Heraklion, Crete: July, 2007

For the first couple of hours after we split from the group, I worried about not being there to look after them. While I doubted they would overcome the language barriers even if they did happen to find their "cousins," I couldn't help but feel I was something of a defector to the cause, and of course I didn't relish the idea of missing some joyful celebration if they made contact.

On the other hand, in a world where taxis only hold four passengers, a group of nine or ten would have cost 540 Euros, 50% more than 360 Euros for the group of eight that went, so the cheaper tourist-like route to Knossos definitely saved money.

 

A complimentary bus takes passengers from the ship to the gate of the pier, and from there we hiked about a half mile to the bus stop where we had no trouble securing seats to Knossos for 2.3 Euros roundtrip each.

Taxis offered a combination of roundtrip transportation to Knossos with a city tour for about 90 to 150 Euros per taxi, depending on the length of the trip, and of course there are excursions from the ship available, but we opted to rough it on the city bus. Tourists and locals continued to pile onto the bus at each stop, so by the time we reached Knossos just a few minutes out of town, it was jam packed with hot people.
 

My brother-in-law Rollie bought a souvenir book before we paid our six Euros each for admission. The Palace is surrounded by green fields sloping up from a fertile valley in which the palace sits. It isn't hard to imagine why a wealthy and enlightened mercantile civilization developed here.

As we strolled along the trellised walkway toward the palace, the trees sang eerily. This was no gentle hum. This loud chirping, I joked, must have driven the Minoans mad, leading to their seemingly mysterious demise. We wondered if they might be locusts, but a fellow tourist identified them as cicadas, which are harmless grasshopper relatives.

 

Knossos mythically contained the labyrinth in which King Minos kept the bull-headed Minotaur, a beast brought out to defeat enemies.

The palace definitely had advanced innovations of engineering such as plumbing with terra cotta pipes and the first known flushing toilet.

The intelligently designed layout took advantage of natural light and even on a hot day, as we enjoyed for our visit, certain areas on the top floor of the palace felt almost air conditioned by the gentle sea breezes that swept through the valley.

The Minoans loved sports, as seen in competitions portrayed in their art. The Minoans seem to have been an unmilitaristic civilization, more interested in culture and art than war. There were no fortifications or stores of weapons excavated. Perhaps when the myth of the Minotaur was busted, they were overrun by warriors from distant lands, or perhaps it was a cataclysmic earthquake or volcano that ended Minoan civilization. It's hard separating myth from reality in Knossos and much of the ancient world. Some believe the legend of Atlantis refers to the destruction of the advanced Minoan civilization.

The actual ruins we visited have many detractors who claim the team led by wealthy amateur archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans may have taken too many liberties in re-assembling the stones, but it's certainly easy to reach and explore these fascinating ruins from the comfort of a cruise ship.

After exploring the ruins to our hearts' content and then sipping cold water in the shade by the souvenir shop, we caught the bus back into the city. Gina, Rollie and I walked through a sort of alley-way that must be a night club district, with lots of young adults lounging on leather couches in establishments that somehow blended outdoors and indoors into one environment.

The seating looked comfortable, but the feel of the places were more like bars than restaurants, so we walked on until we found a perfect little gyro bistro. We ordered gyros for 2.8 Euros each and Mythos Beer at 1.6 Euros each. The three of us all decided this "Hellenic" beer was good stuff, and when the gyros arrived, they put anything by that name we ever had in the U.S. to shame. The pita was a fresh baked creation somewhere between a pancake and an American pita, and the lamb, yogurt based sauce and vegetables inside were all delicious. Yellow french fries poured out the top of the pita, like ice cream in a cone. Sitting at a sidewalk cafe on Crete enjoying a meal together with loved ones is about as good as it gets.

We considered going to the beach, but Gina didn't feel like that, and I couldn't bear another bout of separation anxiety, so instead we walked in search of a taverna. We found one by the Aegean Sea next to a Venetian fortress built a few hundred years ago, and there we shared a bottle of Mythos and some ouzo, speaking a little with a saxophone player from the Splendour of the Seas orchestra who happened to be at the next table.

When we finally returned to the pier, we saw the others returning from Chania.

My brother-in-law Rollie posted some photos online of our time in Crete, including these. Since I didn't have any pictures of my oldest daughter Gina, Rollie and I enjoying our fantastic day together in Crete, I decided to add them below as a sort of addendum to the original post.


The picture above shows Rollie and I standing between our waiter and cook at the gyros place where we had lunch. This lunch was a highlight of the cruise, and I think you can see it on our faces.

The next few photos were taken in the morning while we were at Knossos, the ancient Minoan city where cicades provided a constant if not exactly melodic soundtrack.

 

We strolled through a shopping district after lunch, and Rollie took my photo by a meat market. Is he trying to tell me something?

The Veneitan Fort to guard the harbor.

Eternal Greek beauty!








The last picture is of Rollie at the bayfront taverna where we enjoyed some ouzo and Mythos beer. That's the sea behind him.