Favorite Pics

This is my last blog posted on the Crete phase of my trip.

In this blog I am presenting some of my favourite pictures and or events with commentary. Thanks to all for the feedback.

According to my camera log I have taken just under 3500 pictures of which I have kept 1527.

These are the White Mountains (Lefkes Ores) and they have dominated the background of my world everyday.



This is my personal favourite picture  and is now my desk top photo.

I took this photo from Plaka looking west towards the villages of Almyrida and Kalyves.

If you click on any picture, it should expand for a better look.

I really had no idea what to expect coming to Greece and Crete. Many asked why? Isn't it unsettled there now? Yes it is. Many are concerned, and you would be too if your pension was being cut by half or you were unemployed as half the youth are. However, while I'm aware this is in the background of everyone's life, I have enjoyed nothing but civility, hospitality and lovely people. Yes, Greece is facing some challenges, but they are working their way through a difficult time as they have for millennia.  In Crete, the issues don't seem as extreme, although youth unemployment is high.  But Crete is particularly self sufficient and the crisis you see on TV seems mostly centered in Athens.

Chania has certainly been a highlight.

I was aware, in a foggy sort of way, that the Venetians played an important role in Mediterranean history, but now, having been here,  I understand far more about what a vital power it was and the crucial role they played in our own history.







The Old Town is a treasure. Simply walking around it is an experience.

It represents a time when life was so different yet so much the same. Every twist and turn is another unexpected vista. 










The colours, the architecture, the relaxing harbour front, the shops, the museums, and the history all combine to make this a magical place.

Chania is also growing. Ryan Air has decided to make Chania its hub for all southern Europe. Massive renovations are underway to accommodate all the jobs that will be created.

All good news for the people of Chania and Crete.  CNN has just listed Crete as one of the top ten destinations for 2013.  Hope grows.




The museums and archaeological sites have been another highlight. What was a surprise was how much of the commonly seen images of books are from Crete. I did not appreciate how central Crete has been to the past.

This floor mosaic from the Roman Republic is an example. It depicts Ariadne, after being left by Theseus on the shore of Naxos, being taken by Dionysius who comes to rescue her and take her as his wife.




The Minoans have long been a mystery and therefore the subject of great speculation. I remember studying this civilization as an undergrad. Never in my wildest imagination did I ever think I would actually walk the ruins of Phaistos or Knossus.

This Minoan Museum in Chania is exquisite, not only for the artifacts so well displayed, but the building itself features grand arches and old architecture.











Many posts in this blog mention the food and the colour. This ice cream store in Chania is an example. So far I have resisted!






The agriculture power of Crete can not be overlooked. I have largely been a vegetarian here without even noticing it. The food is so well prepared and presented. Everything is fresh.

These potatoes are not an extreme by any measure.

This is the way it is here.








The 'gift of the house' is a feature of hospitality.

Meals are not to be rushed such as we do.

Going out for supper is an evening event.

Last night I was in a hurry and after eating and wanting to get on my way the two owners were offended, pulled out the raki, and we talked for another 20 minutes at the counter, well they kept my cup full.








Souvlaki!

Souvlakia!

So, so very good!

I shall miss this street food!!!









An observation I made yesterday is that I do not believe I have seen a cow since I arrived although I have traveled 100s of kilometers of farm land. Sheep and goats are a different matter. Sheep are everywhere and goats are almost as common.













I came across these youngsters at the Triada Monastery.









The detail and interesting ways Cretans have learned to use small spaces is hard to capture of camera

Nothing is overlooked. It creates a charm we simply do not see often in North America.

The churches and chapels are always a treat to the eye. These worship centres are ornate beyond anything we see. The icons are still something I need to know more about.

This is a double vaulted sanctuary in a small mountain village.












The ocean of course is stunning everywhere. The colours of the sea are wonderful and almost always alive with fish, octopus, and more.







This is a local swimming hole for Plaka. There is a traverna on the beech of course.


I wish it had been warm enough to get me in for a swim but, as nice as it has been, its not warm enough to go in.











Crete is largely volcanic and rock protrusions offer great opportunities for an interesting shot.










This is a photographers paradise.

I caught this wave on the southern coast.

Note the way the trees are embedded in the sidewalk. These two shots are at the Marina in Chania

Here a fisherman tenderizes an octopus by throwing it repeatedly on the cement wharf.

Notice the black 'ink' on his hands

The houses, like this villa, are always interesting to look at. The Cretans live outdoors most of the year so patios are on all houses and more than one so there is always a side out of direct sun.












Note the old grind stone incorporated into this wall.

This is a mountain village street, Keflas I think.

It is going to be hard to let go of my little car. Its going to be harder going home and obeying traffic laws again.  All traffic laws in Crete are suggestions. Little is ever enforced.












Travernas are everywhere and such great places to stop for a leisurely lunch. This is the village of Veryses.

YASOU!

Naval Museum Chania

The Chania Naval Museum is a collection of scale models wonderfully crafted. While I was there I found my way into the back workshop where two men were making yet another model from scratch. 


Human beings are known to have been building boats since the Metholithic [middle stone age] Period, about 13,000 years ago.

Circa 6000 BCE we begin to see advanced ships capable of real sea travel, the exercise of power and trade.

This is an example of one such design. Note the fish on the bow.

This is what an early Minoan trading ship is believed to have looked like.

Little archaeological evidence has been found of these early ships dating back 5000 years or more.

Much is conjecture from the evidence that does exist





The cutaway views are what really help us understand the nature and structure of these vessels.

Note the cargo hold and how large the capacity of these ships may have been. 

The Minoans pioneered real ship design and built the first sophisticated ships in the world.

China was also building great seafaring ships about the same time. Was there communication or a sharing of technology in the distant past? Recent evidence is suggesting windows of trade and travel opened and closed at various times in the distant past, especially in the bronze age when the Minoans reached their peak.





The advances in technology over a 1500 years are evident.

The use of human power [slaves?] speaks to the evolution of civilization.

This would have been a combat vessel with the early ram intended to 'spear' an opponent and provide a ramp for soldiers to board supported by others on the raised rampart.

This is a Greek warship that would have been built in the time of the Athenian Empire [500 BCE] which controlled the Aegean Sea and exercised power as far away as Italy.

It was these ships that held the Persian Empire at bay until Alexander the Great [300 BCE] invaded and destroyed them as a political power.







As an aside, the Jewish people of the Persian Empire gladly supported Persian rule as Persia protected their relative freedom, especially in terms of freedom of faith.

It was Cyrus who allowed the Jewish Exiles to return home in the year 539 BCE and rebuild the temple. This is when Judaism as we know it began



This is a Roman Trieme -so named because of its three banks of rowers. It was the Carthaginians that appear to have master the naval fighting ship and the Romans adopted their superior design.

It is estimated these ships could get up to 20 knots of ramming speed, for a brief time and under the right conditions.

These are the ships Augustus, Anthony and Cleopatra used at the decisive battle of Achtion that ended the Roman Civil War and began the Republic a couple of decades before Jesus was born.



This is the design of a Venetian ship circa 1200 CE. 

Can you imagine to work and patience that goes into building one of these models.

All the pieces are fashioned from scratch by these talented modelers.

The quality of the work is wonderful. Hundreds of hours go into each model.









 If I understood the one man who spoke some English in the workshop of the Museum, there are seven of them on the team who work away on various projects, some collectively and some independently.

The Museum features 6000 years of naval architecture researched from many sources and archaeological evidence.

Chania was a Venetian Port City beginning about 1200 CE.

This large model [about 8'X8'] shows how the city looked at that time.

Many of the old structures presented earlier in this blog can be located on this model.

The Museum also features more recent history.

This frigate represents some to the incredible quality of the ships as human beings approached the end of the age of sail.

If you have never visited a tall ship, it is well worth the visit to appreciate the technology of these vessels and the skill of teamwork required to work one.







At the turn of the 19th century the first sophisticated steel ships were being made into weapons platforms.

This is an example of one of these early 20th century ships






By the time of WW2, 40 years later, human beings had mastered the skill of killing one another at sea.

This is a six foot long model of a US battleship.

These capital ships came at the end of the age of battleships, as air power during WW2 revealed their vulnerability to air attack. 

The Museum has walk in displays such as this replica bridge structure of a small WW2 destroyer
















There is little here designed for comfort!










These are the mechanical parts of a German WW2 torpedo.

Again we are reminded that 80% of all the research that goes on in the world is first of a military nature.

Imagine if we could find the will to turn that number on its head and use 80% of our energy for the greater human good?




When I get to Athens next week I'm planning on visiting the naval museum in Pireaus.

On that site is the only surviving real dreadnaught in the world. These great WW1 battleships changed naval warfare.

However, if you are ever in Chania- this museum will be well worth the visit as this is just a taste of what it offers.  It is wonderfully laid out, well explained in English as well as Greek, and the old building itself is a treat with its arches, old windows and great architecture.