Day 12 - Knossos and Archeological Museum

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Another toasty day on the island of Crete! I went to Knossos (ancient Minoan palace) first thing this morning - still hot, but better than midday!

(PS The site is bugging on me and I can’t do pictures - I’ll add them back in tomorrow.)

The palace was worth it, but it’s kind of large and… flat? If you will. The audio guide is def worth it for the history piece, but there are some signs here and there to explain what ruins you’re looking at. (It really is ruins - there isn’t much left standing) But the parts that are there are striking, such as the GIANT clay pots and some of the art.

After Knossos I headed back into the city to grab some lunch and bakery treat (all the bakeries = SO delish) then off to the Archeological Museum - time for some indoor AC midday! I got the combo ticket on the museum’s site - 20 euro for both sites… for some reason when I tried it on Knossos’ site it was charging me way more.

The museum is more thorough than I anticipated - like it really has all the pieces there. It was a nice combo with Knossos - it basically takes you through the historical timeline of artifacts and culture. Well organized and easy to follow along with the info cards and labels.

I particularly loved the artistry of it all: the designs on the clay pots (I love the octopus), the intricate jewellery, all the religious figurines - people, Gods and cattle, etc etc. Also had s good chuckle over bull leaping - one of their athletic game/skill in the day.

The section on funeral/cemetery was interesting too - the giant “tubs” if you will were for the dead, in a fetal position.

Upstairs they had some more Roman/Greek stuff, but the main floor with the Minoan stuff was def my fav part.

After that I roamed around and did a bit of shopping, scoping out souvenirs and such. I also walked down along the harbour for nice views of the city. Tomorrow I’m out to the east coast, but I’ll be back in a few days before I catch my next ferry. Can’t believe I’m almost at the half way point 😞

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