A Travel Blog
Away from the Venetian Harbour and the beach we wandered the narrow streets of Rethymno’s old town. We found them quiet, and aside from a few discreet new boutique hotels the area is not as entirely devoted to tourism as the old town in Chania.
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The town of Rethymno (also spelled Rethimno and Rethymnon) is a town on the northern coast of Crete, roughly halfway between Chania and the capital city of Heraklion. We took a public KTEL bus there from Chania, a journey of just over an hour.
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Tabakaria is the former tannery district of Chania. It sits on the waterfront, a little east of Koum Kapi and south of the wealthy suburb of Halepa.
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The compact but beautiful Archaelogical Museum of Chania is located just off Chalidon, the wide pedestrianized street that bisects the old town and connects the modern city center to the Venetian Harbour.
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The Chania Sailing Club, formed in 1990, promotes sailing by collaborating with various sailing schools, some of which we saw in action during our visit. Their facilities are housed in a huge Venetian warehouse at the end of the harbour, where the club also operates a very nice café and bar that is open from morning til very late.
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We visited the Benaki Museum in Athens. The museum is housed in the former mansion of the Benakis family, who donated their vast collections of Greek art — along with the house — in 1931.
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The modern town of Delphi might be a bit overshadowed by the surrounding mountains and the archeology in nearby Ancient Delphi, but the town itself is very picturesque, especially in the off-season.
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The neighbourhood of Gazi in Athens is not far from our place in Thissio. It’s just a short hop over a railway bridge… and then across a wide avenue filled with speeding cars and smog-spewing scooters. It’s a bit reminiscent of the waterfront in Toronto, so close yet so far.
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Anafiotika is a small yet distinct neighbourhood in Athens. It’s hidden in plain site in one corner of the larger Plaka neighbourhood, just underneath the steep northeast slope of the Acropolis. We took a wander through one morning and found it to be very quiet, well-kept, and populated by some of Athens luckiest cats.
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The Panathenaic Stadium in Athens dates to around 330 BC, when it began as a mere racecourse in a ravine between two hills. It was rebuilt in marble in 144 AD, then fell into disrepair for many centuries. It was restored again in marble for use as the primary venue for the first modern Olympics in 1896. The stadium also served as the finish line for the marathon in the 2004 Olympics.
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The combined ticket for the Acropolis includes free admission to several other historic sites. Most don’t take as long to see as the Acropolis or Agora but they are still very impressive. One of these is the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
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We tend to be home and in bed before it gets late when we travel, but the sun sets early in January. Athens feels very dark at night, with fewer functional streetlights than most cities. But no expense is spared when lighting the historic monuments.
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