Chania

Chania is a city I visited in the summer of 2022 during my vacation in Crete with my sister. In fact, our exploration of the city was preceded by a morning visit to Elafonisi, so it was part of a very comprehensive trip. The two destinations were decidedly different: Elafonisi, a natural spot with fine sand and turquoise sea, while Chania was an ancient city where we were visiting the historic center. This led me, like everyone in the group, to carefully organize our clothing, especially so as to be able to easily switch from a swimsuit to an outfit more suitable for the city. Chania is located on the coast in the northern part of the island, so the journey to get there involved retracing almost the same route back from Elafonisi, where we departed after 1 PM. Chania was considered one of the cities most influenced by the Venetian era, and this aspect intrigued me because I wanted to see what it had in common with Rethymno, the city where I was staying during my vacation in Crete. We arrived in Chania before 4 PM, and again the bus dropped us off outside the historic center, but at a scenic spot overlooking the sea. We didn't have much time, about two hours, but by studying the city before leaving, I had noticed that the center was small and concentrated, and that everything worth seeing was close together.
From the vantage point overlooking a fortress, we skirted the sea, and immediately after turning the corner, the city revealed itself in all its beauty. Characterized by a very ancient and wide pier that ended at the lighthouse, Chania unfolded in the shape of a crescent right in front of it. The lighthouse was effectively a symbol that distinguished the city and a sort of guardian, because it stood so far from the historic center, thus having a different effect than, for example, the Venetian lighthouse in Rethymno. Chania immediately had a positive impact on me because it was truly an original place, with details that I particularly love. As I mentioned, the city developed on an ancient pier that served as a seaside promenade, along which there were restaurants and souvenir shops. However, this crescent was very large, and upon entering the city, you could see the other end, which was almost directly opposite. That part was a visual feast of colors, and above all, the distinctive beauty of the Küçük Hassan Mosque stood out, a low square structure featuring a large dome in the center and smaller ones all around. I love unique architectural structures, regardless of their supposed religious value and importance, so the mosque struck me above all for its simple yet original design. These two elements alone were enough to make me like Chania, so much so that even before exploring the city, I had positive feelings about it.
Along the entire pier, there were iron-framed benches with wooden seats. They were literally mobbed by people having their photos taken, either with the lighthouse in the background or facing the city. I'd actually noticed this feature right away when I took a candid photo of a girl sitting on one of these benches from behind, and later, my sister and I used several benches along the street as photo locations. The unique thing was that you could use the same bench and have two completely different backgrounds: one overlooking the city or the pier, completely isolated from it. As we walked toward the pier, each bench offered at least two different perspectives from which to capture Chania. This photographic aspect continued to excite me, much more than the beautiful shops along the pier, where for once even the tourists played a positive role. For some reason, everyone was dressed in bright colors, which blended perfectly with the attractively decorated souvenir shops. In other words, we walked along the entire pier, stopping at almost every bench to take photos, until we reached the main square, where we then had to choose which side of the center to visit first.

