Tourist boats start arriving in Hania

It has been fascinating over the last month watching Hania awaken from its winter off-season slumbers. At one point it seemed that virtually every single day a new restaurant or cafe or shop or set of apartments was opening its doors for the first time this year.

Now it is the turn of the boats to start arriving. A couple of weeks ago a platform appeared at the edge of the Venetian harbour advertising a glass-bottomed boat trip - with no sign of the boat. That all changed yesterday, as I saw the boat for the first time, and the team who stand on the quayside handing out leaflets to passing tourists.

Yesterday also saw the first big cruise ship of the season arrive. It anchored just outside the port, and a little shuttle boat spent all morning ferrying passengers to and from the giant ship into the tiny harbour.

The only sad thing about seeing all this activity start up and the whole town gradually come alive, is that you know that come September and October the reverse will be true, and it will seem like every day more and more things have closed down and boarded up for the winter.