One stop at the port of Heraklion to visit Knossos and then run around town
Knossos
Knossos is an ancient palace several thousands of years old.
Not much of its history is concrete as literature of the time is very limited. Much can be lost in 4000 years. A few paintings, low walls and actual pottery have survived. I get the feeling that much of what is known about this place is inferred through the few remaining artifacts such as paintings and art.
The island sits atop two tectonic plates, and the palace has been hit with numerous earthquakes throughout time.
The palace was discovered in 1878 and had been dug up and preserved soon after by a British man named Arthur Evans in 1900. Here’s a pic of the freshwater system’s origin way up at the top of the mountain in the distance.
… And some of the clay pipes in ground at Knossos. They had numerous spigots and taps around town.
The things we take for granted.
Much of the palace today isn’t much to look at although it is steeped in history.
The origins of the Minotaur, half bull and half man, lie in the ruins of Knossos
This is the oldest surviving throne in the world (1800 bc).
There are lots of olive trees around town, the sacred tree of Athena.
After the Palace of Knossos, we headed into town to get our first taste of (post tour) Greek culture. That means eat and look.
The city centre is very walkable, and we ended up at a front and center restaurant.
The pork gyros were the best item on the menu. *Update as of 6/27 this is the most memorable gyros the kids have had yet and would really like to go back when we’re on Crete again post trip.
Chicken souvaki.
English got us around pretty easily as Heraklion is a big tourist destination. My feels about Greece so far are positive. The people are genuine and friendly. From this restaurant to the small knick knack shops to our taxi ride. Lots of love.
Instead of heading back with our group on the bus, we decided to skip it and run amok and return on our own.
I asked this guy if you could eat the sponges at the top of the pic, everything else looked edible. He said they’re for use when showering. Loofahs. lol. All his other wares were consumable!
We found skateboarding action in town, not quite gelato (more like ice cream) and lots of cheap souvenirs (relative to other places on our trip up to this point).
Pull up your pants, slacker! Get me back to the boat!
The WOO family page 