The Lighthouse

The guide had given us about two hours to explore Chania, a time that made the rest of the group a little anxious, but not me personally. Studying the city map, I'd noticed that everything worth seeing was close together, so given the heat, I suggested to my sister that we go for a drink at a bar before starting to explore the old town. My idea was perfect, because I drank a beer while gazing at the lighthouse in the background and the people strolling along the pier. It was about twenty minutes of recharging myself thanks to the cold beer, which gave me the energy to continue exploring. The first place I wanted to visit was the mosque, which was right next to the bar where we stopped. The structure had been restored and was no longer a place of worship but had been transformed into an art exhibition space. Specifically, when we visited, there were paintings by a certain artist. The mosque was the furthest point we reached, after which we returned to the pier and beyond it, the old town. This was original, with very narrow streets lined with shops selling everything from clothing to accessories. The most important and popular part of the city was the Metropolitan Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary, an Orthodox church located in a space I really liked. The church had a simple design, built of yellow stone and spread over two levels. On the ground floor there were arched doorways, while on the first level there were rectangular windows. The beautiful feature was the bell tower incorporated into the left side of the structure, which gave it a sense of asymmetry that I really liked. The added value of the church, for me, was the large rectangular square it overlooked, a spacious space flanked mainly by restaurants. I've always emphasized how space in front of any structure, large or small, is essential to fully appreciate it, and the Metropolitan Church of Chania was a perfect example. Not only did the space allow for a better view, but it also allowed multiple people to freely experience it. That space offered both depth and a multitude of different perspectives, and there were none of the crowds that can often be found before a monument built in a small space. It may seem trivial, but that detail of the square, combined with the beauty of the church, infused me with positive energy that accompanied and made my visit to Chania even more interesting and relaxing. Aesthetics plays an important role in our subconscious, and when this manifests itself even in simple things, it gives a boost that makes things more pleasant and creates lasting memories. Inside, the church was somewhat small and striking for its large painting of a seated Jesus, placed above the altar, which was decorated with large silver paintings depicting sacred figures. A strange detail was the chandeliers, which began from the ceiling and descended very low in the central part.
After leaving the church, my sister and I continued our tour of the old town and were surprised to discover that Chania was home to many art shops. Specifically, there were many places selling paintings, small sculptures, and other inspiring objects. In one of these shops, we found some paintings depicting Chania in a very beautiful style, and we discovered they were by a contemporary artist. Essentially, this artist took photos of Chania and then painted them while looking at his photos, rather than standing in front of the view. The shop assistant had explained this to us, and the detail combined with the originality of the paintings led my sister and I to purchase some. This aspect of Chania, which attracted artists thanks to its beauty and originality, was obviously a confirmation of the positivity the place's aesthetics instilled in people with a greater soul, such as creatives. Discovering those art shops, combined with the simple beauty of the old town, piqued my curiosity about Chania as an inspiring place. As I gazed at those paintings, I imagined myself as a creative foreigner who, having arrived in Chania, found the perfect place to create art and fulfill his inner self. I pondered for a while what it might be like, and to be honest, I was a little disappointed, because at that point I wanted to delve even deeper into the city's creative soul. This was the mood that accompanied me as I explored the art shops, but it was always a positive one, because it was linked to inspiration and creativity.

Küçük Hassan Mosque

Inside the Küçük Hassan Mosque

Metropolitan Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary

Metropolitan Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary

I continued the final moments of my visit to Chania like this, with a renewed creative energy that I harnessed by continuing to take photos around the old town. On the way back across the pier, I resumed photographing the benches from various perspectives, partly because it was one of my favorite settings, immortalized by the painter whose works we had just purchased. The photos on the way back were undoubtedly influenced by the view of the paintings, while those I took upon arrival were more personal, including the candid one of the girl from behind. The idea of ​​the person sitting on the bench with the lighthouse in the background came to me thanks to that photo, and later my sister and I began taking posed photos of ourselves to recreate the same scene. That's what everyone else was doing, too—a photo that, beyond the memory, also created a striking scene given the unique view. That type of photo revolved around the ego; a pose where beauty was also conveyed by my image. This is what everyone subconsciously thought after having their photo taken with that background. The painter's paintings, on the other hand, conveyed reality—the backdrop, the everyday scene, and the people who were themselves, not posed as we're used to. The scenes the painter portrayed were broader and typically depicted the entire city of Chania, but the people were also there, and they were natural. Reality seen rather than reproduced, the painter's paintings, and my photo taken at the beginning of the visit, made me reflect on this photographic aspect, which is much more beautiful and interesting than the fabricated one. Those few hours in Chania gave me a new awareness that, beyond the sight of a place and its beauty, there was also an additional inspiration born from an unconscious action of mine, consolidated after seeing certain works of art. Chania is the type of visit I love; a place that opens my mind and helps me see beyond, the kind that comes from the soul and not from the ego as we've become accustomed to seeing these days.

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A.M.