Chani's in Chania . . . and Greece is Great

It’s an omen Chani so you must eat there. Hopefully the food will be amazing. There is a small store on St. Marks Square in Venice that bears our name. Every trip we take to Venice we stop in and purchase something - a tie, a wallet, a scarf. We feel it is an omen and good luck when we stop by.

Thank u for the post on your Crete travels.... pls keep them coming. My daughter and I are signed up for the RS Greece tour next April and are considering visiting Crete after the tour ends. Sounds like u are having a great time!!

I am also reading your posts with interest as I am signed up for the RS tour in March and want to go to Crete afterwards. Still can't figure out if I will need to rent a car to see some places as I don't know if any of the day tour companies will be operating in early April.

Glad to see you're taking time to enjoy the Old City... on every visit I have discovered something new. Yes, the Central Market is almost useless now aside from meat/fish, taken over by tourism. Right on Theotokopoulu street a small produce stand has enough fresh fruit/veg for self-catering... and I believe 1x a week there's an open market that runs along the sea-view street at the foot of Theotokopoulu - ask your hotelier.

When I first visited, off-season, 20 years ago, back streets were still non-touristy. I remember that then Sfakia street was known as "the street of knives" because of several shops where you could buy hand-made Cretan knives (dangerously sharp!) ... the one i visited had a row of battered German helmuts for sale, souvenirs (!) of the WW II occupation.

As for local restaurants (if you like eating late) my hotelie, about 6 years ago, put us on to a hidden gem – in Greek its “Oneiro Dromio” (translates something like “Street of Dreams”) – it’s a Mezedes place (all small plates), only a dozen tables. On Daliana between Gavalagon & Daskalogianni (have someone mark yr map—you turn inland at the start of Sfakia Street). We sat down at 9 on a Friday and place was empty, we felt bad for them but when we left at 11+ it was FULL – it’s just for greeks & they eat super-late. My share of tons of food, plus half the wine (liter) plus tip = 14E.

Warning – I’m very loquacious today so this is long and may be boring. I absolutely will not hold a grudge if you don’t read on.

Part 2. My mid-afternoon wander was interrupted by some rain. A rain jacket was a last minute addition to my suitcase and there it remained. Accuweather told me I wouldn't need it until the next day. I ducked into the Minoan boat museum (€2, only go if you’re interested in sailing or ancient Minoan boats :-). Walking along the harbor’s edge is very pleasant. I passed a café (the harbor front is lined with them) where a waiter was explaining something to 2 older women in English and I sort of stopped to listen, since they were laughing so much. I ended up joining two lovely Irish ladies for wine and dessert. Chocolate soufflé with a glass of house white turned into my lunch. The 3 of us spent a lazy couple of hours watching the tourists parading. Every restaurant gives a bit extra at the end of the meal. I got the benefit of the ladies’ having had lunch and 2 bottles of wine (did I mention they’re Irish?), the little extra was a small glass of excellent dessert wine. A little later the awning over us malfunctioned, retreating instead of extending, allowing the light rain to reach us briefly. To apologize they brought us more yummy wine.

I continued contentedly along the water toward my hotel – well, to be exact to the bar next door to my hotel. The sun was out and the late afternoon light on one side of the harbor contrasted dramatically with the dark rain clouds on the other side, and then a bright full rainbow appeared over the town. That and an aperol spritz made up for the lack of “sunset” because of the clouds. There were about half a dozen US navy men in the bar, somewhat noisy and very fun. I made it up the one flight of stairs to my room and the strenuous activity (not the alcohol) induced a brief nap.

I walked around for nearly an hour looking for a place to eat dinner. Eschewing smokers and loud music I ended up back near my hotel, so I went to To Chani (see first post above), and was totally turned off by the woman outside touting the restaurant. I ended up at a wonderful place, Seramis. It's a quiet courtyard setting, lined with pink and fuschia bougainvillea and no one was smoking. Pleasant music from 2 players, guitar and buuzouki. The food was excellent, the portions were huge and the prices very reasonable. Everyone was served a complimentary dessert and glass of raki.

Janet - your suggestions will be in Part 3.

Must go now, it's lunch time!!

At the end of the trip often some of the best memories are chance encounters with total strangers. You seem to be embracing the Greek experience. Thanks for posting.

Enjoying experiencing your trip with you! Wine at lunch always = nap, lol!!

I am thoroughly enjoying traveling with you through your wonderful trip report. I, for one, enjoy your loquacious-ness and your wonderful way of describing your experiences! What fun you are having! I love Greece and will be there next April. It has been 5 years since the last time I was there and I'm really looking forward to my visit! I am eager to read your next installment and thank you for taking the time to post your fun adventures. I do love how your enthusiasm shines through your words.

Crete is on my bucket list so I am vicariously visiting with you! Enjoying your travel writing.

Crete is on my bucket list as well. I've recently been pondering Sweden again or Crete... Your trip might tip the balance.

Homesick for Chania reading your reports! Love the harbourside tavernas and the winding streets and the odd Minoan ruin you come across as you wander. I always enjoy the market in spite of it being touristy, great souvenirs to found here. I have a wonderful olive wood lemon reamer that I bought there years ago.

Glad you are enjoying Greece! We are too, as we are now in Lagkadia on the RS tour. Loving Greece so far!

Part 3A – for Janet
I tried to find the taverna you recommended. I googled it and found the English name, Dream Catcher. I walked from one end of Daliana to the other and back again and didn’t find it, nor did I find a street named Sfakia, but I had a good time wandering around the neighborhood, very very different from the Venetian Harbor area. I had lunch at an excellent restaurant, at 2-3 in the afternoon it was full, though people waiting got tables within minutes. I had kalitsounias for the first time and big green salad with avocado, very drinkable house white wine and a pitcher of cold tap water.

