Crete - Palace of Knossos

This morning, we docked in Heraklion, the capital of Crete. I was awake very early because the ship rocked and rolled and creaked most of the night, so I'm pretty sleep deprived. And we had to be ready to go at 7:20 a.m. Got yesterday afternoon's activities written up after a very early breakfast.

Crete is the cradle of the ancient Minoan civilization and home to many legends such as King Minos and the Minotaur. Crete is located equidistant from three continents - Europe, Asia and Africa.

Crete was the centre of Europe's first advanced culture, the Minoans, from 2700 to 1420 BC. The Minoan civilization was overrun by the Mycenaean civilization from mainland Greece. It was later ruled by Ro , then by the Byzantine Empire, the AndalusianArabs, the Byzantines agin, the Venetian Empire, then the Ottoman Empire. Crete became part of Greece in December 1913,

Fifteen of us opted for the paid excursion to the Palace of Knossos. It was pricey, and we admitted later, that it wasn't worth the cost, despite the best efforts of the local guide to make it an enjoyable and educational experience.

The Palace of Knossos is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and has been called Europe's oldest city. It was the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilization and culture. The palace complex is associated with the myth of the Labyrinth and the Minotaur. It once had colourful, frescoed walls and rooms and open-air courtyards. Archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans restored parts of Knossos in the early 20th century, bringing some of the former glory back to light.

While Crete is not directly mentioned in St. Paul's letters, his companion, St. Titus was left on the island to continue organizing the early Church.

We had a short walking tour of Heraklion and then had some free time. I walked down to the harbour and enjoyed the crashing of the waves and the blue waters.

Back to the ship by about noon. Had a lovely lunch with Rick and Carol and Linda. Rick likes my Apple Watch. Linda and I gave the creme brûlée top marks. So good!

We are currently sailing to Santorini. Mass at 3:30 p.m. in the restaurant.Læs mere