Our travels focused on the west and SW of Crete: Chania, Sougia and Loutro Chania has an old city centre which although quite touristy, has a real charm. It was our introduction to the island with some great, and inexpensive, food. We then headed to the southern coast to enjoy some strenuous walking. Samaria is a 16 km gorge which ends on the coast. Several other hikes were coastal paths, parts of E4, with panoramic views along the coast. Sometimes the walks ended with a swim and a boat ride back to the start. At Marmara beach, when the rain had set in, the local taverna owner invited us all into the kitchen out of the rain and turned up the music! Hilarious! With beers and Raki too! Loutro was a really delightful, boat access only
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