Chania town, the unofficial capital of Crete until the early 1970s, has been at the center of the island's history for centuries. Today, the footprints of history are around every corner, and the passing of the Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman rulers of Crete are marked with buildings, churches, mosques, street names, public works, and other traces of influence in the town's culture. The center of Chania town's social life is the old Venetian harbor, at its northern end, dominated by the lighthouse, the Mosque of Kucuk Hasan, on the eastern quay, and the Naval Museum, on the western end. The Market building, on Tsouderou, is a focus of everyday commercial activity, during shopping hours, and the Venetian harbor, with its line up of cafeterias, restaurants, and bars (in the alley behind the Mosque) dominates nightlife and weekend relaxation. From the bottom of the outer harbor, Chalidon street, with the Archeological Museum and the Cathedral on either side, leads to Giannari street, a main commercial thoroughfare. Both museums are worth visiting during a leisurely exploration of the area. The neighborhood on the northwestern end of the harbor, Topanas, is the prettiest in town, and Theotokopoulou street, that runs through it, has landmark status, with Venetian buildings, narrow streets, and pretty, albeit somewhat pricey, pension hotels in restored historical buildings. At the eastern end, Splantza, the old Turkish quarter, contains a area with excavated Minoan ruins (at Kanevaro street) and the Center of Mediterranean Architecture. This is a restored Venetian administrative building that is worth a visit for a look at a successful conversion of a historical building to public use with the aid of modern architectural techniques and design. There is a nice snack bar in the ground floor, attended by Angelos, a most agreeable, pony-tailed fellow, who is also the part-owner of the Anaplous restaurant, in the area. Further down, along the harborfront, the Venetian Arsenal, is a long building that today houses a number of nice coffee shops and restaurants. The eastern end of the harbor provides spectacular views to the Acrotiri peninsula that lies on the northeast of Chania town. The fortified tower, that rises about 15 feet from the quay, is an ideal spot from which to watch the sun set behind the old Venetian harbor of this pretty and historic city. |
