A BIT OF CRETE
Two days ago, we docked in Chania, a city on Crete’s northern coast. Long before it became part of modern Greece, Chania was ruled by the Venetians and later the Ottoman Empire. Its architecture is rich with Venetian and Moorish influences. Since we were in port, we could walk off the ship instead of having to be tendered in. Shuttle buses took us from the terminal up to the center of town. We walked down then to the lovely small Venetian Harbor which is partially enclosed by a stone wall on the water side which you can walk along all the way to the lighthouse.
On the land side, there is a popular promenade which is lined with café and restaurant after café and restaurant offering Greek specialties galore. The fortification on the water side terminates in a delicate lighthouse tower leaving just a small stretch of open water from the harbor to the sea. We strolled along the promenade noting also the pointed roof arsenals, warehouses for the storage of ships and gear in the winter. It was Sunday and lots of folks were dining, hawkers were enthusiastically trying to entice passersby for a fishing or snorkeling cruise, and the waterfront was alive.
At the far end of the promenade, the Chief Penguin stuck his head in the maritime museum, while I briefly checked out the Mediterranean International Bookstore. It had a surprisingly large selection of English guide books and Greek history along with novels from the UK and the US. I picked up a novel set in the Cretan mountains.
Later, we walked farther into the town noting small lanes filled with shops and stalls, one all bootmakers and another just leather goods. The market, built in 1913, was tightly closed, although we pressed our noses to the glass, as was the supermarket across the street. A small square was dominated by a Greek Orthodox Church. The exterior was classic in style; the interior was done in shades of blue with dark wooden side chairs for the congregation and elaborate crystal chandeliers. Several statues also graced the square outside, but the inscriptions were only in Greek making it impossible to identify them.
From the harbor side view, one building in particular stood out on the skyline and that was the Kioutsouk Hassan mosque with a large central dome and more than ten smaller ones. It was built in the late 1600’s. Although we were only in Chania a couple of hours, we got the flavor of the Old Port neighborhood.
AT SEA
After leaving Chania, we sailed the Mediterranean Sea for a day and a night before arriving in Haifa, Israel early this morning. Israel has strict immigration rules so all passengers had to exit the ship (beginning at 6:30 A.M.) and go to the terminal building a few steps away. We went through security, showed our passports to the Israeli officials, and got back our passports along with a small slip allowing us to be there. We then re-boarded our ship, showing our ship ID card as we did.
What does one do on a day you are constantly in motion? There are more shipboard activities than usual, often a lecture or two, and the chance to just relax. I did some reading—light novels set in various Greek isles—and the Chief Penguin and I walked briskly around the promenade deck a few times. The goal was to get in enough steps so we could eat well at lunch and dinner and perhaps even indulge. The food on board is so good with such variety that temptation is always at hand!
RECENT READING
The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes
Moyes writes popular fiction for women and I’ve read a number of her earlier novels. This one was of particular interest to me because it’s about a group of librarians in the backwoods of Kentucky in the late 1930’s. Eleanor Roosevelt was concerned about getting books and other reading material to people who didn’t have access to them and so proposed the idea of packhorse librarians. These women went on horseback (or mules) up into the hills and mountains carrying books with them. They were not usually trained librarians, but readers or lovers of books and/or adventure, who were paid modestly for their efforts. This novel focuses on a few of these women and the challenges they faced both from the men in their lives and in the town and their struggles with the rugged terrain and the weather. I found it an absorbing story.
Lighter Fare Set in Greece for Cruising or the Beach
The Summer House in Santorini by Samantha Parks
The Honey Farm on the Hill by Jo Thomas (Crete)
Note: No photos here given very slow WiFi speeds. Text ©JWFarrington.
