By bus, ferry, car… Remembering Crete. Part 1. The puzzle is in place
Unfortunately, for now, you have to make do with memories. . . And the more you feel the complete and unconditional impossibility of getting there, the more beautiful and attractive Crete is drawn in your memories. And everything you see there. And unseen too! And there are oh-oh-oh, how many of them are left. . . : ))
But for now, about what he saw, which was also quite a lot. Therefore, we got there in different ways - where by bus, where by ferry, and where by car. Fortunately, there is only one road there - a new national one, which encircles the entire island. True, the width of the road did not work out a bit - for the most part it consists of only 2 lanes, to which a third is sometimes added. But the rest is not bad - the coverage is excellent, interchanges and exits are equipped, however, the signs to them can not always be seen in the roadside 3-meter reeds. But that is particular. As my friend said in response to indignation at such a state of affairs: “Well, what do you want? ! It's the Greeks! " ; )))
We started our acquaintance with the island from the city of Rethymnon (it turned out to be a big discovery for me that it is correct to put the accent in the name of this city on the first syllable), where we got by regular by bus passing by our hotel.
All guidebooks unanimously claim that Rethymno has the best preserved and striking Venetian heritage, which has remained in the city since the 13th century. These are the Guora Gate leading to the Old City, named after the head of Rethymno Giordano (in other sources - Jokopo) Guora.
Guor Gate
And the romantic Rimondi Fountain, built in 1626 by the Venetian governor of the city A. Rimondi to provide residents with drinking water. According to one of the legends, lovers came to the fountain to drink water from it together - in this case, the girl and the guy will definitely get married.
Rimondi Fountain
And Venetian loggia, where the Venetian nobility and statesmen gathered to discuss economic and political issues, as well as for all kinds of entertainment events (now, as you can see, tourists who are busy with popular events in our time for entertainment - shopping). ; )
Venetian Loggia
And the nearby Venetian harbor (into which, by the way, ships enter to this day) with the second largest Egyptian lighthouse in Crete, built, however, already during the reign of Muhammad Ali, after how Crete was handed over by the Turks to the Egyptians.
Rethymno Port
Egyptian lighthouse
And, of course, the main attraction of Rethymnon is the Venetian defensive fortress Fortezza, which in fact turned out to be not so defensive, but served more as administrative purposes and a temporary shelter for local residents. : )
Fortezza
But in any case, this does not negate the fact that from any point of the fortress, simply magnificent views of the city, the harbor open. . .
Rethymnon
. . . and the amazing Cretan Sea.
The Cretan Sea
I met information that Fortezza is considered the largest defensive structure on the Greek coast, but as for me, that fortress on Kos is not much smaller. ; ))
Fortress on the island of Kos
Although in Fortezza, many structures inside the defensive perimeter have been preserved and are operational.
The Mosque of Sultan Ibrahim Khan, erected on the site of the Church of St. Nicholas
Church of St. Catherine
The Church of St. Catherine and the Mosque of Sultan Ibraim Khan
But at the same time, from the very beginning of our walk, the Turkish heritage was more striking to me personally in Rethymno (the city surrendered to the Turks in 1646). To start at least with the building of the Archaeological Museum…
Archaeological Museum
…and the adjacent arch (note the Turkish crescents on the sides of the aisle)…
…where we went almost at the beginning of our journey (of course, we don’t enjoy any trip without museums ; )). Although the filling of the museum allows you to see the whole history of Crete, and not just its individual Venetian or Turkish periods.
And the adjoining Nerantze Mosque (known as the Church of Santa Maria under the Venetians)…
Nerantze Mosque
Nerantze Mosque
…with the famous Nerantze Minaret with two balconies designed by local architect Georgios Daskalakis…
Nerantze Minaret
…and minaret at the mosque built in 1670 near the Guor Gate in honor of Valide Sultan, the mother of Sultan Ibrahim.
The minaret at the Valide Sultan Mosque
And all these narrow streets, cozy courtyards and elegant balconies I associated more with Ottoman Turkey than with European Venice.
And I could not overcome this inner contradiction in any way until, by pure chance, the word Candia sounded in my conversation with my husband about local landmarks! In general, I am bad with geography, and not very good with history either. But literature (or rather, its more primitive version in the form of reading) is mine. I love to read and I perceive many visited places and countries through the prism of what I have read. And who hasn't read about the adventures of the beautiful Angelica? ! Which was brought to the slave market in Candia by malicious pirates:
“For several hours now, the Hermes, swaying smoothly on the waves, was anchored in the port of Candia. The sun blazed with might and main. Bright oriental multicolors soared around, and the wind blowing from the shore brought with it the smell of butter boiling in a frying pan and heated oranges. (. . . ) Pink dust enveloped the whole city and covered the fortress walls built by the Venetians with still fresh marks of recent battles for Crete, which was formerly a Christian possession, and now passed to the Muslims. The presence of new owners in the city was evidenced by the thick white candles of the minarets erected by them among the bell towers and domes of Christian churches of Greek or Venetian construction. (Anne and Serge Golon)
And it was then that my puzzle came together, and everything fell into place - yes, there were Venetians, but they self-destructed were expelled by the Turks, who also left a very significant mark on the island. : ) And before the Venetians there were the Byzantines, and before them the ancient Romans. Therefore, you should not think that apart from the Venetians and the Turks there is nothing else here. There is a beautiful promenade (with a hint of Venetian roots)…
Rethymno embankment
…impressive and graceful Christian churches…
Church of Our Lady of the Angels
Church of the Four Martyrs
…and secular, but no less attractive buildings…
…and also very nice locals. ; ))
So I can't support the guidebooks' claims and characterize Rethymno as exclusively Venetian heritage. But the attractiveness of the city never loses from this! : ))
And about who was in Crete before the ancient Romans - in next part >>>
