and beautiful beaches and is a good choice for e scaping the large summer resort crowds, with a few smaller hotels and a handful of tavernas and some decent nightlife. Its also close to both the Tripiti Gorge and the Agia Irini Gorge, both lesser known by the general public, though popula r with those who live to walk gorges. Agia Irini gorge is one of the most impres sive in Crete and its entrance is 12 kilometers north of Sougia. The island of Gavdos is the southernmost island in Europe and a place for those who really want to escape. With forests of pine and cedar and a climate so mild that you can swim in the winter (sometimes) there are several settlements and vi llages, all reachable on foot and spectacular beaches some of which you can walk to and others reachable only by sea. The port of Karave is reachable by boat fr om Hora Sfakion and Paliohora with few in the off-season and several a week in t he summer. You can take your car on some of the boats but there are bikes to ren t on the island too so you may want to leave it on the main island. The capital of Gavdos is Kastri which is inland but the primary beach town is Sarakiniko whi ch has small hotels and tavernas as do Korfos and Ag Ioannis beaches. Nudity is common and it is one of the few places where free camping is tolerated. Sfakia, Crete On your list of must-see areas is the region of Sfakia on the southern coast of Crete below Chania. Sfakia is to Crete as the Mani is to the Peloponessos. Its a n area that most of those who invaded the island felt it was easier to leave alo ne then to try to conquer. Its men were tough, the land was rugged and to risk l osing your army to invade an area that had little strategic value and inhabitant s who would never submit peacefully was more trouble than it was worth. So the a rea stayed isolated and took on an identity separate from the rest of the island and also became a haven for people around Greece who needed to escape the autho rities. When my grandmother's village of Kyparisi, known then as Kyfanta, was at tacked by the Turks and most of the villagers murdered, the survivers came to Ho ra Sfakion where they felt they would be safe. Though the area has now seen an i nvasion of tourists it is nowhere near the scale of the rest of Crete and the Sf akians still have the reputation of being fiercely independent, strong willed an d willing to fight to the death if they have to. When you hear about the famous Cretan vendettas it usually has to do with families in Sfakia. To get there from Chania you take the National Road east like you are going to R ethymnon and get off at Vrisses with the river that splits the town in half, li ned on each side by cafes and a great place to stop for a coffee were it not jus t 20 minutes from Chania. That is easily remedied by skipping coffee and breakfa st and just getting on the road right away since you will need the entire day an yway. The road climbs into the mountains past goats and sheep and suddenly you p ass through the mountains and see before you a giant green high plain with farms , sheep, a village and the War Museum of Askifou, a place you have to stop and p ay tribute to the late Mr. George A Hatzidakis who in his lifetime managed to co llect and label every single item he could find that had everything to do with t he German invasion, occupation and the Cretan resistance during the Second World War. From German and British helmets, machine guns, pistols, uniforms, canteens , the vintage guns the Cretan's used to fight the Germans, an anti-aircraft gun, a motorcycle like the one Steve McQueen rode in The Great Escape, medals, radio s, nothing is considered too insignificant to have a place in the museum.

Hitler's invasion of Crete was a massive one. The island was defended by 40,000 British, Australian and New Zealand soldiers as well as the remnants of the Gree k army which had escaped the mainland to Crete, most of them without their weapo ns. It was the largest airborne invasion ever and for the Germans it was the blo odiest with the first attackers sufferring casuatlies of 90% as allied soldiers and Cretan farmers simply shot parachutests out of the sky as they slowly decend ed. But with massive air-support and overwhelming numbers the Germans forced the allied soldiers to retreat through this area to the port of Hora Sfakion where they were evacuated to Alexandria, Egypt, leaving the Cretans and handful of int elligence officers to continue the resisitance. George Hatzidakis was a child at the time and witnessed all of this, was wounded himself, saw several family mem bers killed, and his museum is a tribute to those who died during the invasion a nd occupation. Though he has requested support from the Greek government for his museum, he has received none and it survives entirely on donations. The hand pa inted signs make it easy to find and it really is one of those hidden treasures of Crete that even some guidebooks have missed. Click here for more on the War M useum of Askifou. Beyond Askifou is the entrance to the Imbros Gorge near the village of Imbros, y et another of the amazing cracks in the mountains that lead to the sea, this one 7 kilometers long and one of the tallest and narrowest, with many caves and lot s of interesting vegetation and rock formations. From Imbros to the coast is onl y a three hour walk and passes through some Venetian ruins before ending at the village of Komitades which has the popular Porofarango Taverna where most people begin or end their trip since some people enter the gorge from here and walk up wards, if not the whole way at least some distance to get an idea of it. The village of Sfakia, known