I just LOVE looking at this sea of olive trees on the hills near my house...

One of the most hideous fashions to hit my village: advertising an event like a birthday party or baptism with a bunch of balloons tied to the fences in the neighbourhood - pray tell me: WHY???

A very gnarled olive tree trunk, in a healthy olive grove near my house.

A view of the buildings by the Venetian harbour in Hania.

A cool evening at a hotel seaside cafe by Ayious Apostolous beach.

After our holiday in the north of Greece, we came back home to sodden earth, heavy rain and a garden full of rotting vegetables!

If you've ever wondered what a Greek schoolroom looks like, here's a look at into a junior high school class. Most classrooms right around the country look just like this one and maybe worse. Greek schools start the new academic year today.

This is the closest I get to luxury: I stay overnight in Iraklio (two hours away from hania) twice a year for work-related purposes and we are always put up for the night in this luxury hotel. I have always appreciated being able to experience of having breakfast by the pool, especially since the rest of my stay in that place is spent working until nightfall.

This disused minaret, a remnant of Ottoman rule found in the town centre, for some reason always makes me think of Rapunzel and her golden hair.

The red light district is just along this street to the left of the alleyway along the brick facade. I found the ladies having a little rest in front of this house before they got ready to tackle the evening trade.

A view of the sea across the road from the disused Turkish fountains. The benches in a previous post are to the right of the fort.

Right across from the benches in yesterday's photo is a former Turkish fountain, now disused and in crumbling ruins. It must have been for cleaning the hands and feet before and after Moslem prayer times.