English: Souda Bay, Crete. This photo was taken from the ruined walls of the old Venetian fortress at Souda Island. Souda Bay is a bay and natural harbour on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide, and a deep natural harbour. Souda is an important port for freight ships with a regular ferry service to Pireaus. It is also a strategic Hellenic Navy and NATO naval base. The strategic importance is enchanced by the Souda Air Base on Akrotiri Peninsula, serving Hellenic Air Force 115 Combat Wing. The latter may look like an information of no importance for the potential tourists, but believe me, even sleeping in Rethymno you will easily notice that Crete has an excellent fighter cover all night long.