This is May Dayin Europe. Our schedule today has been changed to the inverse of what should have been on May 3, because the scheduled sites are closed today. We didn’t mind. On our way out of town, we saw a few signs and banners ready for May Day marching. Not much. After an hour driving through the countryside on the north coast of Crete, we stopped at a gas station rest-stop – to gather flowers! And not only us – lots of people were there picking the abundant wild daisies and other “weeds”. As a rite of spring, people make a wreath of wild flowers to hang outside the door of their houses. Our driver came equipped with a branch twisted into a wreath-shape and cello tape. As Kriton and some of us gathered flowers, ... read more

We were only able to see the highlights of the Archeological Museum because the main part is under (reportedly) interminable refurbishment. The most famous pieces are housed in a temporary area. The beauty of each piece made me want to linger. The most famous is the black Minoan bull head with gold horns and mother of pearl snout – for libations. Even more important is the Phaistos Disk which is being used to decipher ancient Minoanscript; Kriton explained that this is very difficult because most of the written texts are inventory lists dated to the massive fire caused by the explosion of Santorini. Our bus took us to the suburbs of Heraklion, a city of 250,000 p... read more

Our late morning began with a walk up the street to the Archeological Museum. Many of the artifacts are Minoan. Most are large, because they were left behind when the population fled the rumbling volcanic activity about 1640 BC. Archeologists think that no one was killed, because no bones have been found, and there is evidence of the population in North Africa, Crete and Israel. The large storage jars and other vessels are quite decorative. And this museum is where some of the famous Minoan frescoes (brought from Knossos) have been reconstructed and restored, displayed as three walls of a house. Our visit to the Boutari Winery was a revelation. We were told that Greece exports relatively little wine because most grapes are grown in family plots for the family’s use – never bottled. Boutari is ... read more

We had a later start this morning to meet the ferry to Naxos. The high-speed catamaran was an impressive sight, rising high out of the water on two relatively narrow hulls. We had reserved airplane-type seats. I closed my eyes and pretended I was on an airplane to feel less ill. Mary, a former elementary school teacher, humoured me by answering all my questions about her career, a welcome distraction. From the pier we walked in the heavy, blustery wind into town and from there to the ruins of the Temple of Apollo. Now a historic site, over the centuries its stone has been raided for building homes and even the Catholic Church. The remaining gate is reached by a footpath causeway and a steep but groomed path. Because it stands on a prominence, the wind ... read more

Slept in until 9:00 – felt luxurious! Breakfast was “ordinary” – the same menu I saw so-called on a café board. Juice, breads, cake, boiled egg, cereal, yogurt, cold meats, cheese and coffee/tea. Our touring started at 10:30 with a short drive to the ferry to Antiparos. Although I was worried about the strong wind and white caps, actually the motion wasn’t too bad for the ten-minute crossing. As previously, I stood outside at the stern. Then we drove to caves that were opened especially for us – we gave a ride to the guard there and back. When we drove up, some other tourists were leaving, disappointed that the caves weren’t open so early in the year. They turned around and joined us. The caves were a deep, ancient formation of stalactites and stalagmites. New ... read more