Blogs from Knossos, Crete, Greece, Europe

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Europe » Greece » Crete » Knossos October 6th 2016

We are at Iraklion, on the island of Crete. But as has so often been the case, we are not here to see a modern city, but a truly ancient one: Knossos. The bronze-age Minoan civilization is one of history's most interesting chapters. Long before the city states of Ancient Greece, long even before Mycenae and the Trojan War, a great civilization arose on the island of Crete. The Minoan civilization lasted over 1500 years, from 2600 to 1100 B.C., but at the zenith of its power and influence, in 1450 B.C., it was catastrophically destroyed and eventually was almost completely forgotten. "Almost" because names like Minos, Arachnea, Theseus and the Minotaur became part of legend. But no one thought that they had any basis in fact... Until the late19th century, when reports came from European ... read more
Reconstructed section of Palace of Knossos
Some parts reconstructed, much in ruins
End of theatre and beginning of the Royal Road

Europe » Greece » Crete » Knossos October 2nd 2016

Jukkaan iski mahatauti. Hän jätti syömiset väliin mutta ajoi silti. Kävin yksin hotellin aamiaisella, muut taisivat olla kreikkalaisia. Päivään mahtui kolme kohdetta. Ensin käytiin katsomassa Knossos. Siinä tuli päivän raunioannos täyteen. Eilinen museokäynti oli hyvää taustaa. Ehdittiin sinne klo 10, ennen pahinta ruuhkaa ja kuumuutta. Kiertelimme siellä reilun tunnin verran, ja kun lähdimme pois, portille oli jo jono. Ajettiin takaisin etelärannikon kautta. Ajoimme siis parin arkeologisen kohteen ohi, ehkäpä Knossos riitti siltä päivältä. Pysähdyttiin meren rannalla Kokkinoksen kohdalla, kun siinä selvittiin pienimmällä lisämatkalla. Rannalla näkyi pääosin kreikkalaisia. Spilin kylää oli kehuttu joten pidettiin tauko myös siellä. Siellä oli hienot vuoristomaisemat. Kävin illalla sitten yksin syömässä, otin kaniinia.... read more
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Europe » Greece » Crete » Knossos April 30th 2011

Knossosis surprisingly close to Heraklion – about a twenty-minute drive. The development is a park, and we entered through a gate with coffee shop and a small garden. Moving from there into the rock remains is so gradual that it almost surprised me to recognize the structural remnants of many walls. Kriton gave us a thorough introduction – much of which we have heard before from him or the lecturers. This repetition is not boring; it reinforces the information, so that some is actually sinking into our consciousness. We first saw the Old Palace site, to one side and actually under the New Palace site. The New Palace era started after the earthquake and volcano in Santorini in 1740 BC. We learned that much of the interpretation is still based on the work of one of ... read more
Minotaur Bull
Remains of rooms
Crete

Europe » Greece » Crete » Knossos July 13th 2010

We slept in a bit to complete the recovery from our Samaria gorge hike. We were just about dressed and ready to leave when the morning manager called to ask if we would be coming down for breakfast before they closed up, so we hurried down to the small all-glass restaurant. There was a buffet composed mostly of foods locally made or grown: fresh sheep’s milk yogurt, local olives and honey, grapes from the vineyard. At the table they brought us some home-made phyllo cheese pastries and then (somewhat incongruously) pink jello. It was a lovely breakfast with great views and warm hospitality. We packed up the car for a day out and headed first to Knossos - the site of a very old ruins (3500 years) of the palace of the Minoans. Legend has it ... read more
Knossos
Aaaagh!
Euro-driving

Europe » Greece » Crete » Knossos September 2nd 2009

Location: Aghios Nikolaos and Knossos Weather: Sunny, 27 °C Last tender trip into town for the cruise, it is nice to arrive in port by a boat rather than just walking down a gang way - adds some excitement to the process. Aghios Nikolaos is a pretty port town, the shops circle the port and boy did I do some shopping! All throughout the cruise I have looked at the jewellery in the various ports visited - I have wanted to buy something but have not seen the right something. Well in Aghios Nikolaos I saw two items that I loved and had to have - a beautiful coral evil eye bracelet and Minoan Bee earrings. The day would have not have been complete without an organised tour - in the morning I visited the Palace ... read more
Knosso Fresco
Knossos Bull Symbol

Europe » Greece » Crete » Knossos June 17th 2009

We had ‘compulsory reading’ of John Keats’ poem ‘Isabella’ a.k.a ‘A Pot of Basil’ in college. When young girls and boys go to the college in India, generally speaking, they are facing co-education for the first time because before that, they have been strictly segregated. Perhaps, they start having romantic thoughts about the opposite sex. Our college authorities had come up with an excellent plan to nip all such fancies in bud. The poem ‘A Pot of Basil’ is enough to turn your stomach and bury all romantic notions that the girls and boys may harbor. Readers, be forewarned. The poem is not for those who are timid or squeamish. You need a hard heart and strong stomach to read it. http://www.online-literature.com/keats/3812/ Read the above link at your own risk. The very idea of Isabella finding ... read more
The  fresco of dolphins in the Queen's chamber
The stones of the Palace became crystallized and brittle due to rains
The Storage Jars

Europe » Greece » Crete » Knossos June 11th 2008

Knossos was another uber-touristy bus tour haven in which we were sandwiched between groups so you had to move quickly from room to room because the group behind you wanted to see your 'room' but you couldn't go too fast because then you would be impinging on the group ahead of you. I'm not sure how much I will get out of the visit until I get home and review my photos with my notes as it was pretty hard to view while we were there. I really like our guide for this part of the trip, Lina, as she explained what was original, what was reconstructed and what the latest 'truth' is thought to be to help you imagine what the palace might have been like in Minoan times. It is an ENORMOUS complex with ... read more

Europe » Greece » Crete » Knossos May 22nd 2008

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 ... read more
The Entry Sign in Knossos
Knossos Overview
The Bull Frescoe

Europe » Greece » Crete » Knossos September 14th 2006

Arrived in the middle of the night in Iraklio after a bumpy ferry ride from Mykonos. Managed to find a bed in a rather Seedy youth Hostel. Next morning i rocked up at the hotel i was meant to meet my folks at - turns out they had been on the same ferry as me from Naxos onwards. my mum was most surprised that i hadn't heard her on the ferry coughing and spulttering away with a cold she's picked up. She blames me for it of course. Spent the day at the Cretean Archeological museum admiring Minoan Pottery and Jewelery. The painting on the pottry is striking in how modern it appears with simple floral patterns. Bulls, octopus and 2 headed axes feature promenatly. The wall fresco's the have from Knosses are amazing as well, ... read more
Sphnx Girls
Milatary education
Gumbys in Hats

Europe » Greece » Crete » Knossos August 22nd 1997

Hello my fellow travelers! This is first and only post I'll do about a trip to Greece from August 22 to September 4, 1997 that I did together with my parents, my uncle Anders and my grandmother Evy. During our stay on Crete we lived in a beautiful apartment in the picturesque little village of Platanias. It's a quiet little hamlet with only a few thousand inhabitants but despite it's small stature though there is no shortage of pleasurable ways to spend your time here. There's a plethora of wonderful restaurants with really good Greek cuisine. For our first few days we took it easy, spending much on the beach near our apartment. One evening our hotel arranged a very nice show with both local dancers, performing traditional dances, as well as our own travel guides ... read more
My Mother in front of the Minoan Palace
Sculpture of the Cretan Goat
Horse Carriage




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