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Chania

Thursday 17 June 2010
We rented an apartment a 5 minute bus ride away from the town centre. Based on the glowing reviews on Tripadvisor, I figured I couldn't go wrong with Lefka Apartments. The lovely Evita and her manager, Anna were so warm and welcoming. The studio was spotless, beautifully decorated and well furnished.

Since neither Steve nor I are sun-bathers (to the bemusement of the owners and fellow travelers), we visited the town everyday. I liken sunbathing to being slowly roasted alive in a wood-fired oven. A close friend of mine knows me well. Whenever we went out to a cafe, she would sit in the sun and ensure that there was a well shaded spot for me or else I would metamorphosed into a whiny brat. Her favorite nickname for me? Vampire. Yes, Penny, I'm talking about you.

In hindsight, we should've stayed in town. I couldn't resist the fish market and produce store. It was a lifetime ago when I saw fish and produce so fresh. The fish literally came from the sea and went straight to the fishmongers. The honeydew melons were sweet, juicy and tasted of honey.


produce shop
My favorite fruit and veggie shop. When I'm traveling, there's nothing that made me more excited than checking out the food markets, supermarkets and restaurants. I spent 6€ each time and I staggered out of the shop with bags and bags of produce.

meal12
Our diet in Chania consisted of fish, vegetables and fruit.

tomatoes

meal13
I have this aversion for oranges. I can't bear the smell nor taste of them but I don't have a problem drinking orange juice. I can't stand the sight of peels nor seeds. I guess that came from the days when my relatives happily told me that if I swallowed a seed, they'll grow right out of my mouth. Argh. However, these Cretan oranges blew me away. Anyway, I couldn't believe the sight of these GIANT mandarins. They were unbelievably sweet and juicy. I must've eaten at least 15 kgs of these suckers when I was in Crete.

fish market From this, to this

meal1
L and Steve inhaled these tiny fish faster than I could fry them up. They were lightly coated with seasoned flour and deep fried in olive oil and served with lemon wedges.

fish market2
Incredibly fresh fish! We bought 10€ worth of baby octopus and fish and it took us 3 days to finish everything. Bear in mind, I have two BIG eaters.

I loved wandering aimlessly through the narrow streets behind the old harbor. I adore the Venetian architecture with a hint of Turkish influence.

streets4

venetian3

streets7

venetian2

daliani st2
Aga Tzami, a former Turkish mosque on Daliani St

venetian1

singer sewing machine
Ahhhh....memories. My grandmother had one of these and I darn near sew part of my hand onto a piece of cloth when I stepped on the pedal.

weaving loom

door

old ladies chattingBW

L at harbor11 copy
Street style photography in the style of Garance Dore and Scott Schuman of the Sartorialist. Just kidding.

statue1

candles1

mosque

hania harbor at night
Mosque of Kioutsouk Hassan, built in 1645 is the oldest Ottoman building in Crete

hania harbor at night2

4 comments:

  1. again, simply beautiful photos! n tt of ur little girl, frame it! how come you can cook there? u rented a house?

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  2. Thank you, Terri! This was the only photo she didn't try to pose like a girl from America's Next Top Model. Argh.

    We rented a studio apartment with a small kitchenette. I bought a book about Cretan cuisine so I was busy trying out the recipes the whole time I was in Chania.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Marlene, I can't believe I've never found this part of your journal until now! LOVE Chania, it is like no other part of Greece I'd experienced at the time and was totally magical. Laughed out loud at the vampire reference, but shhhhhhh I thought that was a secret?! hee hee

    ReplyDelete
  4. Penny, re: vampire, I think you coined that term for me! I vaguely remembered you mentioned that you visited a few Greek Islands. That was a few years ago, right?

    ReplyDelete

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