As its name (‘Sfakiá’s town’) indicates, Chóra Sfakíon, though not much bigger than a village, is the capital and the largest town of the Sfakiá district, which has a reputation for the kind of cultural conservatism that manifests itself in stubborn independence and blood feuds. It certainly does seem that no revolution has ever occurred in Crete that Sfákians didn’t join, if they didn’t start it themselves, and perhaps such independent-minded folk need nothing bigger than Chóra Sfakíon in the way of a metropolis. Since the town lacks space to grow any larger than it is, the question is moot. Today, it’s a peaceful seaside village with some nice hotels and restaurants, and we were looking forward to a few days’ change of pace.