Knosós - the Minoan magnificence

We've enjoyed the sea a little too much.  Is there such a thing as too much swimming in turquoise?  Too much reading on blue sunlounges, bathed by the sun?  Too much boating and exploring coves and quiet bays?  Probably not.  But as we head to Iraklion, Crete's capital, we have one thing in mind and it's not swimming. The incredible Palace of Knosós (Knossos in English) and the equally spectacular Irakleio Archaeological Museum now have our undivided attention.

The Palace of Knosós was first built by the Minoan civilisation around 1900BC, it stood for 200 years before it was destroyed by earthquake.  It was completely rebuilt and served as the capital of Minoan Crete.  The massive and world-changing eruption of the Fira volcano in 1450BC saw Knosós abandoned, and subsequent invading Mycenaens used it as their capital until 1375BC.

That basic little precise was the extent of my ready-knowledge of the bronze age history of the Palace of Knosós.  Having now stood in and around this colossal so-called labyrinth that was once over 1,000 rooms, and seen the remnants and evidence of the sophisticated and cultured Minoan civilisation, our wonder, awe and questions know no bounds.

In 1900 the English archaeologist Arthur Evans purchased the land in Crete where the Knosós excavations had already begun. He continued to excavate the incredible archaeological find over years, and spent many more restoring the site. Before he died he returned ownership of Knosós and the re-discovered Minoan treasures to Greece.

The best advice I can offer when visiting Knosós for the first time is to join a guided tour. No need to organise in advance, as just inside the gates an English-speaking tour will be conducted whenever there are more than 6 or 8 visitors gathered.  It was hot the day we came to Knosós, however the captivating explanations and stories by our guide Eleftheria held us mesmerised and oblivious to the sun as we moved around the site; from the 'piano nobile', the west magazines, the east wing, the grand staircase, the Queen's megaron, the magazines of the giant pithoi, the throne room of King Minos, the hall of the double axes, and the east bastion.  It's utterly amazing!

Alabaster throne of King Minos

The Grand Staircase

The North entrance

The Horns of Consecration - symbol of the sacred bull

Giant pithoi for storing water, olive oil.

'The Minotaur's Island' is an excellent documentary on
Knosós and the Minoans. Thanks for the tip, L :)

The perfect accompaniment to a visit to the Palace of Knosós is to follow up with a visit to the Iraklio Archaeological Museum where the original artifacts from Knosós are housed and displayed in all their glory.  The two sites are only about 10 kms apart, and conveniently the Iraklion hotel in which are are staying is just a few minutes walk from the museum.

This beautiful museum is undoubtedly the world's most important Minoan collection.  It's a relatively small-sized museum, just a dozen or so rooms on each of two floors, but the collection seems so vast.  What is contained in those rooms is absolutely mind-blowing! Added to this is the feeling that these treasures live where they should live, and are owned by their rightful owners.

The museum was only recently re-opened after being closed for eight years of renovations. We feel fortunate and priviledged to have been able to see and experience it.

The octopus vase

The fresco depicting the bull-jumping

The giant pithoi of Knosos really are giant!

I joke when I say that in Crete we have only been swimming and sailing.  It's impossible not to interact with the history of Crete, for all around the island there are remnants previous civilisations.  As we drive around the coast, through the hills and mountains, we look out for this little brown and yellow signs leading to Hellenistic antiquity, or Hellenistic artifacts. The whole island is a living museum.  For two days we rent a stone cottage in the countryside, the hills of Vamos, a beautiful village with a population of just a few hundred.  Its peaceful, rural setting with apricot trees at the front, lemon trees at the back and wild herbs all around make us feel like we want to stay for a year!

Just joking when I say we spend all our time doing this :)

Oh, how we loved staying in this stone cottage with
its olive and apricot trees at the front, lemon trees
at the back, and the smell of wild herbs all around.

Each morning 'agapi mou' would pick apricots for
breakfast, accompanied by the best Greek
yoghurt - sheep's yoghurt from the lovely
nearby village of Vrisses.