Part 3B
I will spare you the details of each day though they are mostly the same. A lazy morning laying in bed with my computer, a long search for lunch, and bit of an afternoon rest, an Aperol Spritz on the waterfront and dinner. At last a destination where you don’t have to work hard at being a tourist.

Yesterday I had drinks and dinner with Cyn and Scott from the forum. This morning I went to the farmer’s market, it rotates through the city in a different neighborhood each day. On Thursday it’s a short walk along the sea from my hotel. There were so many stands with tempting fresh local produce. I ended up with vine-ripened beefsteak (or very similar) tomatoes, green figs and graviera cheese, which was lunch on my hotel’s rooftop. Then I went shopping for souvenirs and gifts. I got 2 fridge magnets for my collection (I may need to buy an extra fridge for the overflow soon) and beautiful photo calendars.

After all that hard work, marketing and shopping, I’m having a well-deserved rest with an Aperol Spritz watching the tourist parade and the sea as I write this. There’s just enough time (another 2 hours or so) to recharge the batteries before dinner.

Looking forward . . . . tomorrow I take the bus (2.5 hours) to Heraklion where I expect life to become more intense – there are sights to visit, no time for enjoying life. Thank goodness it’s only for 48 hours and then it’s 3 days relaxing on Santorini and 4 on Naxos.

diveloonie - So you were on the cog railway today and tomorrow Kardamyli? That was my favorite place on the tour. Enjoy every wonderful moment!

Wray - the second time in Greece is better than the first! Though I was only in Sweden briefly (Stockholm) and thoroughly enjoyed it, I would choose Greece in a heartbeat.

And to all, thank you for your kind words and welcome additions to this thread.

What a good time you've been having! Sorry you didn't spot that restaurant, I should have said, ask your hotelier... they'll know if a place is still in business. On my first visit to Chania with my sister-in-law (head nurse by day, gifted textile artist off-duty), we walked one of those lanes in that district (Splanzia), and people were seated at 3 tables outside a tiny taverna eating a heavenly-smelling dish of lamb in parchment. Alas, there were no more tables, so we gazed wistfully, and started to move on. The owner stopped us and asked Dinner? We said yes, we want what those people are having, but we want to sit outside and there are no more tables. No problemo! He said, went indoors, came out with a table & 2 chairs & plunked them right in the street. Problem solved! The lamb dish, pure ambrosia, we kept uttering little moans of delight, as he stood by smiling. He whisked our plates away and, as we finished our wine, he returned -=- with 2 HUGE dishes of yougurt, honey & walnuts. But we didn't order this! We exclaimed. No no he said... it is my gift because you loved our lamb dish so much!
On every Chania visit since, I walked down that lane but could not find the little taverner. Finally I asked in the Knife Store, and the owner said, oh, in the bad times (2008-12 fiscal crisis) he had to close. Sigh. BTW, the 2nd time I stopped in the knife store I was helped by a beautiful young woman who explained how these knives were made originally for hunters & how to treat them. I asked what her name was. Artemis, she said. I gasped and she said What? The Huntress.
PS: if you stay in Heraklion on the seafront, your pre-dinner walk can be out on the causeway to the Fortress; stunning -- it held off the Turks for 23 years. Ippocampus, by the water is a fine place to eat, also the Mezede place on he Causeway traffic circle.

I am loving the travelogue!

Who knew Artemis sold knives on the side? ;-)

Thanks for sharing your trip, Chani. I always enjoy your posts, so positive and descriptive. Now I think maybe the Aperol Spritz has something to do with it. ;-)

Heraklion will be an urban scene but with a great museum. Hope you get out to Knossos where you can see the oldest street in the world (at least the western world). And have a great time on the rest of your trip. Must be nice to be so close to Europe, no jet lag.

Chani, I am thoroughly enjoying your descriptive report. Crete is on our radar! Miss Greece. Looking forward to your next installment. Enjoy the Aperol Spritz's. ya mas!

It's been a few days since I last posted and too long since I left Crete. The 2.5 hour bus to Heraklion took close to 4 hours . . . traffic, traffic, traffic. I stayed at Dom Boutique, which is new, so there weren't many reviews and I took a chance. It's great, very modern, comfortable, all the amenities (though I did miss having the thick terrycloth robe that the hotel in Chania provided - but the towels were super thick and made up for a lot. The biggest disappointment was the breakfast - it was fabulous and I can only nibble in the morning. Coffee to order if you didn't like what the buffet machine had, eggs any way you want, fresh juices, and everything else you could think of. It was very well located, a short walk to the sea at the causeway to the Venetian fort, about twice as long to the Archaeological Museum and the bus to Knossos, and a well-stocked, well-priced supermarket at the corner. I thought the restaurants were expensive - but that was before I got to Santorini - my upcoming thread.

oddly, neither hotel in Crete had a sign in the bathroom not to put TP in the toilet. Another plus is that the water is potable - restaurants will bring a carafe of iced tap water on request and it tastes good.

What a great vicarious thrill experiencing Chania in advance with you! Thanks for your meanderings and musings!

I enjoyed your note about the Navy guys in Chania. My first visit to Chania was on my first deployment about 10 years ago. I’m certain we were loud, but hopefully we were as fun as you said that group was. On my second deployment, we smacked a pier in the Black Sea and had to spend three weeks at Souda Bay for repairs. Best working vacation I ever had. Thanks for the great report!

I'm hoping to visit some of the same islands in 2021! Thanks for your report.