Hania

Thursday, May 8th, 2014, Kissamos Crete
We spent only 2 nights in Hania because we felt that we could see all of the old town, which is what there is to see, in that time. We were right but we probably could have stayed an extra night just because we liked it so well. The old town is pretty and there are lots of pedestrian streets, restaurants and little shops. Although we hardly buy anything, we realize every time we get to a new town that for many people, travel is all about shopping. Otherwise all these clothing, jewelry, leather goods etc. stores wouldn't exist.

 The day before yesterday, for the start of our full day of wandering in Hania, we visited the cathedral. It's a bit dark and of heavy construction, but it had some interesting religious paintings. Some of the themes we hadn't seen before.

 Then we wandered along the western old town wall, which is mostly intact. Large parts of the other walls have disappeared, no doubt used as recycled building materials. From the bastion at the west side of the harbour we could see across the channel to the lighthouse on the other side.

 There are lots of vines and flowers growing everywhere.

 Eventually, we walked all the way around the harbour and out on the breakwater to the lighthouse. From the breakwater we could look in toward the old town.

 This is a typical street in the old town. Most streets are narrow and for pedestrians only and some have overhanging vines. Very pretty.

 In the evening, we went back to Portes and ate at one of their street tables, against the old city wall. We had stuffed, marinated sardines, local snails and bourek, which here means a layered eggplant and feta dish. The food was excellent. At the end of the meal, the waiters again brought out a small dessert and a small bottle of raki with 2 shot glasses. Usually when we order 2 main courses in Greece, dessert and either ouzo or raki just appears for no charge. Ouzo is a bit milder and aniseed flavoured while raki is firewater.

The owner of Portes is a lady who came to Greece from Ireland 21 years ago with her 1 year old son and her husband. Now her 3 sons help in the restaurant when they're not in school. We thanked her for the good meal and the raki. Anita mentioned that it reminded us of her father's favourite drink, moonshine, which he hasn't had much of for a long time. The restaurant owner was very pleased that we were happy and gave us a small bottle of raki to take home to share with Anita's father. Unfortunately, the bottle leaks a bit so we'll have to drink it here. We'll have to get at that in the next few days. Anita's dad just celebrated his 89th birthday on May 1st so maybe we should all drink more moonshine.
Including a tip, which is never expected, we spent 29 euros ($43.50) for a fantastic meal. As we have said, Greek restaurants are not cheap but they're not exorbitant. The food is usually really good; there's no HST or expected tip; the service is excellent; there's no rush and often there are added desserts and liqueurs. We've never felt like we were being gouged, as one can sometimes feel in Canada if food and service are mediocre.
Yesterday morning, we caught the bus to Kissamos, a little further west along the north coast of Crete. The Hania bus station is busy but not unmanageable and the trip here only took a little over an hour. We're staying on the waterfront on the northeast edge of town, which is a great base for exploring the area for a few days.