Crete - RIck's last day in Rethymno

 In my last post there was a picture of a ferry docked in Souda and mention of U.S. military personnel on shore leave. We have seen naval ships out on the horizon from our terrace but there has recently been a lot of naval activity in the bay we look over.

At one point there were 8 different naval craft out there

and fighter jets blast over us every now and then.

This is what I got when I googled:

U.S. Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, located on the island of Crete, Greece, is an operational ashore base that enables U.S., allied, and partner nation forces to be where they are needed when they are needed to ensure security and stability in the European, African and Central Command areas of responsibility.

I t serves as the second largest (in numbers of warships harboured) naval base of the Hellenic Navy and the largest and most prominent naval base for NATO in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.^[2][3][4][5] Additionally, it features the only deep water port in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean Sea that is suitable and capable of maintaining the largest aircraft carriers (class "supercarriers"). Wikipedia.

Rick's last day in Rethymno was a Saturday so we went to the market before heading in to the old town. This is wild asparagus. I bought some when I was in Cyprus and found it inconsistent, with some spears tender and delicious and some tough and woody. So we didn't get any, however much I love the taste of spring.

Rick had never seen the striped eggplant before but I've seen them at farmer's markets. When I googled they may be fairytale, graffiti, zebra or Sicilian eggplant.

The Vespa photo was for my niece, Heather. This one is for my rug hooking friend, Heather. I have not been able to find her any examples of lycra dressed bicycle athletes but I do know she likes these "cruiser" bikes.

I thought the flower seat would also appeal.

I have read that the Venetians built the stone houses with ornate decoration

and when the Ottomans took over they didn't just convert all the churches to mosques, they also added these balconies and wooden room additions on the upper floors.

Added their own script to public buildings and water sources.

The old town is a mix with some of the old buildings in disrepair

and others re-stuccoed with just a little exposed stone and the shapes of the doors to hint at their age.

We were in search of the restaurant that we had first eaten at and while doing that I looked for the

architectural hints

about the age of the building.

We got as far as the Venetian Harbour but knew that our restaurant wasn't around there. They seemed to be bringing some more boats in, perhaps to add to its quaint picturesqueness for the tourists.

Rick wondered how old that hand cranked crane was. It looked like it was for unloading cargo. As you can see from the reflections in this photo, it was a day of rain showers.

Still wandering.... this is a banana flower. You can just see the bananas at the top of the picture. They can take months to mature. The flower itself is also edible.

Found it

Last time we ordered the medium mixed plate, this time we ordered the small one. Pork, quinoa, rusk, potato, greek salad, stuffed pepper, graviara cheese and aubergine salad. With bread, butter and a half carafe of red wine it hit the spot after the search.

Sitting outside, the server put the awning out so we didn't get wet in the next shower.

Stopped at a bakery on the way home to pick up dessert.