Iraklion, Crete, Greece - Day 2 Knossos

We got up early to catch an early bus to Knossos. We caught the bus at Liberty Square (Plata Venizelou) at about 8am. It was a city bus, cost 1.15 Euros each, and became quite crowded. Knossos is right on the outskirts of Iraklio, so you don't realize you're there until the driver yells "Knossos". The entry fee was 6 Euros each. Knossos is quite extensive, fairly well excavated, and partially restored. The columns and frescoes were really cool! The crowds of mostly tours were annoying. There is a stone replica (?) of a bull's horns large enough to sit between the horns, but it is outside the ropes (barely). People tended to ignore the rope and sit there for a photo anyways. We could hear the staff lady blowing her whistle at them quite often the whole time. There were numerous signs explaining the various areas and rooms, which made it a lot more interesting. The only down side is that there are very few statues or artifacts remaining on the site. Most have been moved to museums, such as the Archeological Musuem of Iraklio. Also, there is no place to get refreshments or even water inside the "park", so bring your own, especially during the hot summers. After leaving the site, we browsed the souvenir shops outside before reboarding the bus back to Liberty Square. It was about 11am or so when we returned, so we decided to check out the Archeological Museum located right next to Liberty Square. The entry fee was 4 Euros each. The museum contained a lot of cool artifacts, mostly from the 2,500 to 1,200 BC era and from several sites in Crete. Some of the pottery and jewelry was amazingly detailed. After the museum, we ate lunch at the Four Lions Restaurant in the Venetian Fountain/Four Lions Square. I had kleftiko, a lamb dish at 7.50 Euros and Manoli had a tuna salad at 6 Euros. Both were good, but my lamb was a bit tough with more fat and gristle than meat. Unfortunately, they brought us little cups of raki again, and no dessert. After lunch we shopped a bit, then strolled down to the venetian fortress on the ocean near our hotel. It wasn't open, but pretty cool looking anyways... if you avoid the waves crashing up around you. Afterward, back to the roomto rest. We went out later for something light at a nearby cafe, then back to the room to get ready for our 7:10am flight to Athens then Spain. With the weight restrictions, we had to shift some things around, discard things like shampoo, soap, and even my old pair of sneakers. We'll still probably have to pay for extra weight. Good thing we didn't overdue the souvenirs. Next time, I'll be writing from Chipiona, Spain! Hope everyone has enjoyed the trip with us.

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