Dateline – Chania, Crete
I awoke this morning to a beautiful blue sky and sea and the Celebrity Ascent docking at the port of Souda on the island of Crete. There’s not much in Souda, it’s mainly a commercial port for the loading and unloading of ships involved in Aegean trade so, when we disembarked after breakfast, we boarded a bus into the town of Chania, a few miles away. Chania has been inhabited since the days of the Minoans, having been a trading port for the Minoans, the Greeks, the Romans, the Ottomans, the Venetians, and a few other groups along the way, each leaving their mark on the landscape What currently exists is a charming little waterfront city where the people mainly live and work in the new town of the 19th and 20th centuries and the tourists flock to the old town, built and rebuilt around a Venetian era harbor framed by old fortifications and a lighthouse reconstructed by the Ottomans. We walked the town, did some shopping, admired the views and stopped at a harbor front restaurant for a lunch of salad, gyros, and some of the best calamari I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. So as to go full Shirley Valentine, we also downed a small bottle of Raki between us.
After our perfectly lovely time ashore, we meandered back to the bus and the ship and spent a few hours sunning and in the pool. I must admit I have turned slightly pink but I’m not seriously burnt. Must remember to pick up some more sunblock tomorrow. It may be late October, but I am in a sunnier clime and more outdoors than is usual for me. If this weather holds, it will help me decide that October is the perfect time to visit Mediterranean countries when making future travel plans. There are rumors of some rains ahead. We shall see. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it whatever happens.
After pool time, a brief nap and then to tonight’s show, a British magician who was pretty darn good at slight of hand and who did a number of illusions of the switch places with the glamorous assistant in the blink of an eye variety. I could spot the general way in which tricks were done but not the specifics. I opted for Indian for dinner. Thought about hitting the casino and then decided to save my money so I retired to write this missive and an MNM column while I was at it. We’re sailing onwards tonight and are due to dock outside of Ephesus in the morning. More on my introduction to Turkyie later.
Yes, I am keeping up on the political news which seems to consist, as long predicted, of various parts of the administration doing their best to shape the midterm election results in their image. Much is being made of non-existent voting by non-citizen voters, there continue to be unconstitutional power grabs of election machinery away from the states, propaganda continues to spew from outlets that should know better. It’s going to take decades to unsnarl the Gordian knots this administration is laying for the future. Will we get an Alexander the Great somewhere down the pike? I certainly hope not. The last thing we need is a military dictator, even if he wields a terrible swift sword.
