Chania, Crete

I've suffered from a very spotty internet connection. The hotel w-ifi seems to be working somewhat ok unless you try to upload a whole day's worth of large image files. The mobile data connection doesn't work at all and I haven't figured out why.

We spent the day at the hotel beach yesterday to rest. The hotel is a family business. The rooms were recently renovated and they were spotless when we arrived. The food at the hotel restaurant is very good. The prices at restaurants are quite reasonable here. Otherwise, prices are similar to Finland. Fuel is actually a little more expensive.

Unfortunately, the beach wasn't as child-friendly as advertised. Our daughter stubbed her toe to a rock and it's still too sore for her to walk. We'll be spending the day at the pool at the hotel. Yesterday evening, I took the local bus to Chania about 15 minutes from our hotel. I headed towards the old town less than one kilometer away. I got some nice photos. My wife is going to town today while our daughter and I stay at the pool.

Yesterday's photos, the fist couple of which were taken at the beach:

Towards the east. The international airport and a military airbase are located on that peninsula. The base was heavily used by Nato during the bombing of Libya in 2011.

Towards the west

This is taken in Central Chania. Wikipedia says the population is about 100,000. But the center looked bigger than that of Lahti. I figure that the urban area probably has a much larger population than that. Including all the tourists, I suspect there must be several hundred thousand people accommodated during the high season.

I walked a few blocks north of the bus station and came this trench on the western side of the old town.

Towards the west. The bus station was about 600-700 m from the sea.

I walked west along the shore and came to the Venetian harbour.

Approaching the harbour. I came there shortly before sunset.

Tourists do what tourists gotta do.

The famous lighthouse of the Venetian harbour.

The most touristic spots and, in fact, the whole city centre we're packed with tourists.

I took a few long exposures but the tripod cumbersome in the crowd so I put it back to my backpack.

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These street views are from the Old Town. It is over 2000 years old. The streets are way too narrow even for a carriage pulled by a horse.

This is right at the border of the old and the new parts of the city centre.