Chania

Chania is the first city we landed in on northern Crete, back to warmth and a bit of decay and chaos after a brief breath of northern air in Amsterdam. Renting a car was refreshingly casual - "here's the key - go find it and we'll see you in a few days" - as was the reception on the for at our ancient hotel, a note on the door saying "come in, the key is in the door, see you in the morning". Finding the hotel in the darkness a challenge, as it was deep in a warren of narrow twisting streets, and at one point some late diners had to move their table as we squeezed obnoxiously by.
But despite being touristy it's a beautiful old city, reaching its heyday under the Venetians. Our rooms had lofts under their high ceilings, and furnishings and plumbing befitting an 800 year old building. A cosy Mediterranean breakfast on the balcony with our old friend Philippe, overlooking the harbour, then off across the mountains, crossing the island in as indirect a route as we could find...