By John Freedman Originally posted elsewhere January 3, 2021
Reposted on Contemplating Crete April 13, 2021
I have written numerous times about Koum Kapi in this space. It is my neighborhood in Chania, and I have come to love it every bit as much as any other place on Crete. The name appears to be an abomination or shortening of the Turkish phrase koum kapisi, which means “gate of sand.” (The Italian version of this phrase is sabbionara, which is the name that has stuck to the oblong stone bastion that was built out into the sea in this area by the Venetians in 1596. Whether defined as koum kapisi or sabbionara, these words originally referred to the area at what is now the far western corner of Koum Kapi, where there was a gate through a monstrous fortress wall allowing people to enter and exit the eastern section of the Old Town that was built and controlled by the Venetians from 1205 to 1669, when the Turks seized control of Chania. During the Turkish (Ottoman) occupation Koum Kapi was largely inhabited by Turks. Of course, there weren’t nearly as many buildings there in the 18th and 19th centuries as there are now. Back then the waters of the Sea of Crete washed up lazily (or stormily) on an open beach that reached back much farther inland than it does today. The owner of the great Machalas restaurant in Koum Kapi, the oldest eatery in the neighborhood – opened by his grandfather as a coffee shop back in the 1930s – tells how, when the water rose back in the day, waves would wash in one door, flow through the restaurant interior, and exit the door on the other side. Nowadays there is a stone-paved boardwalk set a good eight-to-ten feet above sea level atop a cement wall. In the swimming season (roughly April to early November), you enter the sea by way of one of eight or so stairs that drop down to the sea. Depending on the season, the weather, and the time of month (full moon, new moon), the bottom ends of each staircase may lead to a sandy beach, a rocky sea bed, calm, still waters, or deep churning water that just might turn you away. I’ve never heard anyone talk about the shifting sands beach here at Koum Kapi, but, in fact, it is a very volatile place. In fact, I was prompted to write today’s blog by an article I saw on the very cool Greek High Definition website, “Possidi of Chalkidiki – The Only Greek Beach that Changes Shape and… Disappears.” I was rather taken aback by the headline, because there are actually several beaches on Crete that do this – the most famous being Elafonissi and Balos. But, right here at home in Koum Kapi I watch the beach change drastically throughout the year depending upon the whims of nature – it often disappears entirely. During the swimming months my wife and I go out to swim every morning, and we never know what we will find – sand, rocks, or water. This last year (2020) sandy strands – albeit, changing in size and shape daily – hung in for most of the season. But there were those days you’d walk out there and find the entire beach had moved on to another area, or had disappeared entirely. Any rough weather is bound to bring huge changes to the beach at Koum Kapi. The heavier the weather, the more obvious the changes. In the following photos, taken over the course of three years, you will see sandy beaches, nothing but water, or piles of rocks and rubble following a particularly big storm.
All photos (unless noted otherwise) and text © copyright 2021 by John Freedman. If you wish to use either text or photos, I will almost surely grant permission as long as you do the courtesy of asking. With repost: Renewal of © copyright 2021 by John Freedman.
Comments