Chania

End of our second full day in Chania. So far, we've spent most of our time lounging around the pool while the kids (Aleeza and Sebastian along with their cousins Sophia, Eva and Nathan) played, swam and got sunburned.

Last night we had dinner-- grilled fish of various kinds and Greek salad -- down in the old city and wandered around the old Ventian harbor. The place was packed with Greeks and a few foreign tourists. There was some sort of agricultural fair going on and dozens of stands were offering us tastes of Cretean honey and various sorts of grappe. Later on, at around 9 p.m., we attended a free performance of Greek folk dancing in an open air amphitheater. It was awfully repetative but was interesting for the first half hour or so. The kids got cranky and we left before the show was over. Amazingly, as we were driving home at close to midnight, we noticed that every single taverna was full to overflowing with people of all ages and some children as well).

Tomorrow, we are planning to go to Knossos, the ancient Minoan palace in Heraklion. If not that day, then the next.

Well, after 4 days on the road and perhaps 10 hours of sleep total, Jackie, Aleeza, Sebi and I have finally arrived in Chania, Crete where we are staying at the Villa Asteria. We're a short walk from the beach. We'll be here fro a week. My brother Paul (from Zambia) and his family arrived just an hour ago with my parents (who were in Heraklion for a conference). It is nice to see everyone. More later