Breakfast we tried at Savoidakis (Savodor), apparently a popular fast food chain in Crete (it is a bakery + patisserie, but sells also the things we find at Gregoris or Everest) near the sea.
Surprisingly there was little choice in sweet pies and we got a cream bougatsa to share (was huge).
It was not bad, but not good either. Sort of bougatsa you can get from any indifferent pie shop.
Savoidakis (Savodor)
El. Venizelou 81 & Petyhaki 15
Rethymnon
Then we went to see the Archaeological Museum. Entrance fee 3 Euro.
It is a very museum with only one space. I did not see anything very noteworthy and many are not allowed to be photographed. And as you might be able to see in the photo, the archaeological objects were exhibited with some "art" works by children. I do not about you, but personally I found horrible this fashion.
Then we went to the castle (fortress) which is located in front of the museum. Entrance fee 4 Euro.
When I paid the entrance fee, the woman at the ticket counter gave me only a plan of the castle. I asked her if it was the ticket and she said yes. But then, she took out the ticket booklet from the drawer and gave me two (for me & Hubby) cutting off carefully the part where the ticket price was printed. Does not it smell, does it? (The site seemed to be controlled by the municipality, and not by the state).
View from the fortress.
It reminded us of the fortresses of Kos, Antimachia (Kos) & Chalkida. Bits by "Franks" & Bits by Turks.
Building in ruin.
Mosque.
Inside the Mosque.
After the castle, we went to buy some souvenir and for a coffee.
Hubby, as a good Greek, wanted a savoury pie as snack and we went to the 4 Martyrs Square (the church is of the 4 Martyrs).
We bought this fabulous tyropita.
It might look like a common country style cheese pie, but the cheese was totally different. It was sweet, milky, buttery, slightly sour and salty. Never tasted such cheese pie.
Very impressed. Lucky you who live in Rethymnon.
Then we drove to Melidoni to see the cave, but all we got was this view.
We did not know that the Cave was totally closed during the winter.
Then we did not know what to do & returned to Iraklio. This below is the cathedral church of Agios Minas.
We were very hungry. TO avoid any eventual disappointment, we returned to the restaurant we visited on the first day, Peninda Peninda.
I could not leave Crete without eating these.
I have never eaten snails, although we eat in Japan lots of those from the sea. They were cooked with olive oil, rosemary and lots of vinegar. I think to have read also "butter" in the menu, but there was no strong flavour of it. The texture was like sea snails. The meat itself did not have particular flavour, but much meatier than I imagined from the size of shell. They had slight sliminess which was somehow off putting, but otherwise, fine food for me. Hubby was totally disgusted just looking at them and did not even try one.
As we wanted have dinner later, we limited our order to 3 dishes, but then they gave us this heavy dessert (honey soaked loukoumades donuts with ice cream) and tsipouro. We were totally defeated and left full in stomach.
We recommend this place to anyone visiting Iraklio. It is in the old market and most easy to find.
We used the car until 6:30 and returned it. Then we had to kill a couple of hours until the departure of ferry. The guy of the rental car shop kindly offered us to keep our luggage in the shop. We accepted his offer, but at this point we were too tired to walk around. So we stopped at "Pagopoieion" cafeteria just next to the Church of Saint Titos.
It had this Gothic toilets.
On our way to the car rental shop to collect the luggage, we were attacked by pepper spray by the police. It was the memorial day of Alexis Grigoropoulos (young lad who was shot dead cold-bloodedly by a police officer in Athens) and evidently there was some commotion. I once inhaled tear gas in Omonia, but was never attacked by pepper spray.
We were supposed to take Olympic Champion, but what we found in the port was Superfast.
The boat was as nice was the Olympic Champion, or maybe better. I slept sound till 6.
We think we made the best of our days, but have to say that the travelling in winter in Crete had limitations. In winter, days were really too short. Even paying more, you'd better travel in on-season, if you have choice.
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