(Rethymno, Crete, Greece)

Like a lot of massive complexes, it’s difficult to properly capture the scale and commanding location of Rethymno’s Fortezza (fortress). But, as you can see from the photo above, sometimes you can get an idea of the scale by taking a picture from the complex itself.

The Fortezza occupies the entire upper part of a hill overlooking the old town of Rethymno. It’s big: the walls are 1.307 km (4288 feet) long. And the name might sound Italian…which it is. The Venetians built it between 1573 and 1580. And like so many things in Crete, it eventually fell to the Ottoman Empire for a couple of centuries.

Getting to the Fortezza does require some effort. Although it is huge, and you can see it from everywhere, there is only one (open) entrance. And regardless of how you approach it, you are in for a bit of a climb to get in. And don’t ignore the gift shop at the entrance – it had the best selection of postcards that we saw on our entire trip to Greece.

So, what’s it like in the Fortezza? It’s not expensive (I think we paid 5 or 6 Euros each to enter), and there isn’t much in the way of information. But it reminded me of being let loose in a massive private park. It was practically empty, and we were free to explore or linger wherever we wanted and at out own pace. No “timed entry” here, like at the Acropolis in Athens! (Incidentally, in ancient times, the Fortezza site first held an Acropolis too.)

We first walked most of the Fortezza‘s perimeter, enjoying the various views of Rethymno, the surrounding mountains, and the Mediterranean Sea. Yes, the sea was just as blue here as it was everywhere else in Crete!

We then turned our attention to the various structures that remained inside the massive walls. The obvious focal point was the Mosque of Sultan Ibrahim, with its distinctive domed top. When it was first built, however, it didn’t have that dome because it was the Cathedral of St Nicolas.

The interior of the mosque was eerily sparse, but spectacular all the same. While pictures can’t do it justice (just like the Pantheon in Rome!), the tiled dome interior was a definite highlight.

Without signage, we were left to imagine what we were exploring. Were we in a prison or a storage facility? In the end, it didn’t matter, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Access is mostly unrestricted for the remaining structures, except where specific restoration is taking place.

Although we didn’t bring any food with us, I think the Fortezza would be a peaceful place for a picnic. It is possible, however, that our impressions of the site were influenced by the fact that it was off season. Even the Palace of Knossos, a major historical site, was pretty quiet in early March once we shook off the school group that entered at the same time we did.

After the large mosque, this tiny chapel was a real contrast. However, it was one of the few structures that wasn’t open for exploration. I’m sure it has an interesting story!

If you are in Rethymno, the Fortezza is well worth a visit. And, in high season, I suspect that there may be guided tours and other ways of understanding more about what you are seeing. But feel free to make up your own version, like we did!

(Rethymno, Crete, Greece)

I often scout out lunch options well before arriving in a new town on a day trip. This time, however, we decided not to overplan…especially as we didn’t know exactly when or where hunger would hit. After all, we had been having such great breakfasts each day at our hotel.

Our usual strategy in a tourist-oriented town: find the place with great reviews *in the local language* that is still a significant walk from the main tourist sites. Chances are that it will be authentically local, catering to repeat customers, and priced fairly. My quick research pointed to a place called Kafe Armonikon. Would my hunch be correct?

It wasn’t easy to find. There was no English sign. It was only in Greek, and it was very subtle. Peering inside, there was no English anywhere. It looked very old-fashioned…almost like 1950. Every photo on the wall looked to be from about that time. Every customer was speaking Greek, and there was also a steady stream of people arriving for take-out. A husband-and-wife team appeared to be running the place. She beckoned us to the kitchen area.

There was no menu, paper or posted. She was inviting us to see what they were offering that day. Not everything had an English equivalent. But it all looked really good. We both opted for the pastitsio, which looked somewhat like lasagna with bechamel cheese. Except that the pieces were much bigger. The above picture includes a full-sized plate!

In short, it was tremendous. Definitely the best lasagna (or pastitsio) that I have ever had. My hunch had proven correct! The place was really busy, so I wasn’t able to take too many pictures. I quickly snapped the above photo of the walls between groups of local customers. Given the Greek name Armonikon (similar to our “harmony”), the photos on the walls made it clear that the restaurant paid tribute to local musicians from bygone times.

I didn’t feel comfortable taking pictures of the kitchen area, even though all the food looked so good. You will just have to take my word for it! And we were treated very warmly there, despite a bit of a language barrier. And they continued the wonderful Cretan tradition of hospitality: we also received a free dessert and some raki afterward!

After lunch, we spent some time in the harbour area. After our excellent experience at Armonikon, we were almost sad to see a restaurant near the harbour specializing in “Mexican Sushi.” Maybe it’s very good. And I do like interesting fusion food. But Mexican Sushi just didn’t seem right today.

Some of the “streets” in the old town were clearly not built for vehicles. They were narrow, and often contained steps. But one, in particular, was far more dangerous than the others. Yes, we had run into a gang. And this gang, with at least 10 members, was hungry. They gave us evil eyes, and didn’t appreciate our intrusion on their turf. One of the toughest ones was missing a leg. It took us a while to figure out that these feral cats were hanging around a house that was known to put food out for them.

As we got farther away from the Fortezza and the harbour area, Rethymno began to look less like a tourist destination and more like a place where real people led real lives. Shaken, but not deterred, by our gang encounter, we slowly made our way to the bus station so that we could catch our bus back to Heraklion.

Stay tuned for the post dedicated to the Rethymno Fortezza!

(Rethymno, Crete, Greece)

Our second day trip from Heraklion took us to the town of Rethymno. Located about 90 minutes to the west, it looked like a relaxing bus ride on the map.

Well, it wasn’t that relaxing. As you can see from the above picture, Rethymno is surrounded by mountains. And some very challenging terrain lies between Heraklion and Rethymno. The highway has been renovated in the recent past, and I hate to think how scary it must have been before it was modernized. Our bus driver was fine, but some of the cars passing us seemed to have a bit of a death wish!

Rethymno seemed to be a compromise between Heraklion (big, few beaches, lots of sights, less tourist focused) and Agios Nikolaos (small, lots of beaches, fewer sights, very tourist-focused). As with Agios Nikolaos, however, the tourist scene in Rethymno was muted because we were in low season.

Before we arrived, we had already decided that our focus would be on visiting the Rethymno Fortezza. It is a massive fortress overlooking the town. So massive, in fact, that it merits its own separate post (coming soon!). Otherwise, our plan was simply to explore the oldest parts of town and find an interesting place for lunch.

Despite this fairly conventional itinerary, we still encountered some odd things along the way. Pictured above is the unsettling “boat of snakes” that was hidden inside one of the Fortezza buildings. It symbolizes the journey from life to death to rebirth. And then there was the “gang” that nearly made us turn back from a city street (more on this later).  

Once we got to the Venetian part of town, we found the same very narrow streets that we saw in the Venetian parts of Heraklion. And we even stumbled on Avli (see above), a renowned restaurant focusing on Cretan cuisine. Although we didn’t visit, it reminded me a bit of the role played by Peskesi in Heraklion.

The Ottoman era is also quite visible in Rethymno. Above is the former Neradje Mosque, which became a music school after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Before it was a mosque, it was a Catholic monastery. This repurposing was something we saw in Heraklion too…and we would soon see more of it!

Right before lunch, we came across the rather startling rabid strawberry above. Not sure what to say about this – it seemed a rather odd choice for one of the town’s main streets.

Stay tuned for more about Rethymno!