Rethymnon

The plans for yesterday were altered due to Charlotte not feeling well. I spent the morning walking around Hania, catching part of the parade for Oxi Day and checking out the location of the market and some little shops that we can go to on Saturday.

In the afternoon, we drove to Rethymnon, which is another charming little city. There is a large Venetian fortress (fortezza) above the town, which both is and provides marvelous views. We toured the fortress then walked around the old town, which is, like Hania, full of narrow lanes and beautiful Venetian architecture. We managed to locate all of the major sights: the mosque, the loggia, and the fountain (the latter quite by accident!).

Lunch had been at an unremarkable taverna in Rethymnon: mussels, greens, and tzatziki. It was okay, but fell far short of the food we'd had so far. So I hoped to make up for it at dinner and decided we'd go to Well of the Turk.

We spent a good 30 minutes - at least! - looking for the darned place. First in one area, then another. I'd looked it up on the internet, marked it on my map, and was getting ridiculously frustrated by our inability to find it. A guy offered to help us, so we asked if he knew it, and he told us to go in a completely different direction! But we did find it!!! And it was well worth the search - located in an historic building, cozy and charming, and fantastic food. We ordered "chicken cigars" which were chicken and spices wraped in phyllo; a trio of hummus, tzatziki and bhabaghanouj; and meatballs. Yum.

On the way home, we met two little kittens who were VERY friendly! They followed us for a block or so, worrying us that they might follow us all the way home. But they stopped and turned back. We also bumped into a couple dogs we know, which is quite funny that we are getting to recognize the animals of Hania.

Today, the plan is to drive to Elafonisi beach and see a few sights on the way. It's very windy and a bit chilly, so probably no swimming, but we look forward to seeing some new places.