Day 24 . 8th July. Chania, Crete
We arrived int he ugly port town of Souda, Crete, but went straight to Chania.
Chania (pronounced Harn – ia), a small town on Crete, was a new cruise ship destination, so not a lot was known. We headed into town on the shuttle bus, a bargain at three Euros each. We wondered along past a section of the original city wall and stopped for coffee.
Then we saw a Fish Spa. “Is that where you take your Guppy for a makeover?” says Raina. As we got closer we realised it was one of those places where the fish chew on your feet. It took us about three seconds to decide that we wanted to do this.
It did not have a good start. They washed you down with freezing cold water to remove any oils and lotions and to check for open wounds.
Then in went the feet. Hundreds of tiny fish (Thailand Catfish) snuffled around, then started munching on our feet. It tickled for a short while then turned into a gentle buzz. We sat there for twenty minutes, having our feet munched and entertaining the hordes of cruise ship passengers walking past. We even took photos of people taking photos of us. 
After our time was up we sadly removed our feet and dried them off. They were so soft and felt divine. It really was the best foot massage EVER! Sarah lost her tan (but only up to below her knees) but our feet felt so good. We want a fish spa in Canberra.
Then down to the sensational harbour. It is one of the few remaining Venetian Ports as well as an ancient Greek settlement. It has been settled since Neolithic times. An unbelievably pretty “U” shaped harbour surrounded by great restaurants. The water was the azure blue colour from the magazines. The buildings were all earthy tones of render. The su was shining and everyone was happy. The food spruikers were hilarious, telling you that their food was better then next door, that their seats were softer, that you could just come in a sit, or even use the toilets.
We decided to go out on a snorkel boat. It was a 90 minute trip and only cost 10 Euro each. The trip out was fun. We were given a massive lecture about what sea life we could touch and what we could not. What life we should see and so on. When we got to the snorkel site we were given the worst snorkel and masks you have ever seen We did manage to get one fin each. And into the mighty Mediterranean Sea we went.
Clear, aqua, sparkling and …… freezing. When we recovered form the temperature shock we looked down, through the scratchy masks and saw….nothing. Dull grey sand with nothing. A few rocks and some five cm fish but that was it. Talk about overfishing and killing the ocean. But we were now swimming in the Mediterranean. And it was highly amusing to hear everyone (including us) choking and gagging on the massive amounts of water coming in through the perished snorkels. Bad luck if you were not confident. The dive leader did manage to find a starfish and brought it up on board to show people. He passed it around for all to touch with their sun-screened hands and then put it in a bucket. It didn’t go back into the denuded ocean. 
The boat ride back did a tourist lap of the harbour, which was great. It was an ancient port and had been heavily bombed in WW11 so there was much to see. All in all a fun few hours.
We went to a fantastic restaurant – under big shade shelters with huge squashy chairs, awesome music and sensational food. The view of both the harbour and the people was amazing. We could have stayed there many hours just looking. It really was a magic spot. But, there was the town to be seen.
It was lucky that we did move and go for our walk around town as Chania was one of the prettiest places. It was exactly what we had imagined this part of the world to be like. We walked around little streets. Old houses surrounding small lanes. Hunks of ochre coloured render flacking off stone buildings. Wrought iron and baskets of brightly coloured flowers, cats sleeping on balconies and old people sitting around chatting. It was unbelievably amazing. Couldn’t have asked for a better day.
On the way back around the harbour we found a lady busking with a python. Sarah was so good with this giant snake and got to hold it for ages. She was good advertising.
It was then back to the ship for our daily mojito and nanna nap. After a great dinner and a Beatles show, Raina went to bed and Sarah went back out on the party circuit. She had fun at Quest, the adult’s scavenger hunt. A hilarious night with people swapping clothing, collecting bras and so on. She made it back to bed by six the next morning.
Day 25 July 9th Sea day
Another sea day. Sailing though the Mediterranean. Sarah slept until lunch time and Raina went to a movie. After lunch we attacked the duty free shops. Not only was it duty free but was based on US prices. We bought four bottles of spirits including Grey Goose for under $100. We also bought cosmetics and perfume.
It was time them to sort our bags out. And to pack as they were throwing us off tomorrow.
Day 26 July 10th Rome
We booked another private transfer back to Rome, but alas, we were ditched again. After waiting 90 minutes we were able to hitch with our ex-pat /Danish friends Their car turned out to be a mini bus so it worked out well. We were no longer stranded and they had most of their trip paid for. They were dropped at one side of Roma, us at the other.
We dropped our bags at the train station (harder than it sounds) and hit Roma for a final look. We went to the Trevi Fountain, via a coffee shops, and were once again blown away. It was huge. And grows out of the side of a building.
We did all the touristy things like throwing our three coins over our shoulders and watched people get chased by the guards for putting their feet in. While walking through a city of millions, in the busiest tourist area we bumped into someone we knew! The Aussie / Danish guys. We also went to the Spanish Steps and played under the fountain there.
Next tab – Paris