Crete 6 - Rethimno & mountains

Today we got our rental car.
A black Seat Ibiza. Nice car, a bit weak motorized for steeper hills.
The most important part was the air condition and that worked very well.

To get accustomed to the cretan traffic we first took the old national road through Kavros.
Then we drove a bit up the mountains and finally decided to head for Rethimno. On the way we stopped at an nice public beach with a taverna surrounded by beautifull palm trees. Next stop was at a near located church.


Afterwards we drove directly to Rethimno. A very nice City with a lot of narrow alleys and a wonderfull old town. We visited the archeological museum and the fortress. In th museum you can see a lot of interesting exhibits - statues, jewelry, coins with detaild stampings and lots more.
The fortress is just breathtaking - like all fortresses I've visited so far, with a little difference: this one is very green, there are many trees inside.



From the wall you have a great sight over the town of Rethimno and a wonderfull view over the sea.



On the hill in the middle of the fortress there is a former cathedral wich was changed to a mosque due to the occupation by the Ottoman Empire for about 300 years. At the moment it is closed for renovation.



The fortress has also a small stage which is used for theatrical performences, concerts and other events. Must be a great experience to see a play in such a monumental place.

After the Fortress we left Rethimno and went back up to the beautifull mountains. After some villages we had to stop because of a sheep herd walking along the street.

Then we continued up the mountain. Short beneath the top we made a short photo stop. Up there it was damn cold, wind was blowing strong and the air felt freezy compared to the temperatures down in the valleys. When we got back into the car the air condition felt like blowing warm air. Now I really believe that there can be snow on the top of the Lefka Ori ('White Mountains') even in June.