Chania, Crete, Greece

This area has been inhabited for at least the last 9,000 years, dating back to the Mesolithic Age.  The Minoans, the first inhibitors were a highly organizing people with a sophisticated social, religious, economic and artistic culture.  The were followed onto this island by Mycenaean Greeks around 1500 BC.  The were the Greeks do the Trojan War fame, who became the subjects of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.  The Mycenaeans were followed by the Dorians around 1100 BC.

Crete has been a major hub linking the three continents which surround the eastern Mediterranean.  Pirates used the land to launch attacks , the Roman Empire took Crete in 69BC and the with the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Byzantine Greeks of Constantinople's Eastern Roman Empire rose.  In the 1200's, Crete became under Venetian rule.  After this short lived prosperity, in the mid 1600's, Crete converted to Islam.  In 1832 Greece won its independence from Turkey but Crete had to wait until 1898.  After many years of separation, Crete returned to Greece in 1913. 

In 1941 German paratroopers launched history's first major airborne assault.  Allied troops tried to help the Guerilla groups of Cretans defend against the Germans to no avail in the Battle of Crete.  In 1944 a British sub sank a German vessel that had hundreds of Greek and Italian POW's and 265 Jews (all who remained on Crete and who's families had lived on the island for the past 2,300 years).  

Ok enough with the history lesson!  There wasn't much to see on this little island, but we took the city sightseeing hop on and off bus around to see everything.

 That's the ship I was on!

Even though there was much to see around the island, the market was AMAZING...if you can handle smells, weird animals and food!

 Start with something normal!

 Sardines....smoked, packed in oil, packed in salt

 A basket of snails...had escargots every night on the ship....yum yum!

 Chicken anyone...with or without feet and head, your choice!

 Ever had a lucky rabbit's foot...well you could have 2 bad dinner if you took one of these guys home!!

 Yep that a whole goat...with the fur still on the tip of his tail!!

Which of the three little piggies is that in the corner?

 Stopped in for lunch!

This is why we don't wait until its time to be back on the ship...look the length of that line!!!  And there were 11 people that were late, they got lucky the captain was feeling compassionate and didn't leave them!!