Iraklion, Crete. January 19, 2016

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Tuesday, Jan. 19. Iraklion, Crete. Cloudy and cold. 8C. Had some rain. Hail in places we hear. Some sun toward the end of the day.

Arriving in Crete, we see from the harbour that the peaks were more than a little snow-capped. Even though about 20% of us are Canadian, the Greeks cancelled one of the excursions as there was snow on the roads at the upper heights. Evidently snow driving is not a skill imported to Crete and they don't want to alarm the tourists.

Cab drivers, however, were happy to take loads of tourists into the hills for the day. In the central region is a plateau area nestled in the mountains, a verdant valley full of farms, windmills and artisans.

The capital city, Iraklion, or Heraclion, is a wonderful maze of streets, pedestrian malls and alleyways.

Up and ready for excursion by 8:30. Off to the Palace of Knossos and the Archeological Museum. Christianna was our guide and she was wonderful! Animated, knowledgeable, funny and caring. We learned a lot, although a point she frequently repeated was that lines between myth, legend and truth were blurred at best. At Knossos, we saw more evidence of ill-considered methods of repair and renovation. Few have worked well, and much of the concrete-augmented ruins are being damaged further by the inadequacy and deterioration of repairs.

After the Museum we chose to wander about downtown instead of going back to the ship right away. Vainly searched for something to take home, but no. Walked back to Port Terminal and wified for a bit. Updated FB but not blog. Shared a cannonball burger and fries at The Dive. With all the culinary options at our disposal, the Dive Grill makes the best burger and fries anywhere. Last of land for 8 days!



As we leave Europe and the Mediterranean it is interesting to note how the structures of the various cities reflect their responses to hundreds and thousands of years of vulnerability from invasion, and their invasion projects in return.

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Photos

Iraklion
Palace of Knossos.

Iraklion
Reproduction of fresco at the Knossos site. Original in the museum.

Iraklion
Reconstruction at the Knossos site.

Iraklion
The Phiastos Disc. Early 17th century BC. Thought to be representative of printed language (Linear B) but has yet to be deciphered.

Iraklion
Head of a sacred bull.

Iraklion
Ancient coffin.

Iraklion
Fresco of bull being sacrificed.