Nely's World - A Greek expat with tales to say!: My Greek Summer: Chania

Saturday 28 March 2020

My Greek Summer: Chania - Crete

"You are not alone or limited, you have your nice memories from people and places, to go back anytime you like so to help you keeping going." That is exactly the sense that we are getting from the social media, in our current situation, where social distancing is the only way and the lack of physical socializing with friends and family really affects our whole being. People are posting favorite places they have visited, calming pictures or videos from the nature or pets, or themselves on their younger version, from babies to college years. Past summer holidays is my best happy place that I like to dive in! So, lets take a trip to my memory lane from our last, family, summer holidays in the beautiful Greek island of Crete.

Crete, and more specifically the town of Chania, was one part of Greece that was in my bucket list for a very long time. You see my older sister has been going for holidays there all of her life! Hearing about it, and seeing pictures of this magical place was just making my cravings to go there, even bigger. I had only be there for a very short time with a friend and my parents, but that wasn't enough to see and explore the beauty of this area. So, last summer the dream, became a reality and of we went! We were on the ferry traveling there as a family of 4.

Chania's old harbor

Crete as a whole has so many things to do and see, but especially Chania and the surroundings are just perfect for families and younger crowds. It has so much to offer, The city is full of great restaurants and so many options to walk and do amazing shopping, and at the same time the harbor is so picturesque, historic and magical at a night stroll by the water.

Falassarna beach is a big sandy organized beach

with available umbrellas and light snacks.

This first beach we stopped, was a big success, because we

could stay the whole day, and we rewarded

with a magical sunset

Here the sand has pink hues from the

crashed seashells

And then you have all these amazing beaches that you can visit by car, by bus or little boats.

We stayed at a sea village, very close to the city, so we can have access to the sea and to the city life easily. From there everyday, we were planning which beach we will visit for the day, Planning is a key! Especially when you travel with kids, and when your holidays are in a very busy August! Most of the beautiful beaches can be kind of a long drive, going up and down the dressed in green, hills and mountains, and when you arrive there, you might need to have with you umbrellas, food,, drinks and... patience if they are too crowded. But it worth the effort so much!

In one of our stops up in the mountains to buy fresh honey and Raki, a Cretan strong liquor,

we got to meet one of the famous wild goats, called Kri-Kri

But it is not only the places close to the sea that are beautiful. Crete has special villages hidden in her mountains. Little green oasis, where fresh running water comes from mountain streams, Kri-Kri (wild goats) running up the sharp hills, bananas trees waiting to be discovered and Cretan taverns full with the best homemade food you can find in the craziest lowest prices.

A traditional dish. Lamb leg and orzo like

you never had it before

A refreshing stop that gave us a break from the heat

Elafonisi, one of the most famous beaches in the world! Amazing lagoons,

warm waters and incredible colors

So if you have the opportunity to explore the difficult to reach, beaches, choose a boat ride. That was I believe the highlight of our trip. We rent a small speedboat with a captain for the day and had the opportunity to visit wonderful places that would have taken hours to go by car. The kids loved this experience so much, and us too. We could swim in turquoise waters with no other people around and to visit beautiful places, while we had a small picnic on board. A perfect summer day that will stay with us forever.