Saturday Night

Saturday Night

Saturday night in the Town of Chania can be a noisy place. the men next door watch a football game, and shout and cheer through the open door. Opaaa! HAHAAAA! EHHHH! (stream of Greek commentary) Opaaa!
Motorbikes race up and down the narrow streets, and their mufflers don’t do much muffling. A woman in high heels (everyone wears high heels, even the police women) clops unsteadily up to an attractive man and throws something at him, which shatters on the ground. A glass, maybe. She shouts, pushes him, grabs him. H speaks quietly, walks out with her; their conversation is heard all over the alley. The next day, he is seen with someone else.
Chairs squeal on the stone paving in the restaurant below. Voices of happy conversation, or of people strolling by. The whole town is on the street tonight, strolling along th water or sharing drinks in one of the many harborside restaurants.Dinner starts at 8 or 9 and continues late into the night. The baker across the street started around 4 to bake four cakes for a funeral, with the man’s name on top in silver dragees nestled in piped white icing. His mixer is pretty loud, 20 feet away across the street.
Renovations area taking place in the apartment above his shop, with sounds of a chainsaw or sawzall, cutting something hard. The restaurants have generators, and refrigerators, and exhaust fans. Churchbells play from a different church at sunset, a nicer tune since we are not being awakened by it. Mostly, though, the motorbikes and voices; all day, all night. It is a little quieter on Sundays.