Crete 4 - Around Chania

Today was our first booked excursion 'Around Chania'.

First Stop - Monastery Agia Triada:

The monastery of Agia Triada (Holy Trinity) was built in the seventeenth century by two brothers of the Venetian Zangaroli family--monks who had converted to the Orthodox faith. It was built on top of a pre-existing church.

There are only 4 or 5 monks living in the monastery due to the nearly worldwide problems with getting young people into church. Although the monastery is a very rich one. The own a huge area of olive groves. Of course the monks don't do all the work there on their own. The surrounding farmers help them and the monks are more like the managers.

Second Stop - Venizeloses' Graves:

The Venizeloses were great cretan politicians. Father and son.

The father Eleftherios Venizélos (1864-1936) was a leader of the Cretan rebellion of 1897. The uprising ended with Crete being granted autonomy by the Ottoman Empire.
Later he became prime minister and achieved to unite autonomous Crete with Greece in 1913.

His son Sophoklis (1894-1964) strove for Geece to join the Nato.

Their graves are on their own well cared cementery on a hill overlooking Chania (Profitis Ilias). And a little chapel is placed above them.


Third Stop - Chania:

Chania was the capital of Crete from 1898 to 1971. Then Heraklion became the capital of Crete.
It is the second largest City on the Island and their is a lot of places you should have a look at. Museums, excavations, the fortress and of course the venetian harbour.
It's just wonderfull. A nice mix of old and new.



I love the view to the lighthouse.

Our guide took us from the harbour through the narrow backstreets to the church and then to the market. The market is not open air but a cross shaped hall. There you can buy nearly everthing.

In the free time we had, we went back to a bar at the harbour and had watermelon juices and fruit salad with ice cream.

Fourth Stop - Maleme:

The last stop on the tour was the german soldiers cementery on a hill above Maleme.
It's really touching. A huge well cared 'garden' with double graves in small distances to each other.



4465 German soldiers are buried here from the war years 1941-45.
About 400 died at sea - the names of those who couldn't be recovered are listed on commemorative plaques.

This war memorial should always remind us that wars don't do anything good!
There is never a winner!
Gained areas or countries, oil springs, religious dominance or anything else never justify the loss of lives!