Situated on the northern coast of Crete and about 45 minutes west of Heraklion, Rethymnon is the third largest city on Crete. It doesn't have that big city feel though. With both Venetian and Turkish architecture it's old town has a real medieval appearance and feel. The harbor area is a great place to stop and have a coffee or a meal while exploring. The focal point of Old Town is the Fortezza or Fortress with great views of the city and the sea. The waterfront with many outdoor cafe's An example of a waterfront cafe The Fortezza or fortress of Rethymnon is the rampart of the city. It dates back to the 16th century and was built by the Venetians. It was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in the mid 17th century. The fort was used until the early 20th century. The entrance to the Fortezza Various views from inside the Fortezza As you can see from the images above the Fortezza had a commanding view of the city as well as the Aegean Sea and any ships that approached were observed long before they could pose any real threat to the city. The Mosque built under the Ottoman rule Inside of St. Catherine's church on the grounds of the Fortezza The happy couple in the Fortezza with the city in the background A view of the city heading down from the Fortezza As we exited the Fortezza and began heading down towards the town we began to notice little shops and cafe's on very nice pedestrian streets that lead us back towards the waterfront. We also saw some very interesting and unique architectural designs during our walk. Interesting design's on the exterior of a house we came upon A very nice and quaint area to wander through The Rimondi Fountain of Rethymnon Our wandering eventually led us to the Rimondi Fountain. Dating back to 1588 with a restoration in 1626 the fountain was built by the Venetian governor Rimondi to be a source of fresh drinking water for the people of Rethymnon. Even today the water is still potable and very inviting for any weary passerby. The water falls from 3 lion's heads into their own sinks. It was the only fountain constructed during the Venetian rule of Rethymnon. The fountain is a part of the history of the city and should not be missed by visitors. We continued walking and gradually made our way back to the waterfront to meet our driver and continue on to Chania. A few more images of places we passed on our walk through Old Town Rethymnon Our hotel being located about 45 minutes east of Heraklion actually left us with a 2 & 1/2 hour drive to Chania. As I mentioned earlier in this post we decided to hire a driver for the day as we were visiting both Rethymnon and Chania. I just wanted to relax and enjoy the day and not have to worry about driving in and finding convenient parking in both cities. Chania is located on the Northwestern coast of Crete and is it's third largest city. The large Venetian harbor which dates back to the 14th century is a huge draw for visitors. At the entrance to the harbor is the beautiful 16th century lighthouse that was built by the Venetians and was somewhat remodeled by the Egyptians in the early 19th century. The circular shape of the harbor makes a beautiful scene with many cafe's, taverna's and no end of shops. The harbor's promenade showing the many shop's and cafe's There are ample openings all around the harbor front leading to the pedestrian streets just in from the waterfront. There you'll find more shops, cafe's, hotel's and even some homes that locals still live in. You'll also find various archeological excavations, historic monuments and of course very old churches. Strolling through the pedestrian streets of Old Town, Chania A section remaining of the Old City Walls This building showing the Ottoman influence in its design Chania's Architectural Museum Located in the former Venetian Monastery of Saint Francis the museum displays antiquities discovered in the city of Chania and the surrounding region. While its size and the number of items on display doesn't begin to rival the Archeological Museum in Heraklion, the pieces that are shown are of significant value to Crete's history. The timeline of the museum's items displayed is from the 4th century BC to the 3rd century AD. There were some amazing floor mosaic pieces and many other interesting pieces as shown below. The happy traveler standing next to a huge urn Not very far from the museum we found the Orthodox Cathedral of Chania. The construction of the Cathedral was completed in 1860. Inside you see the very elaborate decoration with huge chandeliers and beautiful paintings throughout. The very ornate interior of the Cathedral Our final spot to visit was actually just outside of Old Town. We made our way to the Municipal Market as it was highly recommended as something not to miss in Chania. With its unique design and a wide variety of vendors the market maintains its appeal to both locals and visitors alike. One of the 4 entrances to the Municipal Market Various views inside the Municipal Market A huge variety of eateries and shops We were only able to spend a few hours in both Rethymnon and Chania. Quite obviously there is so much more to see and do in both cities. This of course leaves it open for use to return to Crete. This was a good introduction to both of these cities. One final note. On the road we passed the small resort village of Bali. Our driver made a special point to let us know in advance so we could take a picture of the sign. Not to be confused with Bali, Indonesia the sign is apparently a popular photo op.
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