Eating under the stars

Those same Venetian palaces that have such gorgeous facades were heavily bombed by the Germans in WW II. Most were and are family-owned and if you didn't have the money to put a new roof on, well, there's still no roof! Such is the case at more than one of Chania's restaurants.

Right above he windows (left) at Ela, the outer wall simply stops. There is an elaborate series of awnings to protect what is, in essence, an outdoor courtyard.

Gone are the days -- at least in a town this size -- of nothing but Greek salads and moussaka. One of my most unique international dining experiences ever took place at The Well of the Turk (below).

As I heard it, a young British woman vacationed with her family yearly in Casablanca and she fell in love with Moroccan cooking. So, when she married a Greek and came to live, while her husband did military service, with her new mother-in-law who spoke no English, they communicated in the kitchen. And a fusion of Moroccan-Cretan cooking was born.

Today we all get to enjoy it in an old building in Splantzia, the old Turkish district of Chania, opposite the 13th century church of Agia Irene, complete with a marble fountain depicting scenes from Istanbul.

The night I was there, I heard a different language being spoken at every table - how apropos. The food is fabulous! Make a reservation -- it's small!

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