Heraklion fort and Rethymno

Heraklion, the capital city of Crete, has a beautiful harbor, presided over by these colonnades which probably were originally built as storage for goods being shipped in and out of the harbor:



The 1211 Venetian Fort of Koules (the word means "fort" in Turkish) overlooks the harbor; destroyed by an earthquake in 1303, it was rebuilt during the years 1523-1540 to the form you see below. During the Ottoman domination (1669-1898) it was used as a prison.


On our way to the bus station to take the local bus to Rethymno, we found this beautiful blooming caper in the crack of a wall, a serious reproach to me, as I have had no luck keeping my caper bush more than just barely alive for years in what is supposed, after all, to be a Mediterranean climate...