Old Town & Venetian Fortezza Castle (Crete, Greece)

Hey Pinmapple Fam!

First time posting here but hoping to be more active as I begin my traveling again post pandemic. This is my first international travel (I'm US based) since the pandemic and I'm excited to have a fun travel community to share updates with!

This is my first time visiting Greece and I am on the island of Crete exploring what it has to offer. It may not be a huge island, but there is a LOT to do!

My first day of exploration was through the streets of Old Town in Rethymnon, one of the smaller towns on the beach. The lovely area of Old Town is named so because the architecture and streets are some of the best preserved since medieval times. Of course, the buildings are all full of shops and restaurants for tourists to enjoy these days, but the ambience does have an old European feel to them.

One of the main attractions in Old Town besides shopping and eating is the Venetian Fortezza - an old fortress/castle that offers a great view of the town of Rethymnon and as well as the Sea of Crete (in the Mediterranean Sea). You can tour the fortress (which is mostly just empty buildings and structures at this point) for a couple of Euros and I think it is worth it just for the view. There is a lot of history behind the Fortezza as it changed hands during conquests from various empires throughout history.

Here is the view:

It is only day 1 but I am really enjoying Greece so far and look forward to more exploring the rest of the week. Will post more updates soon!

P.S. - If you have any recommendations for Crete please let me know!