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Our Magnificent Journey
Chapter 13
2011
Greece, Turkey and Spain

 

At the Parthenon  
09.22.11
Thursday
Day 5
Athens-Crete
 
  

Slept well, rose, packed and enjoyed one more delicious breakfast at the hotel, then checked out.

 

All public transportation in Greece is on strike today, so the hotel has arranged for a private van to take us to the airport at 10:45 am.

  

Arrived at Athens Elefthérios Venizélos Airport to learn that due to the transportation strike, our 2:30 flight to Chania, Crete, has been cancelled, but a very helpful Aegean Air ticket clerk got us on a 4:30 flight to Heraklion, Crete instead. So we wandered around the Athens airport schmoozing with several other stranded visitors until 3:30 when we passed through security.

 

Settled in to the waiting area, and wait we did. Our 4:30 flight was delayed by 45 minutes, but at 6:15 pm, we were high above the Aegean Sea on a southerly heading towards Crete. Passed by Mykonos and Santorini on the port sides, Samos, Kos and many other smaller islands unidentified. Quite a few of the islands appear to be volcanic calderas.

 
Athens to Crete
  

The 190-mile flight aboard the Airbus A319 was smooth and we landed at Heraklion at 7 pm as the sun sank into the sea to the west.

 
Heraklion, Crete
 

Rented a car at Heraklion and drove west 140 km to Chania. After some searching we found the Hotel Vilelmine, a charming lovely stone and wood hotel built in the late 1800s. Our hostess, Maria, greeted us at the door and we quickly settled in.

 
Hotel Vilelmine, Chania, Crete
  
Hotel Vilelmine, Chania, Crete
   

At 10:45 pm we wandered out into the cool breezy quaint Old Town and, at Maria’s suggestion, selected Tamam for a dinner of spaghetti, olives, marinated tomato balls and giant beans with garlic and onions. White wine accompanied the dinner perfectly.

 
Delicious dinner at Tamam in Chania, Crete
 

The meal was exceptional and we thought we may have to return to Tamam once more before we have to leave.

  

At midnight we slowly ambled down to the wharf. At this late hour, the narrow winding alleys invite exploration and many of the shops and "foot fish spas" are still open. The old mosque (which we later found out is now an art gallery) beckons from the shadows.

 

Another spectacular day comes to a close and we wandered back to the Hotel Vilelmine thoroughly sated.

  

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