Paul & Libby’s World of Travel

Libby and I vividly recall sitting in the Prague airport a little over a decade ago waiting to board a flight to Paris. At a nearby gate was another Czech Air flight that was destined for Chania, which neither of us had ever heard of nor frankly had any idea where it might be on a map. Of course, these were still the days when our choice of visiting Prague seemed “exotic” — “wow, we’re going behind the old iron curtain!” 

While we loved travel, we hadn’t yet expanded our vision of what would be possible, let alone desirable. The world hadn’t opened up to us. Or, perhaps more accurately, we hadn’t opened ourselves to the world. 

It thus seems fitting that we’ve hit country #100 (per the Traveler’s Century Club list) today in Chania on the island of Crete, where it plays the role of Crete’s “Second City” to Heraklion. And, it’s not like Crete generally (worthy though it may be) is at the top on anyone’s bucket list. 

Yet, here we are–in country #100–discovering again what we’ve learned in the first 99: that every place we’ve been has something to offer, makes us feel more connected to the world, and can being us joy if we’re open enough to receive it. 

Rhapsody actually docked in Souda, which is the port serving Chania. I’d guess that it’s about 5 miles to the old town across the narrow neck of the Akrotiri Penninsula. All of this is on the western end of Crete, which makes its some distance (a solid couple of hours one way) to many of Crete’s most famous sites. Given that, checking out Chania seemed like the most prudent decision. We did this by taking a shuttle bus provided by the city (3 euro roundtrip per person) into the town. 

Much of Chinia is relatively modern and not much more attractive than Athens. But, the area immediately surrounding its sheltered harbour is very atmospheric with many Venetian and a few Ottoman buildings, as well as fortifications and an attractive lighthouse. 

I tried uploading a couple of photos, but they failed repeatedly wasting megabytes for nothing. So, that’ll have to wait until later — maybe London on Friday.   

Like Venice, the old town appears to be in a state of elegant decay. It also doesn’t feel like the Greek islands in the Cyclades, such as Santorini or Mykonos. Indeed, of the places we’ve been, Chania feels more like Sicily or Sardinia. 

Tomorrow is a sea day… so don’t expect any updates until we’re back in Istanbul on Thursday.

Today’s box score: +1 “country” (Greece, Crete)

We tendered ashore fairly early and spent all morning exploring the charming, seaside town. 

There aren’t really any major sights on Mykonos (though Delos, a short boat ride away, is a major archaeological site… if you want to tour more remnants of antiquity. Read: we did not today). No, Mykonos is more atmospheric. It’s made for photographers and flaneurs. 

See what I mean…

The famous windmills on Mykonos:

The area known as “Little Venice” (I’m posting these pictures from the aptly–for this cruise–named Rhapsody cafe, where we enjoyed espressos, free WiFi, and a great view):

This church, which is made up of four original, smaller chapels joined under a fifth dome:

But, mostly the town of Mykonos is filled with charming streets to wander, soak up, and get lost in:

That’s precisely how we spent our day. 

We left the ship early again today to beat the crowds and heat. Like Rhodes, Libby and I have been here before, which always makes dealing with logistics easier. We took a taxi to the Acropolis, explaining to the driver that we didn’t want a tour, that he should use the meter (rather than charge 25 euros for a 12 euro ride), and do so on the right tariff (since it wasn’t a holiday or the middle of the night). 
What can I say? Athens welcomes you…

Our visit to the Acropolis was blissfully hassle free as we had no waiting and little crowds by getting there before most tour groups and solo travelers. Those folks were arriving while we were leaving. This is the joy of traveling independently despite being on a cruise: it cost us 75% less than a shore excursion for a much better experience, as we weren’t rushed and got to see everything we wanted to visit in as little or much time as we wished. 

Here are some views of the Agora:

I’m especially partial to the Stoa of Attalos, which houses the Agora Museum and some very fine statuary. 

From there we wandered around the Acropolis, past Hadrian’s Library (one of my favorite Roman Emperors), around the  Roman Forum, by the Tower of the Winds (covered in scaffolding for restoration), and through the Plaka. 

We eventually reached the New Acropolis Museum, which opened shortly after our last visit in 2009. It’s an impressive building with an interesting collection and good facilities for visitors (affordable cafe, nice restrooms, good bookshop, free WiFi–hence all of the photos from today). It’s totally worth the 5 euro admission price. 

Here’s a view of the Acropolis from the museum: 

And, here’s a photo of the museum’s interior to give you a sense of the structure (appreciate this one, dear reader, as I got yelled at for unknowingly breaking the “no photo” rule — of course, this is a bullshit policy as I wanted to point out since the British Museum lets me photograph the actual Parthenon (Elgin) Marbles at their facility without any hassle…): 

We returned to the ship in time for a late-ish lunch, having spent about five and a half hours in town. With the museum at the end of the visit, we avoided most of the heat of the day, and we all had an enjoyable time ashore. 

On this trip, there really are few things of true interest to a kid at age 5. Thankfully, Emerson is a good and experienced traveler. Nonetheless, we find it easiest to not overly tax her on any particular day. It’s much better to let her have a couple of hours to play in the late afternoon. Then we go have a nice dinner, get her to bed, and do it again the next day.

Really, what more can I say?

Not a lot. 

Santorini is pretty much a singular, spectacular place. It’s simply unlike any other that we’ve visited before. The villages that hang on cliffs overlooking the caldera are what you’d imagine a Greek island scene to look like with the added benefit of ooh- and ah-worthy views as their background. 

Simply marvelous. 

We left the ship early (aboard the first tender at 7:30), opted for the cable car up the hillside (vs. the mule ride or even less appealing climb on foot), and grabbed a taxi to Oia. In doing so, we beat the crowds and mid-day heat. 

Oia is postcard-worthy-ville. White walls. Blue roofs. Cascades of flowers. Charming shops. Spectacular views. It’s not huge: an hour or so of happy strolling is about all you need to see it.

We took the bus back to Fira simply because it showed up before the first taxi. Very comfortable, affordable, and uncrowded (for us in that direction). We then strolled around Fira for a while, visiting both the Greek Orthodox and Catholic Cathedrals. Having spent all morning on the island and wanting to avoid the crush of crowds later in the day, we hopped on the cable car back down to the old port for short ride back to our ship. 

It’s good to be back in Rhodes!

  
Libby and I last visited this city in March, 2009. From what I recall, the old town within the city walls remains largely unchanged. Being summer, the flowers are now in bloom. The weather is a bit warmer and pleasantly windier. Otherwise, it’s much the same charming and enjoyable city.

  
We revisited the Grand Master’s Palace, a 20th century Italian reconstructed and fanciful version of the original headquarters of the Knights of St John. The highlights here are clearly the transplanted mosaics from the island of Kos. From the palace, we wandered down the Street of the Knights (Ippoton) to the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes, which is housed in the Hospital of The Knights. The museum itself had some modestly interesting artifacts, but I found the structures and gardens to be morg interesting.

We spent the remainder of our time in Rhodes winding our way through evocative side streets. Although some of the old town feels a bit touristy, I found it difficult to not be charmed by the tavernas with their tables tucked into shady courtyards or under arbors of blooming flowers. Emerson and I took it all in while eating a delightful lemon sorbet, which tasted great in the heat of the early afternoon. 

  
To me, Rhodes makes an ideal Mediterranean port of call: neither too much nor too little to do, the best of which is a short stroll from the pier. 

Tomorrow we’ll visit Santorini, Greece.