CHANIA
I flew from Rome to Athens. From Athens to the airport in Chania, and landed in the middle of a storm. I had forgotten that the US has a large military base at Souda Bay, and the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier was just coming into port for repairs to the damage it had sustained in the small skirmish in the Middle East. What a time to visit this part of the world!
I am going to digress for just a paragraph and tell you that during my years of travel, several times several airlines, all European (Air France, Aegean, Jet2), which I had already booked flights on, contacted me via email a week before I was to depart, to ask if I would like to upgrade my ticket to First/Business Class for a nominal fee. How much is nominal, you ask? For my flight from Mexico City to Paris on Air France, an 11-hour flight, to move from Premium Economy to Business Class was $500, with full bed seats, a great menu, and French wine choices – I didn’t think more than 30 seconds before I hit YES. Jet2 from London to Paris – $40. And most recently, Aegean on both legs of my trip from Rome to Crete -$50. I have never seen offers like this on any American carriers, but if you are lucky enough for airlines to have empty seats in Business or First Class that they want to fill for a small additional amount, it is well worth the money!
The Chiana airport is smallish. They let 5 of us off the plane – we rushed down the push-up stairs as huge drops of rain hit us, made it to the bus, and flew into the terminal as the skies opened – and waited. No more passengers arrived, and neither did our luggage. A worker finally gathered us together to say that the storm had gotten so bad that they feared that if they let the passengers off, and the baggage handlers try to move the luggage, someone would be hurt. So we waited…and waited.
I was staying at the Nisos Apartments in the center of Chiana. My B&B owner, Sandra, had arranged for a driver to pick me up – and I hoped he was waiting as well.
Finally, the storm abated, the passengers got off the plane, and the luggage arrived. And Manolis, my driver, who patiently waited, was a font of knowledge. (FYI – Turned out he and Sandra’s husband (also named Manolis) have been best friends since they were 5 years old).
On the ride into town, he filled me in on the ancient history of Chania and all that I should see and do – if it ever stopped raining! He carried my luggage into the apartment, made sure I had everything I needed, and said to call him if I needed him for anything else. What a nice man – and as you will see – I took him up on his offer a few days later.
It was late, but I found Cretian pies waiting for me to heat up, a bottle of raki (Greek moonshine) to sip, cookies, tea bags, coffee, and a soft bed to fall asleep in.
The next morning, I had booked a Food/Walking Tour of Chania through AirB&B Experiences. Our group of 9 (Canadian, American, Filipino, British) met up at a local coffee shop that served only one item, plus a choice of either Greek coffee or tea.
It was a small layered pastry, much like baklava, but not as sweet. (Sorry, I have lost my notes on what it is called.) Before indulging, we watched an older gentleman make these intricate pastries in the back of the shop. He does this every day of the week from 6:00a.m. until noon, and has been doing the same thing for almost 50 years!
From there, we set off to sample everything from cookies to olive oil to gyros, and get an in-depth history of the Old Town. The streets are paved (not cobblestoned) with marble, and the winding, narrow streets are ‘car-less.’ Shops filled with some nice, but mostly touristy items, line each side of the passageways, interspersed with hotels, B&Bs, and hostels. Tourism is a major part of Chania’s economy.
The two lovely ladies from the Philippines and I struck up a conversation, and after 4 hours of nibbling and walking, decided we would like to sit and enjoy a real lunch. We had a great time, and I even got an invitation to visit them on their beautiful island of Cebu.
Though the weather was damp and cold every day, I walked along the seafront and enjoyed several delicious meals of fresh seafood brought in that morning on one of the many fishing boats that filled the marina.
B&B owner, Sandra, and her Manolis, showed up on Sunday morning to take me out for coffee and meet their friends. Besides owning apartments in town, Manolis runs his own construction company, and Sandra is a Professor of Math at the local college.
We walked into Old Town, and I enjoyed sipping my coffee and listening to these 3 couples chat away. Once in a while, they would ask me a question in English, but most of the time I sat and enjoyed listening to their chatting, which was ‘all Greek to me!’ (Ha, I just had to write that!)
From Chania, I was headed to the center of the island and the beautiful village of Rethymno. I could take a bus, but I had read and seen videos of the mountains towering above Chania and the deep gorge that everyone said was a ‘must-see.’ So I called ‘my Manolis’ and asked if he would give me a tour up into the mountains, stopping for lunch at a local taverna, and dropping me in Rethymno. He said yes – and we set off on a cloudy morning on our way up!
Oranges and olive trees lined each side of the road for miles as we began our climb into the mountains. As we got higher, these gave way to SNOW AND HAIL! with fog and gushing waterfalls onto the roads.
We made a brief stop to see a beautiful, old church (church/mosque/church – typical of most places of worship, going from Greek to invading Turkish/Moors/Spanish/ back to Greek)…
…before continuing UP and around roads just as winding and curving as those I drove when living in the mountains of North Carolina!
But the most amazing part of this journey (when I could finally pry my hand off the bar I had been gripping while we slowly traversed those slippery roads with nothing along the sides except a VERY steep drop-off) was Manolis’ choice for lunch.
The restaurant is Dounias, located in the tiny mountain village of Drakona. The owner, Stellios, greeted us like family, while stirring his pots that were bubbling away on the outside grill. Even more selections were roasting in the huge, inside wood-fired oven.
We were seated next to a massive fireplace with a blazing fire. Stellios came out of the kitchen and walked just behind me to deposit coals from the indoor wood ovens in the fireplace. The warmth as he passed closely by my shoulders was nice, but when I saw what he was doing – and he did it numerous times over the course of dinner – I must admit I hoped he wouldn’t get any closer!
We were not given a menu. Just told to enjoy, as the first of many glasses of local wine was poured, and the first dish – a combination of amazing ingredients making up a salad, was served.
Let me preface the photos with the fact that this is a true farm-to-table experience. It’s Stellios’ farm, and everything you eat – from the vegetables in the salad to the fresh-baked bread you are served, to the meat (beef, pork, goat), plus potatoes, the wine you drink, and the raki you finish with – is all grown on the farm and made in the kitchens. Haven’t a clue where he got the snails! It was one of the most delicious and memorable meals I have ever had.
Manolis then drove me slowly down the mountain, out of the fog and snow, and into Rethymno, where instead of rain, massive waves were crashing up and over the walls. Once again, no cars were allowed in the Old Town. He had to drag my luggage several blocks to the B&B where we, alas, parted company ): But I have his contact info if you are ever in Chania and need a driver and/or a tour guide!
Dinner was not even a consideration that evening. I just settled in and planned my next day of exploration, as the sun was finally forecasted to shine!
Until next time….
My Home on the Roam 