Day 2. Rethymno and Chania – two cities in one day

On the second day, I went to the west of the island. The first stop was Rethymno, which is also called Rethymnon.  I immediately liked the combination of old architecture, narrow streets and the sea. I walked around the Old Town, reached the Venetian harbor and climbed to the Fortezza fortress, from where I have a great view of the city and the coast.

Fortezza Fortress

Rethymno turned out to be just the place where I kept telling myself, "Ten more minutes and we'll move on." Then half an hour would pass, I would find another beautiful street, go in for coffee, and forget about the schedule again. As a result, I left Rethymno later than I had planned, but I decided not to worry, because on vacation it is sometimes useful to at least sometimes lose my own plan. Fortezza Fortress is one of the largest surviving Venetian fortifications in Europe. The scale is amazing, of course, and I've never regretted making an unplanned stop.

Chania

Then I went to Chania. The old town of Chania turned out to be one of my favorite places in Crete: Venetian buildings, narrow streets, harbor, lighthouse and a huge number of small cafes. I walked along the embankment for a long time, and then I just sat on the terrace and watched the people.

I especially liked the Venetian Harbor with a lighthouse. It became even more pleasant here in the evening, when the daytime heat subsided a little and the city began to look completely different. I realized that Hanyu could have been left for a separate day, but my itinerary was already beginning to resemble an attempt to live through three vacations at the same time.