Scorching hot weather

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As we were coming to the end of our island hoping @ Greece.... the tour cannot be complete without visiting the biggest island (as for our tour guide that is... otherwise not according to my Greek friends)

I did not know what to expect in Crete but of our not-so detailed excursion brochure to the Knossos Palace... As we set foot to this old ancient ruins, older than any roman cities built in Greece itself, I found myself very excited. I do not know much about the Knossos history as I was not very much interested about their history when I was younger growing up learning about them in my history class, hence I was either asleep or lost in dreams, or maybe as simple as doodling my infamous stick man....

Anyways... as soon as we set foot to this amazing ruin, I found myself again... ADD from our long-boring tour guide with a monotone voice that reminded me of some teachers and professors I had back in my school days... I was again lost in my own world... The Knossos palace is built as a labyrinth... again I was drifting away from the tour, doing my own thing snapping every single angle of what is left of the palace... So hence I cant share much about the Knossos Palace other than my thoughts of whoever engineered this place must be either high or just crazy...

The ruins was built again as a labyrinth and read between the lines... it must be very dark in there back in those times... as engaging as it is for photoshoots, I was rather dissapointed at how they preserved the palace itself... Well it is not entirely their fault is it... I mean the ruins are in complete ruin... and the pillars that used to hold the ceilings and the building itself are all fake... they were reconstructed in a way for tourists to have an idea what it used to be once.... with a bad job... and the only thing thats original from it was the cracked pieces of potteries that they somehow stitched together with bob wires... fine... maybe some walls too were original... then again... its not their fault... wè are even lucky that someone along that time who discovered this used to be a great empire dedicated himself in restoring whats left of it and reconstructing it through years and years of studies.... but my excitement was with its authenticity... which is again... probably 20% of the whole Knossos palace ruins...

My impression of Crete itself is more of a regular city where vendors live day by day... sort of a dirty or maybe semi-dirty market place with sketchy people walking around starring at us... then again... what do I know.... I was there for only half the day... and I can only describe what I felt about the Palace and Heraklion.... Then again its the biggest or maybe one of the biggest islands of Greece... so being optimistic I am sure there is a lot more what Crete can offer... I just didnt experience it...

This is a place what I think needs more exploring rather than the come and go half a day tour that the cruise itenerary can offer us...

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Comments

[kate]

:)
congrats maria. Miss Featured Blog! Keep pursuing your dreams of travelling the world!!!!!! xo

[D MJ Binkley]

Your blog made me laugh
It's tough to listen when they've given the speech so many times they have nothing left. So-- what did you decide? Were they crazy or high?

[Chickyaroundtheglobe]

:D
lol.... I decided a lil bit of both!! lol... they must be high to construct such a crazy idea like that and crazy for actually following through it... aahahaha....

[Inga]

Crete is more than Heraklion
Hi there, interesting to read about a visit to my island. Let me assure you that Crete has so much to offer, in fact some people has described it as "not an island but a continent". There is beautiful nature, high mountains (over 2000 meters), pristine beaches, gorges cut into the steep mountainside, forests, forgotten villages, and of course several towns/cities. Heraklion has its good nooks and corners, though I agree that the market street is not the best place to visit. I don't know if you had the time to visit in the evening when the centre of the city is one big party, cafe, bars and restaurants being crowded. As for archaelogical sites there are hundreds of them, while I love Knossos there are others that are of more interest. I hope you will come back, take the time to explore the island, you need at least a couple of weeks to be able to see the more important things this island has to offer. Best wishes and happy travels Inga

[Chickyaroundtheglobe]

thank you... I do know that there's definetely more in Crete than what my tour only offered... hopefully one day I can come back and explore Crete a lot more... thank you for the tips and info tho... much appreciated

[liliram]

nice blog
been there once and yes, the labyrinth is something of a story....with the Minotaur and all. I did enjoy the street scene in the city center, although there was a rally when we went. almost lost our group with all the chaos, but nevertheless a very interesting city. wish u had more time to enjoy the city, but one can always head back, right? cheers.

[Chickyaroundtheglobe]

thank u i appreciate that u took the time to read my blog, i appreciate the kind words.... and yes Greece is definetely a place to re-visit again!