Sunday, November 20, 2011

Monday, November 7, 2011 – Chania (Souda), Crete – Partly Cloudy - 68F

Distance from Piraeus to Chania: 148 Nautical Miles

A nice day in Crete…

Approaching Chania Crete (Small)

Approaching Chania

No tours today but Chania seems like a cute little town to walk around in. 

The Quest is tendering today and we try to get out as early as we can so we can get back to the ship for lunch.

Quest from Tender Chania (Small)

Azamara Quest from the Tender

As the tender entered the inner harbor, I got a great shot of both the ship and the Venetian Lighthouse.  This lighthouse, originally from the 1500s, was restored in the 1800s.

Chania  Venetian Lighthouse and Quest (Small)

Venetian Lighthouse and Quest

The marina contained one ship with an unusual name.  Any relation?

Aegean Schatz boat (Small)

Our ship at the Marina

Near the tender port and marina are buildings built on the older walls of Chania.  There is also a lot of damage to some of the older walls – perhaps a reminder of WWII bombings.

Building on old city walls (Small)

Apartments and Older Walls

We did spend some time walking the cute streets of the city.

Old Chania Street (Small)

We also found a Starbucks with free Wifi.  One of the customers shared his password (and more importantly the pass code for the washrooms) with us.  I,in turn, shared the password with two other groups of Quest passengers.  Thank you, Starbucks.

 2011-11-07 At Starbucks on WiFi Chania (Small)

Free Wifi at Starbucks 

Heading back to the ship, we did get a nice view of the Lighthouse and the Firka Fortress – built in the 1530s to protect the city.

2011-11-07 Chania - Firka Fortress 1530s (Small)

Firka Fortress and Venetian Lighthouse

From that vantage point we could see both sides of the harbor with its stores and restaurants.

Chania Harbor Restaurants (Small)       H and E Chania (Small) Chania from far end of harbor (Small)

The Sail Away from Chania was picturesque and topped off with a wonderful sunset.

2011-11-07 Chania Sail Away (Small)

Sunset in Chania (Small) 

Chania Sail Away (top) and Sunset (bottom)

My first talk - “The CSI Phenomenon” – is scheduled for tonight at 7:00 PM.  As might be expected, the turnout is pretty small (10) but mighty.

We pass on John Lenahan tonight as we have seen this show on the previous cruise.  Instead we spend time listening to Jim Badger in the Mosaic Lounge.

Pedometer: 7417 Steps; 3.5 miles; 363 Calories

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