Chania by the Sea

Today we set out for Chania by leaving our lively Lato Hotel and guiding our suitcases down the fairly steep street to the bus station. There are no trains or ferries which traverse the cities on the island, so the bus is the only option. We pass the taxi booth and Tony goes in to buy our tickets for the bus, about 15 euros each. We are able to have our luggage loaded on down below and queue up to take our seats in what appears to be an old Trafalgar coach. Quite a pleasant scenic journey skirting the coastline heading westwards to Chania. We stop at a number of small towns and resorts. Our young bus conductor checks our tickets, then leaves the coach and another

boards further along and proceeds to recheck tickets. No chance of missing an inspection. We stop for a short while at Rechymo which is obviously quite a large city.
Traffic rules are often ignored in Greece, as we saw in Italy years ago. We heard it said that the Stop and Give Way signs are only a suggestion! We hold our breath as motorcyclists weave in and out of traffic so very closely. At one point our bus is held up by a guy who has parked in the middle of the street and no one can get around. Our driver beeps his horn for a few minutes while we wait but no one comes. So we wait till traffic clears in the opposite lane and drive round the hazard that way. Our driver is cursing all the time.
After about three hours we arrive in Chania and it is a hassle to find our hotel. The footpaths are barely accessible in places and it's so hard to wheel and manoevre luggage along. Finally a guy on a bicycle shows us where to go.

The Porto Venezuela Hotel is situated right on the waterfront in the old town port with yachts and boats moored just below our private balcony. Our room is beautiful with striped black and white curtains and a window that opens from the top to let in the air. We are doing away with the aircon as much as possible as we're both fighting a bronchial virus at present - for me, the usual if there's too much recirculated air around. Tony, like me, also prefers fresh air to aircon, and the weather is not too hot here.
The receptionist asks if we have any special needs for breakfasts and Tony mentions my being gluten-free. She says they will source some gf bread for me.
We dine at a local place called Sali's and both choose osso bucco. It is quite tasty with truffle oil risotto. We return to the hotel where a pianist is playing in the bar so we sit down and enjoy the ambience there.
The breakfast next morning at 9am - we are finding it very hard to rise

earlier - is wonderful. I enquire about an almond cake, if it has any flour in it. The waitress said it is flourless so I try it - delicious. She says she will ask the chef if he can make me a gf cake as well, even though I say the almond cake is quite enough for me, thank you. She says if I need lactose free milk, they could get it also. So obliging. Interesting that they have so many sweet items - pastries, apple pies, croissants, Danish pastries and cakes for breakfast - the kind of food we would eat for morning tea.
Today we set out to explore Chania and find that the most picturesque area is exactly where we are situated, overlooking the water at Porto Venezuela and facing the old sea wall where you can walk along on either higher or lower level. The upper level is narrower and a bit scary for some of us. Tony is fearless and chooses this one.
The cobblestone streets are old and grimy, the shops are often cluttered and messy. We see dogs and cats sleeping here and there,

even inside shops where customers are. The ambience of the streets and beauty of the sea is a delight, and no wonder we see tourists like ourselves everywhere.
I love the leather products, notably the soft leather purses (made from lambskin I'm told) and the beautiful handbags. I buy a few purses and Tony buys handbags for his daughters.
The fish shops are a sight with large open containers with all kinds of fish displayed. Of course it is cold inside the shop as the fish are sitting in ice ready to be purchased.
The grocery shops often include vats of olives out front where you can scoop up your favourites. Lots of trinket shops too with scarves, tea towels, coasters and nic-nacs for souvenirs.
Prices in Crete are about the same as in Australia right now. We pay about $15 - $20 for a lunch for one, about $40 for a dinner plus a drink for one, and there are always surcharges for bread (even if we

decline) or service extras. They are getting as much as they can out of the tourists! We hear that the restaurants are much cheaper in Athens and on the mainland, as customers are far fewer. They are doing it tough over there at present. Crete is certainly a holiday destination for many Europeans and others like us.
Next day we are intrigued by the number of police, coastguard and fire engine personnel at the port of Chania. There is a police bus, several police on motorcycles patrolling the waterside and two policewomen barricading the long walk along the fortress wall. What is happening? We ask the receptionist at our hotel. She tells us that the Greek Prime Minister Alexis is visiting Chania for the day to discuss local business. This makes sense. We see the TV crews later that morning near a conference centre with many police and tourists gathered outside.
We dine at an esplanade restaurant again (they are so inviting with amazing views of the water). This time I order the calamari and octopus risotto. All is going well until I have a sudden bad sensation of prawn somewhere in there and that puts me off totally. I'm highly allergic to shrimp. Tony eats the big chunks of octopus while I eat some of the calamari and risotto until that feeling of itchiness reaches my throat. Time to stop! My theory is that all the seafood is cooked together in a big wok and then sorted onto different plates. So the shrimp taste was everywhere. What a shame!
We are given 'free' ice cream but of course the Greeks add other things to the table and charge you whether or not you eat it. It happened in Heraklion the other night when an extra $25 is added to the bill for entree vegetables and bread crusts with sausage as well as a plate of bread which we didn't order. We're supposed to enjoy it and pay for it too! They are actually very cunning.
The other night we are given a slice of biscuit and raki, an alcoholic Greek drink as an addition at the end of the meal. The waiter says this is an extra they are giving us and no, we don't have to pay for it. This is to sweeten us up a bit, says Tony. However, we give our usual 10% tip at the end and later notice on the bill that they have added an extra service charge. Always a bit of bill shock in Crete. I can't say the same for Athens. But Crete is a huge holiday destination and they can afford to charge in the summer months as in winter time the tourists disappear.
We enquire about day trips boating and swimming and we do venture out on one day. We enjoy relaxing in our room or watching the boats come and go. We're not really hungry as we've been eating so much lately. Would be good if we could be happy with just two meals a day from now on. The breakfasts are enough to last us a whole day.
Walking along the seaboard at night is magical. Lots of fellows or women touting their restaurants - very hard to get past sometimes. We try to be polite. The lighthouse is spectacular at sunset and the glow from all the boardwalk cafes and restaurants is ethereal. Very romantic place. We'd love to come back here again.