May 8, 2025

May 8, 2025

Unfortunately Athens, Greece is not our final destination, so we are up before dawn once again to catch the shuttle 25 minutes back to the airport. We arrive to a madhouse, but surprisingly the Greeks are organized, efficient, and well manned and we are through security in no time. It seems the Greeks and Germans have switched sides in history. At the gate we met my sister and brother-in-law from Milwaukee who are going to travel with us.

We are bussed out to our plane for the short flight south to the island of Crete. As we approach the ‘second city’ of Chania, I can see Crete is a long rocky island with steep cliffs and tall snow-capped mountains. This terrain is a result of Crete’s volcanic birth with the crashing of African continent into the European tectonic plate.

As we walk across the tarmac to the terminal, I hear a US transport roar across the sky. This is a reminder that the US Air Force operates next-door and the US Navy has a base in the adjoining Souda Bay. We meet our driver who ferries us past the NATO missile encampment to our hotel in the old town of Chania.

Aimee and I are very happy to be finally here. It has been four flights and two full days of travel. Fortunately the weather is delightful and we have no pressing sites to see. We have lots of time to relax and overcome our jet lag.

After checking in, we started our exploration walking east along the port. Chania has a very long history but most of it is hidden and only slowly being rediscovered. The current architecture is from the time of the Venetians. During the late Middle Ages, the trading power of Venice had a string of fortified ports throughout the eastern Mediterranean. Chania was one of them. During our walk we pass large, fortified walls with a small harbor and lighthouse. During times of danger, a great chain could be stretched across the sea opening to prevent enemy ships from entering. Venetian power eventually waned and Chania was taken by the Ottomans in 1645. An old mosque still dominates the town center.

We spend most of our time checking out the string of restaurants that line the seaport. We settled on one with a nice view of the harbor. Aimee and I share a tasty tortilla wrap.

We spent the afternoon walking the narrow streets of the old town. It is full of clothing shops. Aimee and my sister love it. I didn’t know I could be so patient.

After resting at the hotel we had dinner at a Winery restaurant. Aimee and I shared a traditional Cretan Stew and a Spinach salad. We finished with Panna Cotta for dessert and a shot of Raki, a grape distillate, as a digestif. We walked back to the hotel along the shoreline now lit up beautifully.