Agios Nikolaos is a coastal town in the eastern part of Crete, Greece, and the administrative center of the Lasithi region. This is a picturesque modern town which has long become a major international resort — thanks to its pleasant climate and always calm sea. Agios Nikolaos was the very first Greek city I visited.
It was ten years ago, in July 2010, and it was my very first trip to Greece.
My plane arrived at the Heraklion airport late in the evening, and it was close to midnight when I reached Agios Nikolaos. I checked into the hotel, and despite being tired from the road, I still went for a walk through the night town.
My photo walk started on Roussos Koundouros street. The street was full of people.
Roussos Koundouros was a prominent political figure originally from Agios Nikolaos, one of the leaders of the Cretan resistance. In his honor, there is a monument that is a bronze statue.
The parallel street is called October 28 Street. It is a pedestrian street named after Ohi Day, a Greek national holiday celebrated on October 28 each year. In 1940, on this day, Greece rejected an ultimatum from Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and refused to side with Italy and Germany in World War II.
Ohi (όχι) means No in Greek.
Like many popular resorts, Agios Nikolaos at night is shining bright shop windows of jewelry stores.
There are also quite original stores. For example, a store that sells handmade olive wood products.
It was late in the evening, the cafés and restaurants were closing, and there weren't many people in them.
Some people, apparently locals, went about their own thing. Someone had a workout...
...someone was telling a friend something interesting.
Life in the night town went on as usual. I walked the streets and took pictures of everything.
It was after midnight when I reached the seaport.
A small cruise ship called Ocean Majesty was docked here, and passengers were returning to their cabins.
Here I came across an original monument — an old rusty anchor, all overgrown with shells and other sea things. A symbol of years of reliable service.
View of Ocean Majesty from the embankment.
At the easternmost point of Agios Nikolaos, I discovered an interesting sculpture — the Horn of Amalthea or Cornucopia. According to the myths of Ancient Greece, the nymph Amalthea suckled Zeus with goat's milk in the mountains of Crete. In gratitude, Zeus broke off the goat's horn and gave it to Amalthea promising that anything she wanted would come out of it. Hence the name — Сornucopia, the Horn of Plenty. (Note: Here you can read a different interpretation of this myth. That's why they are myths.)
Because of its illumination, the Horn of Amalthea looks amazing at night, and this place is a popular meeting spot for vacationers.
That night there were no clouds, the full moon was shining, and I could not resist the temptation to photograph the silhouette of the sculpture piercing the bright lunar disk. :)
I spent about half an hour at the Horn of Amalthea admiring the night views of the bay, and then went back to the hotel.
This and all the following pictures were taken a couple of days later, when I woke up before dawn to shoot the sunrise.
The bay that can be viewed from anywhere in Agios Nikolaos is called Mirabello Bay. At the beginning of the 13th century, the Genoese built a fortress here called the Mirabello Fortress, i.e. a Fortress with a Beautiful View. The fortress gave its name to both the new settlement and the bay. Subsequently, the Mirabello Fortress was completely destroyed as a result of earthquakes and wars. In the 16th century, the Venetians gave the city its current name — Agios Nikolaos — after the Church of Saint Nicholas.
The Mirabello bay and the seaport of Agios Nikolaos from the balcony of my hotel room.
My room faced East, and it turned out that meeting the sunrise on the balcony overlooking the Mirabello Bay was almost the best part of my stay at the hotel. :)
The view of the bay is really beautiful.
Sunrise in perfect morning silence.
Sunlight quickly filled everything around, and the town began to wake up.
This is the end of my story of my first days in Agios Nikolaos.
Thank you for visiting my blog and reading all of this. I hope you liked my pictures and turned a blind eye to my clumsy English. :)
If you are going to visit the island of Crete, be sure to check out Stefanos' blog and see other posts on Pinmapple. Also check out the official website of Agios Nikolaos.
All the best to all of you!
