CRETE
We're halfway through our cruise and have settled into the rhythm of days at sea. After a taxing day on Rhodes, everything fell into place on Crete. A very nice lady met us 20 meters from the gangway with a placard with my name and a much more comfortable car than the one we had in Rhodes. She even agreed that anyone with an international drivers license would be allowed to drive the car. We headed out on time, leaving Agios Nicholaos on the highway to Heraklion with Knosos as our final destination. We took one wrong turn on the highway, but it was a serendipitous mistake. We drove for about 6 km. up a windy, hairpinned road (think Red Mountain Pass with guardrails) to one of the most spectaclar views of the Mediterranean you could ever hope to see. We realized quickly that we were on the wrong road, but there was no place to turn around, or to stop and enjoy the view. Once back on the highway, we quickly found our way to Knosos. Dwight opted to let us out and explore in the car since the ruins didn't appear to be gimp friendly.
The Knosos ruins are spectacular. They represent the remains of a bronze-age civilization which dates from 3000-1540 BCE, a civilization which has been dubbed the Minoan civilization after the legend of King Minos and the minataur. Because they left behind no written records, no one had any idea that this civilization existed until the 19th century. There is some controversy about the reconstruction on the site done by Sir Arthur Evans in the 1920s, but I found that the reconstructions made them more meaningful. According to the evidence, the Minoans, unlike the Greeks who followed, were a peaceful society which possessed no defensive walls and no slaves. They not only respected women and gave them an equal status in society, the majority of their worship was directed towards female dieties. Unlike the early Greek statues which imitated Egyptian stiffness, Minoan frescoes are stunningly beautiful with dolphins, plants, and humans depicted in natural settlings. The ruins are located on a beautiful, wooded mountain site with cool breezes blowing. I'm glad I got to see the ruins of Knosos! It's very humbling to be in the presence of ruins which are 3700 years old.
Meanwhile, while we were touring Knosos, Dwight was touring the countryside looking for the perfect site for lunch. He made a new best friend of a restaurant owner at Agios Irini, a wide spot in the road surrounded by forest, cooled by the breeze, overlooking a "modern" aquaduct constructed by the Turks in the 17th century CE. A great, Greek lunch!
Back on the ship, we finally managed to find a table on the fantail for dinner, and we were eating yet again. We enjoyed the cool evening breeze and the beautiful views of Crete as we sailed off to our next port, Monemvasia.
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