After my walk in Samaria Gorge, I'm ready for a bit of chill time and so, I head off to explore the old part of Hania. This former capital of Crete is very pretty, filled with labyrinthine streets, artsy stores and great little sidewalk restaurants. I just walked around and let myself get lost for about 4-5 hours. Hania's Venetian architecture (remember Venice used to own Crete?) is also influenced by Turkey, the result of many years of squabbling -- OK, horrific wars -- between the two empires in the 1600s. Iraklion ended up replacing Hania as the capital of Crete in 1971.
Walking on the pier and looking back toward Hania
Asked this lady to take the photo above and she turned out to be a really cool, interesting woman. Her name is Lynn, she lives in Scotland and she has traveled EVERYWHERE. She treated me to a nice, cold beer along the harbor, just for the pleasure of chatting for an hour or so. This is one of my favorite things about backpacking.
This boutique was filled with beautiful rugs and blankets. The owner (pictured here playing cards) ragged me out for 'making' him get up from his game to check up on me in the store. I kindly replied -- in Natalie-style sarcasm -- 'Please sir -- get back to your card game. I have no problem shopping elsewhere'. Sheesh. Perhaps he hasn't noticed he's running a BUSINESS? The sad thing is, this boutique is pictured in my 2010 Greece guidebook, with both men playing cards right in the same exact spot. They haven't moved since at least 2010!
Perfect spot to grab some lunch. Next to vine-covered ruins....
After spending 3 days here, Hania has become one of my favorite cities in Europe. Truly charming. The next day, I head back to Iraklion via Rethymno (pronounced REH-thim-no) to take a ferry to Santorini. Can't wait to get there, but until then, here are some shots of Rethymno and Iraklion....
Rethymno, looking a lot like Hania...
I could have bought ALL of these... So beautiful!
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