Chania.

--OAT: "With its Minoan roots and geographic separation from mainland Greece, Crete developed a culture-- including its own mythology, music, and more-- that's divergent from typical Greek culture."

From Chania, we took a shuttle up a narrow road up into the mountains to the Botanical Gardens of Crete. After a big fire back in 2003, a local family used their land to build gardens. After a brief orientation, we put on plastic aprons to prepare local vegetables and fruit for a later lunch. We then walked through the cool, twisting trails down and back up to see samples of plants and trees from around the world.

Then it was back down the road to Chania and the waterfront to visit the Maritime Museum. Lots of models of ships from different time periods, samples of various implements of military hardware, and pictures of past military actions.

After the museum, Peggy and I went for a walk out to the lighthouse and back, and explored for a bit before heading back to the hotel… where we would hook back up with Connie and Basil for more spirited conversation and dinner.

Quick Photo Links: Local Vegetable Prep | Botanical Garden Map | Fruits and Flowers | Animals | Walking to Chania Lighthouse