Hania
Trip Start
Apr 18, 2012
1
8
55
Trip End
Sep 12, 2012
Chania, Crete, Greece
Friday, April 27, 2012
Yesterday I traveled by bus from Heraklion to Hania. The bus ride took two and a half hours, but it was the most beautiful bus ride I have ever been on. The main highway across the islands follows the coastline. During the entire trip, whenever I looked out of the window, all I saw was the gorgeous, calm sea. The position of the sun (to the right) cast rays on the water that sparkled like crystal. Out of the other side of the bus, the rolling hills and high mountains were visible; blanketed in trees and shrubbery. I would follow the peak of the mountains all the way down as it sloped gracefully toward the water. At one point, we drove past a peninsula. This peninsula, however, contained tall mountains, so tall that their peaks were snow capped. It was a case of dueling climates: the chilled, snow covered peaks that came down to meet the warm, sun-kissed sea.
I reached Hania bus station at noon and was picked up by Fotis Sousalis, who will be my supervisor at Terra Creta, S.A. He is in charge of their marketing and sales, as well as being responsible for many other duties. We went to lunch in the old city, which is so piture-esqe it felt a bit surreal. The old city of Hania used to be surrounded by a thick wall and a moat, like a castle. Now, two sides of the wall (north and south) have been taken down so that the expansion into the new part of the city would be easier and in order to create new roads between old and new. Walking through old city is beautiful: all stone and marble walkways with old Grecian style architecture. the main square is right next to the sea and the dock is lined with cafes and little stores. The city is so wonderful, I could hardly believe that i would be lucky to spend the next four to five months in this paradise.
Kyrie Sousalis and I spent the afternoon exploring Hania, both old and new parts of the city, as we searched for an apartment for me to stay. We viewed at least fifteen places all over the Hania. We must of walked five miles going back and forth during the hottest part of the day, for which i was rewarded with a nice sun burn! Thus, I have learned my lesson about this intense Greek sun and must be more careful! Most of the apartments were quite old and basic: bathroom kitchen/living area, with a bed, stove, chair and table. One in the new part of the city was actually quite newer and had a lofted bed, which gave it more room. After a long afternoon of house hunting, we traveled to Kyrie Sousalis's house outside Hania. He graciously invited me to stay with him, his son and his wife (her parents live downstairs)while we continued our search. From his balcony, he has amazing views. His house is set up on a hill, so if you look north, you have a fabulous view of the sea, to the south you see the snow capped mountains, and to the east lays the city of Hania.
This morning, after dropping Kyrie Sousalis's son off at school, we visited the MAICH institute just to the east of Hania. The campus is nice and sits next to Souda Bay. The institute has offered me a single room to stay and has included food at their restarant at a very reasonable price. Therefore, I have spent much time considering my living options today. After visiting the institute, we drove west towards the region of Kolymvari, which is known for its olive groves and where Terra Creta's main factory and headquarters are located. Their headquarters building is new (in fact, some construction is still ongoing for the upper levels) and very pretty. It has a suspended stairway in the center and two floors for offices. the bottling room is connected to the ground floor of the office building. Five lovely ladies work in there, one of whom (Yanna) speaks Russian as well. We spoke for a bit and she was extremely nice. I am excited to have someone to practice a little of my Russian with. Maybe I will improve two languages during my stay? However, my primary goal is to learn Greek and the members of Terra Creta have decided to only speak Greek to me in order to help me learn, for which i am happy. Everyone I have met here has been very nice, the staff (which is small) all know each other and work very well together it seems. I am quite excited to join their team, if only for a temporary period. By just being here a few hours I have learned many new things about the products and process. Today I will take a tour of the grounds with Kyrie Emmanuil and next week I will start my project of creating a manual for distributors. In my next blog I will give more information about Terra Creta as a company and its numerous products as I am sure i will have much more information and understanding by then. Additionally, I will give a description of the process of making olive oil, which is quite fascinating!!
Comments
thats great sis!!! The pictures are amazing!!!!!!!