Crete, Greece

Crete is a beautiful Greek island with rich history dating back 5000 years, culture and world famous beaches. We are staying in a villa in a village called Sfinari which is on the western coast of Crete.  It is about an hour to the major city Hania or Chania but its pretty close to some world famous beaches - Falarsana, Elafonisi, and Balos.

Driving

Driving here for the first time can be confusing. The signs are written in Roman and Greek alphabets, and some signs only have Greek letters. For someone with no knowledge of Greek, try figuring out where you are going..

Some of the interesting sites in this place are the shrines along the roads. Some are modest while some are quite elaborate, marking sites of accidents or dedications by people who survived accidents or tragedies. A first time driver, has to be careful on the winding hill-top roads, whilst admiring these shrines.

Famous Beaches


Greece has very beautiful beaches, and the most amazing ones are here in Crete.  We have been to Falarsana and Elafonisi.  Falarsana remains one of the best beaches we have seen. The big waves and log rollers are great for splashing around.

Elafinisi is a stunning beach, with powdery white and pink sand. Great for children because of the shallow lagoon and turquoise water.

Raki--is the local drink around here. (It is their "kaikai"). It is offered at dinners. It is quite different from the Raki we had in Turkey.

Wild goats are all over the place. You can only imagine sweet and tasty pepper soup one can have of these naturally grazing, animals. Yum, yum.

 One travel writer relates that this is place where some one accused of stealing will go to Church and swear in the name of Zeus that they are innocent! Quite interesting.

Hania

 It is the largest city on the western coast of Crete and was its capital till 1971.  It played a significant role in the Battle of Crete (WWII).  The Cretan Resistance along with Allied help kidnapped the German commander and suffered severe reprisals as a result.  Some of the damage is still present.

   

Old City--Hania
We went into the Old City - lots of history - Minoan, Venetian, and Ottoman.  

Mosque of Kioutsouk Hassan (a/k/a Mosque of Janissaries) Now used for exhibition.

 

Church of Agios Nikolaos
This church was built by the Venetians in 1205; in 1605 the Ottoman converted it to a Mosque, but in 1918 the Orthodox Church recovered it.  It has one of Hania's remaining minarets

 The Byzantium and Greek flag at Agios Nikolaus, celebrating victory over the Ottoman empire:

Venetian Lighthouse in the background at the harbor