200+ nautical miles to zakinthos

We both slept pretty soundly. I could tell we were coming into port and the sun had just started up. We were surrounded by high ground in the distance.

Eventually we both got up and headed out to the city bus into town as the pier is about 25 to 30 min. outside the city. RT for the two of us was 6.80 euros. It was a conventional city bus. It went to the next ship over, one we keep seeing in other ports, picked up a few more folks, and then we were off.

First thing is the snowcapped mountains at 6000 ft in the distance. Quite pretty and called the white mountains because they are snow capped 8 mos of the year.

Where are we?

On the Greek island of Crete in a little town called Chania (ha-nee-ah). The temperature was in the 60s but the sun is fierce here. Apparently it had rained yesterday.

We were let off in front of the central market and decided to take the hop on hop off bus. We were both a little skeptical at first (too long a story to recount here) but eventually we were off and saw some tremendous views. The beaches here are terrific: clear water as far as the eye can see and sandy beaches.

We have been the first ship of the season into these Mediterranean ports and so there aren’t many tourists and many folks are opening up just because the ship is in town. It is Sunday when the central market is usually closed but they opened because we were here.

We climbed mountains, saw sheep, old rustic stuff, old buildings some inhabited but they look like something out of the movies. I saw two babushkas walking along the road: scarf over head with long black over garment trudging along with bags. Couldn’t get a pic though. We saw an Ikea which made us laugh. Many olive groves and lots of wild flowers.

Then we are back at the Central Market where there are tubs of every imaginable kind of olive. Huge wheels of cheese were everywhere. Olive oil is sold in all disguises. Nuts galore and spices of every kind.

Ed approached a lovely woman in a children’s area to ask for a recommendation for a lunch place to eat. She wrote down the name and gave directions that were so Greek: Go to Agros sign, turn left, turn right into little alley (she was right here: barely enough room for your shoulders to pass through), go down it, then turn right at next lane and look for this name on the left near the minaret (Ed asks me what a minaret is????). This is a little niche with a few wooden tables in front. We order: he pork something or other, me beet root salad. We are given water and olive oil with a dish and a basket with 3 pieces of bread. A smaller bowl holds some shriveled up things no bigger than raisins. So we pour olive oil into the plate and try to soak the bread in it. No luck. It is rock hard. Still we managed it. It was a thick wheat bread close to zwieback bread. The little black unknown things were tiny Kalamata olives.

We watch the people go buy: babies learning to walk, buggies, hipsters, older couples, scooters, and so on. Dogs are ever present as are the cats though the latter are slimmer than those on Rhodes. The weather is perfect.

Since everything is made from scratch it takes a while for our plates to arrive. The beetroot salad is wonderful with pistachio nut pieces, cream cheese, capers and I know not what more. Ed said his was equally as good.

I go to the restroom and ask for the check and walk around a little to see what else is along this lane, and when I return there is a teeny shot glass for both of us and cruet of Ouzo. Nasty stuff but very Greek! The bill is modest. Later Ed reported back to his information source about how great the meal was. I have a photo of her and Ed talking. She looks so Greek and is so tall and elegant. Such fun.

Then we walk around the old streets. We see a woman painting a wooden door in a small alleyway. Repairs are being done everywhere.  Very rustic. We pass a Church which looks huge from the outside but when we go in to look, it is really quite modest but with beautiful icons.  There is a huge plaza outside where we see a girl of perhaps 8 yrs old under the base of a statue of some saint, orating as if she were leading a protest. A future leader of Greece?

We pass many stalls of table linens, kids’ toys, leather goods of all kinds, more of the ubiquitous olive soaps and creams, and much more. It was fun and quite peaceful.

We head back to the Central Market for our bus back to the ship and Ia ask Ed to buy some sesame candy as we are the last ones who make it on the bus. The next one was 30 min later. I felt sorry for those who didn’t get on and had another wait. But we had to stand the whole way back and my arm does not like that.

Trivia

So close and yet so far. Phillip, one of the male Russian dancers, read the trivia this afternoon. He is sweet and works very hard to pronounce words accurately. I admire their determination. Dinner was fun with Francis pushing the chef’s latest creation, this time an Indian concoction that Ed and Frances declared quite good.

Entertainment

A wonderful tenor from New Zealand who sang Maori and well known opera tunes. Also some by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. All were a delight to hear.

Seder

There will be one on the ship but we don’t have the details yet.