Chania, Crete, Greece

July 29, 2023November 7, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 1 Comment

Last year’s holiday in Greece was wonderful. So when we were thinking of a summer holiday this year, we didn’t hesitate to choose Greece again. This time we travelled to Chania. Chania is a city situated on the northwest coast of Crete which is known for its 14th century Venetian harbour and the 16th century lighthouse. The lighthouse can be seen from our hotel room and it is especially pretty during sunset while enjoying a delicious dinner at one of the waterfront restaurants.

Walking distance to the Chania old town is the Nea Hora Beach which is lovely for sunset viewing and seafood dinner. It was mostly visited by locals with small children. I especially enjoyed watching the dogs enjoying their evening swim too!

One recommended activity in Chania is to rent a car and explore the beaches on the West coast. We drove to Kissamos, Falassarna and Elafonissi. The drive through the mountain to Elafonissi was indeed beautiful. Different shades of pink flowers lined the narrow roads. It was very pretty! Elafonissi Beach is a sandy white beach with its crystal clear waters. Voted several times as one of the best beaches in the world, the Elafonissi beach stands out because of its pink sand. That is why it is also called the Pink Beach Elafonisi.

Although Crete was very warm, it was a wonderful holiday. Chania is charming with lots of great food. People are friendly and helpful. Fortunately, Crete did not have wildfires, unlike the other parts of Greece. The next holiday will be in 73 days to Okinawa!

All photos by Ari Vitikainen at arivitikainen.com

And there was Athens…

April 3, 2022 by elainevitikainen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

After a week in Santorini, we flew to Athens where we were greeted with the most perfect weather.

The Acropolis museum and the Acropolis itself is a must see. Amazing architectures and a feel of history!

We visited the National Gallery where I found my new favourite art from 1967 – Two Chairs by Costas Tsoclis.

We also took the bus to Flisvos Marina for a sunset dinner and returned to our hotel to enjoy evening drinks at our rooftop restaurant overlooking the Acropolis.

It was a wonderful holiday with lots of seafood, grilled fish, baklavas, walking and sunshine. I experienced a beautiful Greece with helpful, kind hearted people. After 2 years, it was a miracle that this trip even happened!

All photos by Ari Vitikainen at https://www.arivitikainenphotography.com

Greece finally happened!

April 3, 2022 by elainevitikainen ♥ 1 Comment

After deciding to not go ahead with booking our trip to Shanghai in March 2020, we thought we will go to Santorini instead. Anyway, COVID is far away in Asia! But as you know how the story went, Europe was on a lockdown too… What I love about this story was how we got refunded for our flight tickets but especially how our hotels in Athens and Santorini kept our reservations although the bookings were clearly non-refundable. So after 2 years, Greece finally happened and it felt like a miracle!

When Greece dropped the requirement to have a COVID test on arrival, flights were selling out fast. It was a miracle that we still were able to purchase our tickets, although, that was a bit stressful. And a few days before arriving to Santorini, our hotel informed me that they are not yet ready for the season and will let us stay at another hotel. But surprise surpise! We were totally upgraded to a villa with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 living rooms and even a sauna. And for a week, I had a private pool at the highest point in Caldera with the amazing volcanic views. The pool was heated at 30C so it was perfect!

Santorini is indeed beautiful and the weather was lovely. We enjoyed walking, exploring and eating lots of seafood, grilled fish and baklavas.

We also rented a car and drove across Santorini – from the windy Akrotili, to the peaceful beach of Kamari, driving up the steep and narrow road to Ancient Thira all the way to Oía to admire the beautiful sunset.

A Catamaran day cruise in the Aegean Sea is something not to be missed in Santorini. It was fun to look at the Caldera cliffs and the volcanic islands and of course to wait for the most amazing sunset.