Crete Highlights
One of my favourite islands of Greece is Crete. It just seems to have it’s own cultural difference and charm. Definitely, a place to revisit to enjoy more. We travelled the northern coast from Gramvousa in the West to Sitia in the East.
Gramvousa is a very beautiful site, with tall mountains, beautiful beaches and a historical castle. We stayed here for several days because of the rough seas and we enjoyed it’s natural beauty.
Gramvousa Beach
There are a few “day tripper” boats that bring people to this isolated area. There are no roads here and one can only reach this destination by boat. On top of the hill is a large Venetian Castle.
Castle Entrance, Gramvousa
The view from the castle is spectacular and there is still a small church on the top.
Castle Church, Gramvousa
During our travels through this area, we chose to stop sometimes because the winds were very strong and the seas uncomfortable.
Windy with rough seas
Gramvousa was also known to be a pirate’s hangout. There were some caves in the mountainside that we peeked into. Throughout Greece there are many caves that were used as tombs, storage places and at times shelter for animals.
Cave, Gramvousa
The beauty of sunrises and sunsets over the water simply amaze me with the startling richness of their colours.
Beautiful Sunset, Crete
After seeing the more primitive side of the island of Crete, we sailed to Hania, an ancient and still bustling city. Hania is a very active place in summertime. There are many restaurants around the old harbour and much nightlife into the wee hours. We wandered through the town and noticed that many of the old ruins and walls of the ancient city had been excavated and left on display throughout the city. This is not so commonly done, but sometimes seen in ancient cities. Hania is built upon the Minoan settlement of Kydonia.
Ruins of Old Hania, Crete
Hania also has many museums and we visited the maritime museum which was very well done. There was this small model of an ancient ship and a full scale boat on display to observe the early techniques used.
Maritime Museum, Hania, Crete
Moving on east we stopped at several small bays and visited small towns. Then we decided to go to some of the islands off the north coast of Crete. There we enjoyed a few days of quiet isolation. One morning we woke to a beautiful morning and on the beach were three of the local deer known as Kiki. These are rather rare to see and we were fortunate to be visited by them.
Kiki deer, Crete
In this same little bay there was a shrine to Our Lady that lay in the protected corner. Throughout Crete and much of Greece one could find shrines along roads, on hill tops and isolated areas for prayer.
Bayside Shrine, Crete
Inside Shrine, Crete
Roadside Shrine, Crete
We visited the ruins of Leto, taking a bus from Agios Nicolaos and walking a few miles up a winding road. Leto was a major Dorian city established in the 7th century BC. We were the only ones visiting the ruins that day. They are a little isolated. The excavation work has revealed a lot of definition of the site. The location is also very beautiful and overlooks a valley.
Ruins of Leto, Crete
While traveling around I was surprised to see in one town a for sale sign on a building. Rick told me we probably could afford this one.
House for Sale, Crete
We sailed along to Rethimno, rented a car and drove inland to see the ancient towns of Phaestos and Gortyna. Phaestos was a Minoan palace city and has a great view looking over the Mesara Plain and Mount Ita.
Phaestos, Crete
Gortyna was settle by the Minoans and was used even up to the Christian times by the Romans as a provincial capital.
Basilica at Gortyna, Crete
One of the most interesting finds at Gortyna is it’s code of law which is printed on a wall near the ancient courts. The first line reads left to right and the second line reads right to left. A very different way of reading. If you needed a refresher on what the law was, you could look it up on the wall.
Law Code of Gortyna, Crete
We travelled along to Elounda passing Spinalonga Island, which had been a leper colony.
Spinalonga Island, Crete
To the east of the present town of Elounda is the old town of Olous. One can walk over a bridge and see a few ruins and particularly an old church that at one time had a beautiful mosaic on it’s floor. The church is on the point and is a very quiet and peaceful spot for a morning walk.
Church in Olous, Crete
Inside church, Olous, Crete
Our next stop was Agios Nicolaos. There is a wonderful marina there and this is the big town to restock at and enjoy all the aspects of a large city.
We were hoping to stay in Crete longer, but we had to return to Marmaris and take care of some business there, but will always remember the pleasures and beauty of our visit.
.