I'm looking out across the bay. The sun sparkling on the water and in the
distance the city of Chania appears in a blue mist in the afternoon sun.
I'm staying just outside Chania at Agio Apostoli in North West Crete.
The local bus drops me in the square of the "Old Town" and I'm on a
short walk past the tourist shops and restaurants , heading towards the
picturesque Venetian harbour. I stop at a narrow alleyway set back from
the road and enter a small courtyard leading to the Chania folk museum,
a peaceful haven away from the hustle and bustle of early evening Chania.
Entrance to the museum
Then,on to the harbour with the numerous restaurants and tavernas
busily trying to compete with each other for the tourist's custom.
The building though that captures my attention is the 17th. century
former mosque "Giali Tzamisi" or "mosque of the bay" which now houses
events and exhibitions.
"The Mosque at Chania"
At the entrance to the harbour stands the Chania lighthouse, over 500
years old and one of the oldest in the world.
A quiet spot away from the crowds!
A few days later I catch the quirky "roadtrain" that takes a
three hour trip towards the Therissos gorge. Wending our way
through the orange and olive groves and small villages, all the time
seeing, in the distance, the "White Mountains" so called because the
limestone gives an impression of snow-capped peaks.
"White Mountains"
Then on through the gorge with an abundance of grazing goats
until we reach the village of Therissos itself, stopping for a beer
and feta pastries.
