The Greek island of Crete could be a country all on its own. It's the most populated island and it's got mountain ranges, valleys, beaches, gorges, lakes and rivers. I spent 3 days in Crete, with Air BnB accommodations in the second largest city of Chania.
Here's what I was up to in Crete!
Here's what I was up to in Crete!
Old town Chania was one of the most charming little cities placed between the mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. It's tentatively a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as the architecture has both Venetian and Ottoman influences. Particularly, walking along the port to the Chania lighthouse and climbing atop the Bastion of Schiavo has panoramic views of the city.
View from the Bastion of Schiavo in Chania
Old port of Chania
Building with Ottoman influence in Chania
Bougatsa at Bougatsa Iordanis in Chania, Crete
Crete is well-known for its unique cuisine. One of the stops that we made was a little shop called Bougatsa Iordanis that makes nothing but Bougatsa, cheese-filled layers of phyllo dough dusted with sugar. MMMMMM. They've been making it since 1924 and I'm pretty sure the shop also made an appearance in Yotam Ottolenghi visits Crete.
Another food highlight was Kouzina EPE, a cafeteria style restaurant that's apparently quite popular with the locals. They have a backyard patio and tons of reasonably priced food. OH. And at the end of the meal (lunch or dinner) there's panna cotta and ouzo (anise flavoured liquor). It was so good we ate there twice!
Blue Cheese Broccoli Quiche at Kousina EPE in Chania, Crete
Short ribs at Kousina EPE in Chania, Crete
Snails at Kousina EPE in Chania, Crete
Okay. Last noteworthy meal for Chania, Crete - Tamam Restaurant. It was a bit out of the way, hidden in a nondescript alley way but I would consider it in the top 3 meals that I ate in Greece. The night that we decided to visit, Tamam had a 5 course wine tasting menu for €35, which included 5 generous glasses of Greek wine.
Giant Baked Beans with Dill and Honey at Tamam Restaurant in Chania, Crete
Vegetable Fritters at Tamam Restaurant in Chania, Crete
Fresh Sardines at Tamam Restaurant in Chania, Crete
Tamam Salad at Tamam Restaurant in Chania, Crete
Eggplant in Bechamel with Veal at Tamam Restaurant in Chania, Crete
Lamb and Potatoes cooked in Butter at Tamam Restaurant in Chania, Crete
Samaria Gorge (€5 regular, 1/2 price for students), a world biosphere reserve, is 13km steep hiking trail that ends at the quaint town of Agia Roumeli. It's closed during the winter but it just so happened to open early on the day that we wanted to go. My parents weren't up for the 13km hike downhill so instead we took a bus (~€8 each way) from Chania to Hora Sfakion and a boat (~€12.70 each way) from Hora Sfakion to Agia Roumeli (the foot of the gorge). From Agia Roumeli, we walked to the narrowest part of the gorge (called the Iron Gate) and back, which took a couple hours.
If you plan on walking the Samaria Gorge (up or down), I would highly suggest wearing comfortable, sturdy shoes.
The hike up to Samaria Gorge
I found Crete to be the most diverse of the Greek islands that I visited - great food, nature, history - Crete had it all yet felt the least touristy. I spent most of the time on the westernmost part of the island of Chania and I know that one day I will be back to visit the archeological site of Knossos and the Heraklion area on the other side of the island.
This is the third post in a five part series.
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