Travel Notes | Chania
Chania was one of those places that felt easy to settle into. Mornings began in the old town, wandering narrow streets where blue shutters sat against sun-bleached walls and balconies overflowed with bougainvillea. The harbour became a constant, changing with the light, quiet at sunrise, crowded by afternoon, glowing gold in the evening. Along the way there were the details I couldn’t resist photographing: faded shopfronts, a weathered church door, the curve of an alley where the stone caught the last light of day. Every corner seemed to hold a small story, and I left with more moments than I could fit into one trip.
The old Venetian harbour. A fisherman stood by the edge of the water while the day unfolded behind him.
A still moment by the edge of the harbour, broken only by the passing ferry in the distance.
Late afternoon in Elos Village, where the hills rise quietly behind terracotta roofs and tangled vines.
Beneath the shallows of Elafonissi, just ripples, light and silence.
Across the water from Agia Marina, Agioi Theodoroi rises from the sea. A small island that is off limits to the public, home to the only residents; the protected Kri-kri goats.
A quiet moment by the shore.
The scent of citrus and warm stone. Steps lined with colour, each one catching the afternoon light.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Chania, standing calm beneath the palms in the old town square.
Snoozing in the afternoon sun. Whenever we visit Crete we always go and buy cat food for the local strays.
It never takes long to find someone who needs it.
The Church Of Agios Panteleimonas, standing calm above the quiet streets of Kato Daratso.
Somewhere in the backstreets of Chania. A man stepped out to say hello and handed us each a sprig of basil, a Cretan gesture for good fortune and protection.
Morning light in the courtyard. Two companions snoozing in the warm sun.
In Chania, its rare to find an empty chair for long, there’s always a cat to claim it.
An excavated Minoan site in Chania, where traces of walls and rooms sit suspended between past and present.
A street performance in Chania harbour. And no, he’s not floating, he’s tightrope walking while playing the Ukulele and singing ‘Tambourine Man’, which stayed stuck in our heads for the rest of the day.
A pocket sized companion enjoying the ferry ride. How could I not get a photo?
Boarding the ferry from Balos Lagoon. Salt on our skin, sand in our shoes and water almost too blue to look real.
It wasn’t a big trip, but it felt like a reset. I managed to take plenty of photos, but it still feels like there was more I didn't quite capture.