last day in Crete

Throne Room-Knossos

Knossos, Crete- palace reconstruction

Tuesday 20^th Sept. 5pm

As we near the end of our third day in Crete it is clear that much more time is required to put even a small dent in the list of things to see and do.

  Yesterday a bus tour kept us occupied most of the day. Our first stop was the ancient site of Knossos, located approx. 5km south of Heraklion. The site is a partial ruin/ partial reconstruction of a Minoan Palace from approx 3000 BC. The site was first discovered in 1878 with excavation commencing in earnest around 1900. When studying the site it is difficult to know where the mythological legends end and where true history begins. Linked to various stories including that of the Labyrinth and the Minotaur, the reconstruction is largely based on the imagination of Arthur Evans. He was the principal archeologist who excavated the site. Due to the use of wood and stucco, as opposed to stone, in the original construction, little remains of the upper structures. The extensive use of wood enabled the buildings to withstand earthquakes more successfully than a stone structure. There does seem to be some evidence that the site was ultimately destroyed around 1600 BC by a tsunami originating from the volcanic destruction of Santorini. While the site is currently 5km inland from the Aegean its northern section did originally border the sea and it was actually a key Aegean port involved in trade with other centres of commerce.

 Following the Knossos tour the bus travelled east along the coast for several km before turning south , ascending to a level of 1000 meters in an area known as the Plateau of  Lasithi. A fertile area measuring approx 12km by 6, it is one of the key agricultural areas on the island. Much of the local potato crop is grown here as well as apples, pears, cherries, figs, walnuts and almonds. A brief stop afforded a visit to a monastery known by both the names Kardiottissa and Panayia Kera, the latter meaning Precious Lady, the former name relates to the ancient Greek names for both heart and walnut so its actual meaning is debatable.

  Lunch involved a stop at a “traditional Greek tavern” That is tour guide lingo for a place serving overpriced average food, and a kickback for the tour operator.

   Following lunch we made a brief stop at a family pottery ( more baksheesh for the tour guide!)  then a final stop at a place known as Diktaio Andro or the Psychro Cave. According to Greek Mythology this is where the mother of Zeus hid her son to prevent him from being eaten by his father, the god  Apollo The visit involved a rather strenuous 20 minute hike up the side of a mountain to reach the cave entrance, followed by a further 20 minutes to enter and exit a cave that I found to be rather anticlimactic. Actually, after seeing the ATM cave in Belize, almost any cave pales in comparison.

Fresco reproduction-Knossos

 This morning a trip by local bus to Heraklion took around 40 minutes. The first stop omnce we reached the capital was the museum of archeology. Essentially under renovations since 2006 only one room of key exhibits was on display. Several frescoes from Knossos were featured along with many examples of pottery and jewelry from both the Minoan Period and the later Dorian and Roman periods.

 After leaving the museum we walked through the downtown area, which features several pedestrian streets. Primarily geared to tourists the area consists of mostly cafes, souvenir shops and the occasional designer clothing shop offering expensive clothing in sizes too small for the typical Canadian. A walk down to the old port was rewarded with a glimpse of an old Venetian fortress as well as an old Monastery and surrounding ruins under restoration.

  The return to the hotel was a little challenging as the destination signage on the buses  was tricky to decipher. Fortunately a bus driver steered us to the correct bus.

  Arriving at the hotel by 2pm we just caught the end of the lunch service then spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool.