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Top 10 reasons to visit Chania in Crete
Top 10 reasons to visit Chania in Crete

Top 10 reasons to visit Chania in Crete

Chania, a mesmerizing gem nestled on the picturesque island of Crete, offers an enchanting blend of history, culture, and natural beauty that will leave travelers spellbound. From its captivating Old Town, steeped in Venetian and Ottoman influences, to its sun-kissed beaches with crystal-clear waters, Chania promises an unforgettable escape. Delight in mouthwatering Cretan cuisine, explore ancient ruins and archaeological sites and immerse yourself in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Embark on breathtaking hikes through the Samaria Gorge or simply savor a leisurely stroll along the charming Venetian Harbor. Whether you seek history, adventure, or relaxation, Chania presents an alluring array of experiences to entice every traveler's heart. Chania is the second largest city of Crete, a place where different civilizations have flourished throughout the centuries, a place with natural beauty that everyone should visit. I've been here twice (you can read my relevant post here) and will be going again at some point in the future. Chania is a place I adore and below I'm listing my Top 10 reasons to visit Chania. 1) It is one of the most beautiful and picturesque cities in Crete https://www.flickr.com/photos/dora1986/26538369622/in/album-72157633876630181/ 2) The locals will make you feel at home. https://www.flickr.com/photos/dora1986/26638031915/in/dateposted-public/ 3) The charming narrow streets will amaze you https://www.flickr.com/photos/dora1986/8925191416/in/album-72157633876630181/ 4) The best views of the city https://www.flickr.com/photos/dora1986/8925126712/in/set-72157633876630181/lightbox 5) The delicious Greek food Dakos salad, Chochlioi (snails) Kaltsounia (cheese pies), Gamopilafo (rice dish served in Cretan weddings) and many more. https://www.flickr.com/photos/dora1986/26027950393/in/dateposted-public/ 6) The delicious cheese (graviera, mizithra, anthotiro) https://www.flickr.com/photos/dora1986/26572281981/in/dateposted-public/ 7) The local drink raki/tsikoudia (strong, clean alcohol) https://www.flickr.com/photos/dora1986/8925067016/in/album-72157633876630181/ 8) The best beaches (Kedrodassos, Balos, Elafonissi, Falassarna) https://www.flickr.com/photos/dora1986/26611235916/in/dateposted-public/ 9) The best sunset at the Venetian Harbor https://www.flickr.com/photos/dora1986/26566075621/in/dateposted-public/ 10) The Pentozali dance is the trademark folk dance and you'll enjoy watching Cretans dancing with their traditional costumes! https://www.flickr.com/photos/dora1986/26034191883/in/dateposted-public/

Dora Christofi2023-07-20T11:03:28+03:00April 25th, 2016|

Athens Walk around Acropolis
Athens Walk around Acropolis

Athens Walk around Acropolis

Athens is the center of Greek civilization, the capital of Greece, and a contemporary city offered for history exploration, holidays, relaxation, nightlife, and many more. There are a lot of things to write about Athens but I’ll do that in another post. This post is about recommending my Athens walk around Acropolis and reach the top of Areopagus hill in order to enjoy the amazing Athens panoramic view. Start Point: Syntagma Square End Point: Monastiraki Walking Distance: 3.5 km Duration: 1 hour Cost: Free Highlights: Acropolis, Acropolis Museum, Odeon of Herodes, Areopagus Hill, Anafiotika, Plaka, Monastiraki So my Athens walk around Acropolis (that's how I named it) started from Syntagma Square. I walked towards Mitropoleos street and then turned left in order to walk towards Acropolis (there are signs). I walked through small pedestrian streets with small shops selling souvenirs and local things. Of course, you can take an alternative route via Leoforos Vasilisis Amalias, however you’ll miss the scenic streets. After a few minutes of walking, I reached the Acropolis Museum on my left. If you haven't been to the museum before, and have some free time, I recommend you to spend 1-2 hours there. It's worth visiting since you'll get to see some findings of the Acropolis archaeological site. The day I visited Acropolis was closed for construction works. However, I've visited Acropolis a few years ago and it's a lifetime experience which I recommend you to do. Moving on, I walked towards the ‘Archeologikos Choros Theatro Irodou Attikou’ via the Dionysiou Areopagitou pedestrian street. As you walk you will reach the The Odeon of Herodes Atticus theatre on your right. This is a stone theatre structure located on the southwest slope of the Acropolis of Athens which is still used for performances. The theatre was closed so I couldn’t go in, but I managed to capture a few pictures outside and inside. I continued my walk uphill. The path is really good for walking. Once you reach [...]

Dora Christofi2023-03-16T19:25:37+03:00February 9th, 2016|

Spetses, a mixture of sea and forest
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Spetses, a mixture of sea and forest

Spetses, a mixture of sea and forest

Whilst staying in Hydra we decided to visit Spetses for the day since it’s very near. We got the flying dolphin from Hydra which is about 40 minutes. I’ve known this island since I was in school, from history lessons, that Spetses is famous for its contribution to the 1821 war of independence. Once you reach the Spetses harbor you’ll see Dapia (new harbor) which is the tourist and commercial centre and old harbor. The trademarks of the town are not far away from there. You’ll almost see everywhere near the harbor the horse-drawn carriages which are the island’s emblematic means of transport. We got a motorbike (25 EUR for the day) in order to explore the island which is 25km. We started our journey from the old port towards Agia Marina and followed the white line (as illustrated on the map). We got off at Agioi Anargiroi which is one of the largest beaches on the southwest of the island. The Bekiris cave is located near the beach. This dark cave used to be a safe place for pirates to hide. There’s a story which says that the cave was named after a man with the name Bekiris betrayed the people who were hiding there during 1770 when the Turks were plundering the island. We then moved on towards Agia Paraskevi. We didn’t get off here but we only viewed the amazing and breathtaking sea views. On our way to Vrellos beach we could only see a mixture of the sea and forest pine trees. This was our next stop. A beautify sandy beach on the west part of the island surrounded by pine trees. Then we passed through Zoodohos Pigi and moved on to Kaiki Beach Bar restaurant for lunch. This place is one of the most popular beaches in Spetses. Then we got the motorbike and went towards the lighthouse. Spetses is famous for its little almond cakes with sprinkled icing sugar (called Amygdalota) and there are available near the old port. We tried them as Politis and they were delicious (even though I don’t like these in [...]

Dora Christofi2018-02-23T09:14:27+03:00September 15th, 2014|

Hydra the relaxing island with no cars
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Hydra the relaxing island with no cars

Hydra the relaxing island with no cars

After spending 2 days in Poros the next island to continue our holidays was Hydra. From Poros we got the flying dolphin and Hydra was about an hour away. The first thing you’ll see when you get off the ferry is the harbor which is centered and all around there are restaurants, shops and markets. The small streets are made of steep stones. In Hydra you won’t see any cars, buses, or motorbikes – instead, you’ll see a lot of donkeys. The only vehicle we've seen on the island was a rubbish truck. Donkeys and water taxis are the only public transportation in Hydra for tourists and locals. We booked our stay at Pension Erofili which is located 2 minutes from the port and stayed in the studio which had a kitchen and an independent veranda. Although we didn't pay extra to have breakfast there, it looked nice and on the last day the owners offered us coffee and breakfast. Spilia Beach Bar is located under the cannon on the west side of the port and it’s the only swimming spot you can access by foot near the harbour. It serves food and drinks all day and during the night there’s music. We went there before sunset and had a few beers until dawn. There’s an excellent view of the harbour and you’ll see the ferries, cruise ships, water taxis, and boats coming to the island. Although the drinks were a bit expensive it’s worth going there just for the relaxing view. During daylight people enjoy the rocky beach beneath (Hydronetta) where most people jump from the rocks in the clear crystal waters. Mandraki Bay – Miramare is a beach that you can easily reach by water taxi or by boat. At the Mandraki Bay, there’s a hotel known as Miramare that you could see as you approach with the boat. We got our sunbeds (which were free) and we looked to see if there was a bar nearby or something but the place looked ‘dead’. There was a kid there cleaning the tables and bringing some refreshments and [...]

