Crete, Greece

View sunset, Chania city lights to the left

Sunrise first full day, 10/22- Sailboat, island, moon, pink clouds

The city of Chania at sunrise, view from the apartment

Beautiful blue-domed church downtown, zoomed view from apartment

Chania from the apartment

The Aegean Sea right outside the apartment

The harbour at night from near the maritime museum looking out over the sea. We are about at the structure immediately opposite the lighthouse on the next picture.

The lighthouse at night.  Quite visible from our apartment as well.

Map of the Old Venetian Harbour

Views of only a few of the restaurants ringing the large harbour in Chania.

Panoramic of the old wall that ends in the lighthouse at the harbour.  Ships are parked around this end and leave between the lighthouse and the maritime museum housed in an old fortress. There are restaurants ringing the entire harbour which is 1.9 kilometers long from end to end, including the lighthouse walk.  There are also several instances of  Byzantine era fort walls (which were actually built upon walls from another earlier era).  I love the Chania Harbour.

Another view of the Harbour

Old walls in the Harbour

Venetian Harbour

Lighthouse at Venetian Harbour

Water in the Harbour is crystal clear

Old wall leading to the lighthouse with lonely island behind

From inside Neoria Seafood restaurant at the harbour. Bud is sitting here in the next picture.

Sharing a half liter of Vidiano to go with fresh calamari, lightly fried, and steamed mussels in butter with home baked bread. Yum.

The remains of the Bastion of St. Nicholas of Molos, used by the Venetians and the Turks as a prison.  It sits in the harbor on the wall before the lighthouse.

Turkish Mosque Yiali Tzami, which translates as "seaside mosque", was built shortly after the Turkish conquest of Chania in 1649 within the Venetian Harbour. It was used for Muslim worship until 1923, when the Muslims left Crete, but now houses an art museum.

People eating in the harbour at night.

Partial view of the harbour at night.

The Harbour at night, along with a bit of Eastern Chania.

My first dip into the North Sea of Crete, part of the Aegean Sea, part of the Mediterranean Sea at Laguna Beach.  We stumbled upon this beach while looking for our Craft Brewery visit location.

Craft Brewery Tour.  No IPA's, again.  Only America seems to be into IPA.  Had a good Pale Ale though and an Orange Wit.

Remnants of the walls around the old town

Remnants of the walls around the old town

Remnants of the walls around the old town.  In this one you can see someone has renovated to add a current apartment into the remains of the wall

Remnants of the walls around the old town

On 10/24/21 we took a ship out to Balos Lagoon and Gramvousa Island to swim and explore. The ship left from Kissamos Harbor, pictured above.

Bud and me on the Ship heading towards Balos

Scene shots from the boat ride out to Balos

Scene shots from the boat ride out to Balos

Scene shots from the boat ride out to Balos

Scene shots from the boat ride out to Balos

Me walking into the water at Balos Lagoon

Bud taking a selfie at Balos Lagoon

Our ship to Balos and people in the shallow, warm, water of Balos

Rocks on the other side of the ship at Balos

Bud is in the water at Balos

Me walking trying to find deeper water.  It got deeper towards the rocks opposite the ship.

Bud playing around under water with the camera

Me at Balos.

Leaving Balos to go to Gramvousa Island

Leaving Balos to go to Gramvousa Island

Leaving Balos to go to Gramvousa Island.  The water is a beautiful turquoise color.  The dark spots are seaweed.

Gramvousa island welcomes you with an old shipwreck.