9th -13 May - Chania, Crete, Greece

This was to be a relaxing holiday with not the same emphasis on wildlife seen on the last trip to Costa Rica, but there was going to be some interesting sights and some wonderful sunsets.  This post is focusing on the area around where we were staying.

Chania is on the western end of Crete, the largest of the Greek Islands.  The island stretches from east to west and is 162 miles wide.  The first settlers here were the Minoans, who built there palaces here 4,000 years ago.  Over time the islands have been occupied by the Romans, Turks and Venetians, all responsible for shaping the island both culturally and geographically.

Chania is Crete's second largest city, the largest being Heraklion.  The old town is colourful with Venetian buildings lining the harbour.  South of Chania and visible behind the city are the Lefka Ori, the White Mountains.  There was still some snow on the caps of these mountains during our visit.

Our hotel was west of the main city and situated on the beach with views of the Akrotiri Peninsula and this afforded some wonderful sunsets.  We timed dinner so as to be able to enjoy them as we sat down to eat.

Beach umbrellas, a very important symbol to Helen and I.

Stunning colours reflected in the calm sea.

Haze or dust adding to the scenery.

On the 11th we made our way into the old town and made our way to the Old Town where we walked around the harbour.

Looking out to the mouth of the harbour.

Looking back towards the city with the imposing back drop of the Lefka Ori.

The domed building is known as the Yali Tzami.  This was a mosque that was converted by the Turks, and allowed them to set their stamp Crete after the conquest in 1645.  It is the oldest Ottoman building on the island and is today used as a Gallery.

Another imposing feature of the old town and the harbour is the Lighthouse.  This was built by the Venetians.

Look closely and you can see the specks of snow on the mountains.

Relic buildings on the outer harbour wall were used as warehouses by the Venetians, windows look out over the sea.

A rugged limestone coast line.

Some relics of the past on the harbour wall.

Our view of the Lighthouse as we sat and had a drink in a harbour side bar.

A morning walk around the beach near to the hotel took us up on to a rock that was covered in wild flowers and plants.  Unfortunately a lot of the flowers had gone over, but it still looked very impressive.

Red Poppies on the cliffs.

The view from the rock towards the developments on the coast line.

Our view, the Domes Noruz.

Some more sunsets towards the end of our time in Crete.

There will be a couple more posts from Crete.