Day 16: Rethymno Walking Tour
Saturday, August 8th, 2026
Today’s blog is brought to you by Lexi from Mrs. Soleski’s class! Enjoy!
Γεια οας from Crete!
After settling into our new home away from home, the shift from the quiet atmosphere in Santorini to Crete was instant. Crete was completely different, a super pretty, busy city buzzing with crowded streets, cute little shops down every street and people constantly on the go. Although a beach day is always tempting, we kicked off our first full day on the island by discovering the local shops and hunting down the food we’ve been dying to have.
The morning sun cast a warm, golden glow over the narrow cobblestone streets as we set out to explore. We spent hours wandering through the never-ending streets with the most beautiful scenery. Bright pink and purple flowers spilled over almost every balcony, wrapping around the old stone, adding a unique burst of colour to every corner. Vibrant souvenirs and handpainted shop signs lined the streets, making the whole city feel so alive. Everywhere you looked, there were restaurants and local shops packed with cute clothes and handmade jewelry. The energy throughout the streets was festive and even better when we realized how much cheaper everything is here. Safe to say my bank account thought we were leaving Santorini, but Crete had other plans….
By lunchtime we were all starving, and we had one restaurant in our minds: Queens. Don’t get me wrong, Greek food is great, but Queens just hit the spot as a taste of home, especially with how badly I’ve been craving sushi. We devoured a platter of a bunch of different delicious rolls. It was so good it basically dictated the rest of our day.
We went back to the hotel for a bit to dump our shopping bags and recharge for a bit. As we were relaxing in the lobby on the squishy, orange sofas we spotted some friends coming back from their own shopping trip. They gave us a huge haul of all the adorable stuff they got at Stradivarius and Intimissimi, which immediately convinced us to go right back out and shop again. We really wanted to check out Tally Weilj, but unfortunately it had already closed at 4pm. Shopping absolutely exhausted us, and we needed a quick energy boost to pick us back up, so obviously our first thought was to grab gelato.
The gelato shop itself was super cute. It had clean, white stone walls with a sleek black and white sign outside. The second you enter the store, you’re hit with the sweetest smell of freshly made waffle cones. Looking into the display case was breathtaking. All the gelato pans were piled high with gorgeous toppings, from real slices of fresh fruit to huge chunks of Oreos and pistachio pieces. I ended up getting Fragola (strawberry), and it was honestly incredible. It was so creamy and refreshing, packed with actual chunks of strawberry in it. Now that our craving for gelato was satisfied and our energy was back, we headed back to the hotel to shower and get dressed up for the night. When dinner time rolled around, we asked ourselves: why go anywhere else? So, we headed right back to Queens.
Nighttime at Queens was even better; we walked in for round two, and the staff recognized us right away and gave us the friendliest greeting. This interaction made us extremely glad we came back. We simply couldn’t resist getting sushi once again just because it was that good. We sat on the outdoor patio, which was packed with people and all lit up with gorgeous purple and red lights, making the whole place feel super lively. To top it off, the DJ’s playlist was amazing. He played all the best English hits that we loved. When Beauty and a Beat by Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj came on, the whole table was singing along and having a great time.
To end the night, we took a leisurely walk back through the glowing city streets, soaking up the late night atmosphere. The warm air was breezy and comforting as we strolled past the illuminated storefronts and lively cafes filled with people chattering under the bright city lights. We had to end our night off with another gelato. Holding the cold, creamy cone, laughing with everyone walking through the luminous cobblestone streets was the perfect way to end our first real day in Crete.
Crete has already been so much fun, and honestly, if our very first day was this great, I can’t wait to see what the rest of the week has to offer!
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We are super excited for our open air cinema experience tomorrow when we get to watch The Odyssey!
Bertan
Program Manager
