I imagine that a lot of visitors to the nearby site of Knossos decide to skip Heraklion's Archaeological Museum. There's only so much history one can take! But this is a huge mistake. Not only is the museum an indispensable companion to Knossos, as home to most of its recovered treasures, but it's actually a more rewarding experience. We're not alone in our high opinion: Heraklion's museum is hailed as one of the premiere archaeological collections in…
Just outside of Heraklion, the biggest city and capital of Crete, lie the ruins of Knossos: one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in the Western world. Knossos was home to the palace of King Minos, and thought to be the center of the extinct Minoan kingdom. It's a place drenched in history so ancient, it's positively mythological. Heraklion is a three-hour bus ride from Chania, which we were astounded to discover. It's easy to think of…
If you look at any map of Chania, it's easy to locate the Municipal Market: just look for the cross-shaped building in the middle of town. Each of the four "wings" has its own entrance, all of which lead to the large hall in the center. This is a great place to come for fresh fruits & veggies, meat, fish, and restaurants serving up local specialties. Try to visit the market as early as possible. In fact,…
Our stay in Loutro was short but sweet. We had just a single day, not even twenty-four hours, to bask in the quiet beauty of this tiny village. There are only two ways to access Loutro: either by boat, or by foot. And since we had taken the ferry in, we decided to hoof it out. A brilliant coastal path of about two hours connects this town back to Chora Sfakion, where we'd be catching the bus…
After waking up in Loutro, we went to the top of our guesthouse, just to make sure the town was as amazing as we remembered, and that yesterday hadn't been some vivid dream. Clutching mugs of coffee, we watched the morning sun pour in over the cliffs, bathing the bay in a soft, warm light. Yep, Loutro's beauty was an objective reality. This was a perfect beginning to the morning, but we couldn't linger too long: we…
A splash of white at the bottom of the cliffs, the village of Loutro looks like someone spilled paint out of a bucket, then decided not to clean it up. "Nobody will see it anyway, all the way down there." It's not unreasonable, because without a boat, you never would see Loutro. This tiny, gorgeous village is totally inaccessible by car. Arriving at Loutro isn't the easiest, especially if the weather is bad. We had to scramble,…
Because of its Venetian Harbor, Chania doesn't have a beach directly in town. But you don't have to go far to reach some. In fact, you can leave your car at home -- given the city's chaotic parking situation, it's likely you'd need more time to find a spot, than you would to walk the entire distance to any of these beaches! Koum Kapi Beach We'll start toward the east of the city, with tiny Koum Kapi…
Before tourism staked its claim, Chania was leather territory. For years, this had been the place to buy the famous tall, black leather boots of Crete, especially along Stivanandika Street. There's still plenty of leather being sold on this street, but the workshops are gone, replaced by an unbroken lineup of identical tourist shops. If you want to find something more traditional way, you have to leave the Old Quarter. Stivanandika, or Leather Street, was actually the…
On the last day of my short but intense trip to Germany, I arrived in Wuppertal, to finally fulfill one of my childhood dreams: riding the city's famous suspension monorail, called the Schwebebahn. I recently wrote about the Skytram suspension train at Düsseldorf's airport, but Wuppertal's is on a whole different level. The Schwebebahn is the primary means of public transportation in this medium-sized city of 350,000 people. It runs from east to west, connecting the entire…
Having spent much of the day riding the suspension train at the Düsseldorf airport, I headed into town, to take a walk through the Altstadt, or Old Town. I had never before visited Düsseldorf, but had heard plenty about this quaint neighborhood, with its traditional houses, its promenade along the Rhine, and abundant bars and bugs which serve the famous local Altbier. I disembarked from the S-Bahn at Sternstraße, and approached the Altstadt from the north. After…