October 23, 2016 You come to Heraklion to visit Knossos, but it is a city worth exploring as well. It is the largest city and the administrative capital of Crete also the fourth largest city in Greece. On the 23rd of May 1941, German bombers dropped bombs over the city on anything standing. At the … Read more
October 22, 2016 Heraklion is one the top of everyone’s list to visit when they go to Crete. The reason for this is Knossos. Knossos is crowded with tour buses pouring off of cruise ships, and tourists exploring on their own. The walk to the entry of the site is rampant with tchochke shops and barkers luring … Read more
October 21, 2016 Phaistos The day began by visiting Phaistos, an important site of the Minoan civilization. The Minoan civilization, which flourished in Crete during the second millennium BC, ranks among the great civilizations of the ancient world. It had four places of power, areas that are called palaces, Knossos, Phaistos, Mália and Zakros. The lands … Read more
October 20, 2016 The Amári Valley is not for those with an agenda. The drive is through some lovely and barren terrain, interrupted rarely by small towns that appear to be completely uninhabited. The joy is in the hidden surprises. The valley is towered over by Mount Idi, an often-used crossword puzzle word for you … Read more
October 20, 2016 People come to Crete for many reasons, I came to get off the beaten path as often as possible. This was the first stop in the wanderings around the Amári Valley. The Amári Valley sits at the foothills of Mount Ida and Mount Kedros. The Monastery of Arkadi or Moni Arkadiou is about … Read more
October 20, 2016 So many of the Cretan towns are built on the same model, i.e. large protective walls in various states of decay, a fort, a small port and tiny winding streets. The joy is, that they each have their own personalities as well. Rethymnon, while, if one were reading a description, would be … Read more
October 19, 2016 Today we moved from Chania to Rethymnon with a side trip to the Katholiko Monastery or Monastery of St. John the Hermit. We began by getting terribly lost leaving Chania. That is not that difficult as roads and sites in Greece have always been terribly marked. After many small winding roads, and … Read more
October 18, 2016 In 1620, during the Venetian rule in Crete, the constant threat of the Ottoman Turks led the Venetians to fortify Chania with Firka Fortress at the harbor. It was originally built with 319 cannons, 30,695 cannonballs and 414 pounds of gunpowder. Firka means barracks in Turkish. It is possible to still see the … Read more
October 17, 2016 Chania, Crete is a fascinating city with an equally fascinating history. It is a large city with an old town, Kasteli, that sits on the water with its narrow streets, hotels, restaurants and classic tourist perfect village, and I mean that in a good way. Originally a Minoan settlement, the area around … Read more