as Hora Sfakia which means 'village of Sfakia' is i n a small identation in the mostly stone moutains that fall to the sea, the sout h side of the Lefka Ori. You approach it from a new modern road that winds down from the south side of the White Mountains after passing through much of the Imb ros Gorge. This is where the boats from the Samarian Gorge end up so you get sev eral thousand people a day passing through here though few end up staying in the village. Promoted as an escape from the mass-tourism of the north coast of Cret e, there are a number of smallish hotels and several traditional Sfakian taverna s in the newly rennovated port, only one of which is open in the winter. Tourism is limited here but you will find a devoted group who come here every year and sing its praises as one of the best places in Crete to escape the scourge of mas s-tourism. Though our visit was in the winter with the sky gray and much of the town was shuttered, I can easily imagine spending a week or so here, and in Gree ce, once you have spent a week anywhere you will have made friends and probably return. As far as activities there are a couple nice beaches within walking dist ance or that you can get to by excursion boat or with Captain Yannis Water taxi who will take you as far as Agia Roumeli and anywhere else according to the flye rs posted in town. Walking trails lead all the way to Agia Roumeli and the entrance of the Samarian Gorge, going through the village of Annapolis, the site of Ancient Annapolis wi th its Cyclopian walls and remnants of the Romans and the Byzantines who lived h ere. It was a center of resiatance against the Venetians and in 1365 was destroy ed and empty of its inhabitants until the Ottoman occupation. You can drive here and walk to the fishing village of Loutro, site of the ancient city of Phoenix which has several hotels and tavernas on one of the only natural harbors in sout hern Crete and is connected to Agia Roumeli and Hora Sfakion by boat. Kayaks are available to rent and those who are experienced can explore the southern coast of Crete. The ancient city of Araden is built on the edge of the Ardenas Gorge a nd is reached by crossing metal Varinoyannis Bridge the highest bungee jumping b ridge in Greece. The village which is said to have been founded by the Phoenicia ns is largely deserted now but has a Byzantine Church of the Archangel Michael,

built in the 15th Century on the foundation of an earlier church from the 5th or 6th century. If you continue on to the village of Agios Ioannis there are two c hurches known for their interior frescoes. East of Hora Sfakion you pass through several villages that hug the mountainside before coming to a coastal plane and the town of Fragokastelo, named for the 14 th Century fortress that sits above a sandy beach with a small settlement of roo ms and tavernas. Its a great place for a swim, especially in the off season when it is not full of tourists and people who come from the north for the day, usal ly on weekends and in August. The castle itself is an interesting brown color an d you can go inside and walk around, there is no admission charge and unlike mos t castles which are usually in defensive positions you don't have to climb to it . It sits in what in the summer must look pretty much like a parking lot and whi ch in the early spring made me think "What a weird place for a castle". Though b uilt by the Venetians (anybody from Europe were Franks as far as many of the Gre eks were concerned) as a defense against pirate incursions or to quell the rebel liousness of the locals, it was pretty much unused and for a time actually disma ntled until the Ottoman occupation when it was the scene of a bloody battle betw een Cretan revolutionaries led by Dalianis, Tsouderos and Deliyanis against the Turkish forces in 1828. The area is supposedly haunted by the ghosts of these fi ghters whose shadowy figures appear on foot and horseback every year at dawn on May 18th. I don't think there is a road sign in the whole area that has not been shot up a nd if you stop to look at them closely and see how they have shot out the holes on the letter o, for example you have to wonder that if someone did this from a moving car (or pick-up truck most likely) no wonder the Germans had such a hard time in Crete. You can continue along the coast past the beach resort town of Pl akias and the famous Moni Prevali or do as we did and turn north to Rethymnon, a small fishing village half a century ago that is now a sprawling metropolis wit h a cafe lined coast, a beautiful old town and and two notable attractions, an a mazing 16th Century fortress overlooking the city, which should not be missed an d white taxi cabs which must be a nuisance to keep clean. Almost everything you will want to see is within walking distance of the Venetian harbor and many peop le who visit Crete make this their base. There is an Archaeological Museum, a Fo lklore Museum, the lion-headed Rimondi Fountain and various fountains, hamams, m osques and galleries. But for my money Chania is the place to stay and Rethymno n somewhere you can go on a daytrip since it is only about 45 minutes away. If y ou have time stop at Kournas Lake if you have not done so already. Chania Crete Excursions Chania At first spend a good whole day in the old city. Walk around the small roads, vi sit the Naval Museum and the Archeological Museum which though not as important of course as the one in Iraklio definitely one of the cutest little ones you hav e ever seen. See the Cathedral on Chalidon road, the Catholic church right acros s, the Mosque of Kioutsouk Hasan (at Syntrivani Square) and the