Frango Castello (Frangokastello) Castle

Mum and dad decided this morning that we would go to the castle that we couldn't go to before. If you don't know the castle I'm talking about, it is the one that we couldn't go to because the wind was blowing too strongly and the sand would have blown into the castle. So anyway, we drove along a very windy road along the edge of the mountain to the castle. On the way, we saw a herd of sheep on their way somewhere I don't know.

On the move.

A lamb and sheep.

Then we saw some goats.

Goats!

A black goat.

When we arrived, I was actually quite disappointed in it. I thought the walls would have at least been still standing on the inside. They were still there on the outside, but most of them were gone on the inside. the whole of the second storey was non-existent. But otherwise, it was alright. There were quite alot of poppies around to decorate it, so it wasn't too boring.

The castle.

I had a look at the outside for a bit, then I decided to go in and see what it was like.

The inside from the doorway.

Some holes in the inside walls.

An old pillar.

A small wall.

Inside a dark room.

A pretty poppy to brighten the place.

The castle was built in 1371 by the Venetians when they ruled that area of Crete. Back then, whole nations weren't usually together in power, but cities were instead. That is why the Venetians had control. The Venetians called it the Castle of St. Nikitas, named after the nearby church. However, the local people didn't show any respect for the name and continuously called it Frangokastello, meaning the Castle of the Franks (i.e. Catholic Foreigners), Castlefranco or Franco Castello. Eventually the Venetians started calling the castle the same name, so that is the name that stuck.
The castle didn't really serve the purpose it was built for because the area was still lawless, so there were times that the castle was completely unmanned.
After looking at the castle we had a walk along the beach and had lunch at a cafe sort of place. I had a beef burger there, but only ate half of it in case I overate again. I think the castle wasn't too bad despite its appearance, so I enjoyed today all the same.