(Heraklion, Crete, Greece)

When your vacation time is coming to an end, you start to wonder if there are things you’ve somehow forgotten to do. And so it was that I realized I had (ahem) overlooked Heraklion’s imposing city walls.

The Venetians started to built the city walls in 1462. This was in response to the rise of the Ottoman Empire. But even when the Ottomans took over Heraklion in 1669, they left the fortifications in place.

As you can see from the photos, the city has long since outgrown the ancient walls. But the walls are now topped with a 3 km walking trail. which allows panoramic views of the both the old city and the newer parts outside of it.

While it took me seven days to finally climb and then walk the walls, I think I was better able to appreciate it than if I had climbed them immediately upon arrival. My extensive exploration of Heraklion’s historic centre had given me a better sense of place. I contrast this with my visit to the city walls in Lucca, Italy: I walked those walls immediately upon arriving, and didn’t really know much about what I was seeing.

There was also one special monument on top of the walls. The tomb of writer Nikos Kazantzakis, who I first encountered at the Historical Museum of Crete, is on the top of the Martinengo Bastion. On his tombstone are his own words: “I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free.”

After ending my walk at the northwest corner of the fortified city, I returned to my hotel through an unfamiliar neighbourhood. It was off the beaten path – no tourists, and also some abandoned buildings. We never felt unsafe in Crete, but this was probably the only part that I might be wary of at night.

Stay tuned for our last hours in Crete, and our return to the Greek mainland!