Chania - Crete

We were off to Chania in the afternoon so we spent the morning at the museum. One day we will learn that it is more advantageous to visit the museums BEFORE going to the sites. At the museum there was a wooden model of the temple of Knossos. Wow. Had I seen it first I may have been a little more suitably impressed by the ruin I had seen the day before. Live and learn right? The complexity of the Palace is mind-boggling.


Legend has it that King Minos hired famous architect/mathematician/ inventor, Daelelus, to design his palace. It was built so that anyone entering without an official guide would get lost. King Minos didn't want his secrets to get out so he imprisoned Daelelus and his son Icarus in a high tower so they couldn't betray him. Daelelus built wings of wax so Icarus could escape...but then you know the end of that story.


In the afternoon we caught a bus to Chania, it's a five hour ride so the afternoon was pretty much gone by the time we arrived. After checking in to our hotel we had a quick wander around and were instantly smitten by the charm of the place. We were staying within the walls of the old Venetian city (remember those serene Venetians who liked to get others to invade for them?).
There are no cars within the old town, mainly due to the fact that the roads are so tiny. It would be an easy thing to get lost in there too as the alleys are arrayed in a seemingly random manner.

We were suckered into eating in a fairly expensive restaurant overlooking the old port, with the old, ''Have you tried ouzo yet? I will offer you a glass free. Then if you want to go, you go.''

Note: Ouzo is very strong stuff, and I'm pretty sure that the stuff he gave us, was stuff he made out back.