Our harbourside hotel in Chania

The Venetians controlled a large trading empire from the 12th to 18th centuries leaving behind a legacy of fine architecture in Italy and Greece. Crete was an important Venetian base on this historic trading route. That’s how we ended up strolling along an old Venetian harbour in Chania, the second largest city on the island of Crete.

We stayed in a lovely little hotel recommended in our guidebook. The location overlooking the harbour was fantastic. Gazing out our window we could see the awnings over the harbourside cafes, smell the gyros, and listen to restaurant owners coaxing visitors to stop at their establishment.

We wandered leisurely through the narrow backstreets and picked up a few trinkets. We took our time sussing out the cafes with their checkered tablecloths to choose the ideal spot to enjoy the Mediterranean views.

My visit to Chania was full of little discoveries. Eating my first ever souvlaki, I discovered this dish is grilled meat on a skewer (so basically a ‘kebab’).

I also discovered Crete was mountainous. We did a 5 hour hike through the Samarian Gorge. The steep pebbly path zig zagged through gorge and along the valley floor. I enjoyed it. My knees and ankles did not.

Finally, instead of tunnels, the roads wind up and down the mountains making a seemingly short journey quite long. This meant it was not convenient to explore the island from one location. Otherwise I would have loved to stay more than two nights in Chania.

Our harbourside hotel was so lovely to return to at the end of the day, falling asleep to the chatter of people in the harbour below.

We would eventually follow the trading route back to Italy. There was more Venetian architecture to come.

This is one entry from my 1992 European backpacking trip with my friend Sarah. If you want to start at the beginning, please check out The journey starts in Nice.