Chania and Kalvyes

Last Saturday night I went to Chania (pronounced Hania) with a friend to see a band. She is friends with the drummer, and it sounded like a good time. Chania is about an hour away from the village and is considered “the big city” from here (Rethymno is “going into town” and Chania would be “going to the city”. Heraklion, where I flew into, is only about an hour 30 minutes away, but people refer to it like it is the other side of the island, it’s interesting). Chania is a large port where yachts and cruise ships come in, and it is also the home of a NATO base, so there is a large (for Crete) American population there. I have been encouraged by many locals to try to find other Americans there. What I found interesting, and I wasn’t able to explore on this trip but I am hoping to on a future one, is because of the ex-Pat community there, it appears that Chania is one of the only places in Greece with second hand shops. Those basically do not exist elsewhere, as they are apparently more popular in the US and the UK, and so are generally where those populations are. Once I get a car I would love to check them out.

We did not end up staying to listen to the band for long (they were playing on the street and the volume on the speakers was just a little too loud for the space people were listening from, plus it was 4 older white gentlemen, none from the Caribbean, who started playing more reggae than I personally was comfortable listening too from them), but instead was shown around the touristy bit of the city we were in. The 1866 square is filled with bakeries that I can’t wait to try, and I am still kicking myself for not getting pictures of the port, as it is beautiful. It was built when the Venetians had control of the island, and it very much looks like it. Next time I will get pictures.

We ended up eating at a restaurant known to the other people I was with, which is located in an alleyway, and has a small bite menu, and it was really good. Did I get pictures of the food or where we ate, nope, forgot to do that too, but while we were there a traveling band came by and played more traditional music for us. With a saxophone, that was a first for me with Greek music. It was a lovely night.

On the way to Chania, we did make a quick stop in Kalyves and I was able to get these pictures of the water. There is no beach to speak of, but people were jumping directly from the rock area into the water to swim. And how beautiful!