Jewish Synagogue (renovated and directed by the intriguing Nikos Stavroulakis). Go to the leathe r street (Skridlof), at the knives street (Sifaka), walk on the Kanevaro street, the old Muslin quarter on Zambeliou. Visit the Byzantine Museum on Theotokopoul ou Street. For modern art go to the municipal museum in Chalidon and at Tzamia K ristala, a very interesting gallery with an impressive collection of modern Gree k art, at Skalidi Street. Go to the closed market, a beautiful building from the early 20th century, to buy herbs and cheeses. Cretan graviera and mizithra are two you really have to try. From the back door walk down the Daskalogianni stree t and stop at Agios Nikolaos Square with its platanos tree which is over 200 yea rs old. Stop there to have a coffee or lunch. Then walk Andreas Papandreou stre et in the new city, and go to the small but really nice public gardens with the

clock tower and the amazing out-door cinema called Kipos with mostly old and ar t movies. At the public garden stop in the Caf for an ice cream and for watching the Greek families who go there with their children. Out of Chania Excursion 1. I love the Therissos, Zourva (see the restaurant page), Meskla and Fournes and then back to Chania itinerary which is not far away at all. Excursion 2. I like the Venizelos graves at Akrotiri (4km) with the imposing vie ws of Chania city and then you can go towards the airport to find the 2 Venetia n monasteries of Agia Triada and Gouverneto. Chania is a heaven for people inter ested in churches and Monasteries. At Gouverneto take the small path that leads to the caves and then continue, if you have the courage, to get to the sea (must be a couple of hours, I did it years ago). After that you can either go to Stav ros Beach where Zorba the Greek was filmed, or even better to Marathi, a small a nd very clean beach frequented by the locals. Avoid Sundays. Excursion 3. Near Akrotiri and with the same imposing views of Souda Bay one ca n see the ancient Aptera, the Itzedin Castle, and then my favorite villages of A pokoronas, Armeni, Nio Chorio, Stilos (visit the church Mother of God,12th cen.) , Agii Pantes, Paidochori, Fres, Tzitzifes ( see the restaurant page). Then you can continue towards Sfakia, one of the most famous places in Greece mostly for its savage inhabitants. Before Sfakia (1 hour drive) you will find the beautiful Imbros Gorge. The landscape after Imbros and towards Chora Sfakion is breathtak ing!!!. Once you arrive in Sfakia, avoid staying in the touristy and occasional ly unfriendly Chora Sfakion and go either to Illingas (west, 5 minutes drive) fo r swimming or on the other direction (east) towards Fragkokastelo a 20 minutes d rive, to a very well maintained Venetian castle, with my favorite beach afterwar ds, called Orthi Ammos (you find it easier if you look for a hotel called Fata M organa, and the beach is right below). Now If you like mountains and you are no t afraid to drive on rough cliffs you should definitely visit, before leaving Sf akia, the Anopoli village and the Vardinogiannis bridge (30 minutes from chora S fakion) with an UNBELIEVABLE view of Aradena's Gorge. Excursion 4. West of Chania city and after the city of Kissamos (aka Kasteli) on e can find the Falasarna Beach (40 minutes drive). From Falasarna take the road towards south, go past Sfinari and after a beautiful 40 minutes drive (with amaz ing views of the sea) you arrive at the famous Elafonissi Beach (just before Ela fonissi stop to visit the Chryssoskalitissa Monastery). Don't stay at the main bea ch, walk through the lagoon sea and get on the little island just in front with a number of beautiful and uncrowded coves. Next to Elafonissi but with some diff iculty to find is the Kedrodassos Beach, one of the most beautiful and tropical beaches I have ever seen. On your way back do not take the same road but come t hrough the mountains and after Elos village do a 20 minutes deviation to visit t he stone built village of Milia up in the mountains. You must have lunch here!. Other Excursions from Chania Other excursions that I really like include the world known Samaria Gorge, one o f the longest gorges of Europe. Don't do it if you have knees problems. The Balos and Gramvousa peninsula, you can drive or even better do the cruise from Kissam os. There are 3 boats leaving every day. Take the last one at 12:00. The whole t rip is approximately 8 hours and you have many good hours of swimming and sight seeing apart the boat ride. The Paleochora village (go to Anidri Beach), the Sou gia village and the Gorge of Agia Irini (Crete is a unique geological phenomenon due to it's innumerous gorges), the amazing, amazing, amazing Menies and the anci ent city of Diktyna (you need a jeep to go there and be careful that you don't kil l any wild goats on your way :-) and all the small villages still living the old Cretan authentic way of life found in the inland.

If you need a guide to help you around both in the old city and on your excursio ns don't hesitate to ask the help of the Historian and Archaeologist Tony Fennymor e ([email protected]). If you stay at Ammos Hotel walk from the coast, go past the row of small beaut iful coves. I especially like the cove of Chrissi Akti which is not crowded at a ll. Find the port of Nea Chora with very good and decent priced fish restaurants .(see the restaurant page) and finally arrive at the Venetian harbor and the old city (4km walk). If You want to walk towards the mountains then go to the small but well preserv ed village of Galatas (30 minutes walk from Ammos Hotel ). Finally don't miss the sunset from the sea stones mosaic surrounded swimming pool!