Dora Christofi2023-07-13T12:15:15+03:00August 22nd, 2014|

Poros a lovely hideaway in the Saronic Gulf
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Poros a lovely hideaway in the Saronic Gulf

Poros a lovely hideaway in the Saronic Gulf

Poros is a small Greek island in the southern part of the Saronic Gulf, about 58 km south from Piraeus and separated from the Peloponnese by a 200 m wide sea channel, with the town of Galatas on the mainland across the strait. Before deciding to visit Poros I had no idea about this island. I knew other islands in the Saronic Gulf e.g. Aegina, Spetses, Hydra but not Poros. After making a short research about the island it looked like a nice and quiet island and decided to book there a few days. We got the plane from Cyprus to Athens and then the metro to Pireaus. We reached Poros taking the Flying Cat 5 ferry from Piraeus within about less than an hour. It was mid of August when we travelled to Poros therefore it’s highly recommended that you pre-book your ferry tickets in advance since there are a lot of people travelling between islands within this period of summer. The island is located about 58km from Piraeus. We rented a motorbike so we could travel through the island since its hilly and mountainous and walking during summer would have been very tiring. Sleep We stayed at Poros Apartments which are located 2km away from the port. You can walk there or take a taxi, however I would recommend if you are in Poros for holidays to rent a motorbike. The place is easily accessible. The room and bathroom were both clean. There's a kitchen were you can prepare your meals and a fridge to store food. Wifi is free and reliable. Eat & Drink Dimitris Place is a pleasant place where you can have lunch and dinner with a nice view of the port. The place is near Agios Georgios square/church; however you have to walk up there or take a motorbike or a car. It's certainly worth the visit. We ordered the 'Stavlisia mprizola', medium to raw, which is 1kg and we hardly managed to eat it (I would recommend this for 3 people).The cooking was just right and it was delicious. If you have a [...]

Dora Christofi2016-10-22T12:07:48+03:00August 21st, 2014|

Milos, the Greek island of colours
Milos, the Greek island of colours

Milos, the Greek island of colours

The volcanic activity during the ancient years provided the Greek island Milos with an exciting variety of gorgeous colorful landscapes, offering visitors a variety of activities. The beautiful strange shapes of the rocks and their wonderful colours at the beautiful white sandy beaches are one expression of the volcanic features of Mílos. Deciding to visit Milos, just came out of the blue. We decided with two friends of mine to go on a short summer holiday somewhere in Greece and wanted to visit a destination which is not so popular. We didn't know anything about Milos apart from the fact that it's an island in the south west of the Cyclades Islands and that the island is famous from the Aphrodite statue which was found there. Milos is an island with amazing landscapes, crystal clear beaches, with rocky environment. Reaching Milos From Cyprus to reach Milos it's a long journey. We got the plane from Larnaca to Athens and then we had to wait for the ship from Piraeus to Milos. If you are lucky to get a Speedrunner ship then it will take you 4 hours to reach Milos. It took us 7 hours on the ship (Adamas Korais) to get to Milos. Accommodation We stayed at Iliopetra Rooms, near the Adamas port. I totally recommend staying there, apart from the fact that it's cheap, it's clean and the staff was very friendly! BOOK YOUR MILOS HOTEL FIND YOUR IDEAL MILOS HOTEL ON THE MAP Booking.com During our first night we walked around the Adamas port, we had the greek souvlaki and looked to find a ship for the next day to go on a cruise. We compared the routes and prices which were offered and booked our trip for the next day. Before booking a cruise you need to see the destination of the ship and the wind. We visited Milos at the beginning of August and it was very windy. We eventually booked Thalassitrsa who was very honest regarding the windy weather and said that they were only going to take the safe route and [...]

Dora Christofi2023-08-11T14:15:00+03:00August 15th, 2013|