Mid-day today we left Heraklion for Chania (aka Hania, Xavia, and Khania). It is a smaller port city (119k pop vs 179k) and it is west of Heraklion by about 240 km. We took the bus, there being no trains in Crete, and it took about 2.5 hours. An easy trip; both city bus stations were at most a 10-minute walk from our abodes.
On the ride we sat on the northern side of the bus which gave us views of the Mediterranean sprinkled with the occasional village or farmhouse. The countryside looks rocky and dry, the greenery scrubby. Rain is in short supply though the last few days we have been rained on.
We did well with our Chania rental. The 2 bed, 3 bath house vies for best house or apartment rented while traveling, in such rarified company as the San Miguel house, the Ubud house, the Trocadero flat, the Sarlat flat, and Santorini's cave. All eye-catching, clever and functional. Bravo to the designers.
The house is on a charming street composed of a row of colourful (not whitewashed) old homes It is four stories high, with a first floor mud/storage room, two bedrooms and two baths on the second, kitchen, living room and third bath on third, and a patio on the fourth. Lots of windows, more lights and light switches I've ever seen, tasteful art, and a fine mix of wood, marble, glass, and steel.
