Trip to Greece video - Hania, Crete

After the capital Iraklio, I got to Hania, Crete's second city and former capital, in my 2003 journey to Greece.

With great expectation of a charming Venetian town, when first entering the town, the usual nondescript concrete houses at the outer part of towns seemed disappointing. It's not until I got to the Venetian old town that it proved the guidebook right. It's a joy to wander in the labyrinth of alleys and cobblestoned streets. There were plenty of colourful old houses, charming small hotels and restaurants, delightful shops selling interesting gifts, as well as the usual boring tourist souvenirs.

But like any other labyrinths, as soon as I had conquered it, the second time when I went there and walked about, the enchantment already vanished.

My pleasure was somewhat spoilt by the endless honeymoon couples. Single travellers were few, and how could I alone fight against the tides of package-toured honeymooners? So far in my trip Greece had been a great place for honeymooners, and it was most obviously so at Hania. At times It made me wonder if I had chosen the wrong destination for my trip.

A bizarre bread incident happened to me, the parochial fool. Reading it in my good old travelogue always made me laugh:
午餐時把吃剩的魚打包起來，這種粗劣的魚宜用來做三文治。到三文治店買芝士三文治，店員似乎覺得我的簡單要求太古怪。等了幾分鐘，奇怪為什麼要弄那麼久，怕麵包給烤燶了。待店員把"三文治"遞給我時，驚覺豐盈的一個好好麵包被烤成纖巧型多士，像餅乾多些，我的香魚芝士三文治晚餐夢幻滅了，而且承惠1.4€； 希臘人(或是克特島人)又一次示範他們的不可理喻、出人意表。回旅館去，邊拿着塊異形"三文治"邊喃喃地駡 — 明明說要三文治，怎麼變了超級多士﹖想像力太豐富，但想像力卻不飽肚。To make a sandwich with the leftover fish of my lunch, I asked for a cheese sandwich at a sandwich shop. Watching the shop assistant nonchalantly toasting the bread for a few minutes, I was worried that it would be badly burnt. I was horrified when finally I was handed the finished product of the "sandwich". The lovely fatty bread had been turned into an unhealthily slim and dry biscuit. Imagine the difference between a handsome living being and a mummy. Immediately my sweet dream of a tasty dinner with fish and cheese sandwich was brutally broken.

Later I found in the guidebook that it was the local specialty food of the Everbest brand. Back home when I talked with friends about my trip, one mentioned a few things of her own Greece trip and this was one of the few she could easily remembered, and she called it interesting.

Watch my video: