Wednesday 26 March 2008

Our recent past





These are the derelict remnants of a very old house near the old port of Hania, to the east of the main town. The roof has caved in and there are trees growing in what used to be rooms, but you can still see its grandeur from the arched main entrance. In one of the rooms, you can even see the supporting beams of the upper storey and the "fitted kitchen shelves" built into the wall. This house is probably under a preservation order - it can be repaired inside, but its outside appearance must preserve features of the period it was built in. It may not be torn down, unless it becomes dangerous goes against the safety standards. It is a romantic house, situated in a romantic area near the harbour, and reminds us of the town's recent past.

It probably still has an 'owner' of some sorts. The entrances have been barricaded against intruders of the human kind, which shows that somebody doesn't want antique foragers to wander about in the ruins. You won't find much in there anyway - what could have been taken has already. Still, it is quite nostalgic to imagine what life may have been like for the people who once lived there, well before the age of mass tourism (the house is only a few metres away from the port).

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