In the most beautiful garden taverna, this hanging
day bed.  Lunch, then rest.  Perfect!  Thanks for the
recommendation, Merja.

The cats of Crete.  I'm not a 'cat person' but I am a
Mediterranean tile person :)
(although I must admit the cats of Crete are
pretty cute.)

One of the great joys during our travels is the people we meet along the way.  During our stay in Vamos we met our neighbour, the delightful Merja.  Originally from Finland, Merja has spent 37 years in Crete. A writer of Cretan stories and recipe books, Merja also has the most comprehensive and best knowledge of the area - where to visit, which tavernas to eat in.  Merja loaned us her local map and set us on our way with directions along dusty, unsealed roads to find a taverna a few villages away.  Her recommendation was heaven-sent.  After thinking we'd got ourselves lost a few times, we finally found our destination. The setting and the food was exceptionally beautiful.

I'm paraphrasing Merja's description of the visitor experience of Crete - 'when people first arrive they drive from one end of the island to the other; then they head inland and slowly explore the villages and the mountains and that's when they get to know Crete; then they start to walk along the tracks, to the gorges and between the villages.  It's then that you see and get to know the real Crete'. Her description seems perfectly accurate.

On our final morning in Vamos, Merja popped in after breakfast with her special strawberry raki, we shared a nip and chatted about all things Crete. Yiamas Merja, such a pleasure to meet you.

Under the beautiful apricot tree.

It's time to leave Crete.  The past three weeks have been glorious and quite amazing. We love Crete; its rugged coast, its turquoise sea, its 15 mountain ranges, its vineyards and olive groves, incedible history, fresh and delicious food, and mostly its warm and hospitable people.

Off to the Cyclades......

Charming Chania

Just when we told ourselves that we need to stop lounging around on beautiful beaches and explore historical Crete we arrive at our Chania accommodation and there it is again.... that stunning water beckoning us!

We rented this beautiful white apartment
overlooking the water in charming Chania.

Chania is spectacularly set in the shadow of majestic mountains and around the old Venetian port.  The alleyways of the old Venetian quarter snake from the harbour in all directions.  Each alleyway seems perfect for a shady refreshment stop during the heat of the day, or an outdoor evening candlelit dinner.  There are so many options.  The harbour front is busy with tourists, particularly day-trippers from cruise ships.  It's not surprising that it is a popular destination, it's so very pretty.

The central features of the harbour are many: the beautiful lighthouse built during the Egyptian occupation in the early 1800s (that is easy to walk to along the sea wall); the incredible Venetian dockyards (rows of Venetian shipyard buildings where their ships were stored or repaired, and their arsenal kept);  and the Mosque of the Janissaries (or Kucjk Hassan Mosque, built by the Turkish).

Saturday was farmers market day.  From early morning two local streets are made pedestrian-only for the hundreds of local produces to set up their stalls.    We had fun wandering along, tasting the cheese, fruit and watching the locals haggle and shop for the weekly supplies.

Rows of Venetian shipyards.  One building is the Chania
sailing club, another two are the Maritime museum,
and others, like the ones above, are derelict
and used as a car parking garage.  A 15th century
car parking garage!

A beautiful walk to the Chania lighthouse
along the break water wall.

This picture taken from a window of the excellent Naval
Museum in the restored Venetian Fort Firkas.  The museum
has several exhibits commemorating the Australian and New
Zealand soldiers who fought to defend Crete during the
German invasion in 1941. In this pic, you can see the
Mosque and the buildings and tavernas that line
the harbour front.

I'm a little too in love with the old mosque,
(judging with the number of pics I took).

And again.....
Mosque of the Janissaries - built by the
invading Turks in 1645.  It is the oldest
Ottoman building in Crete, and when we
visited was being used as a art exhibition space.
A very beautiful art exhibition space.

Tucked well away from the tourist-busy harbour front we
found this gorgeous organic restaurant run by Stelios
and his delightful daughter, Filia.  Stelios cooks traditional
vegetarian Cretan food.  We ate here three times during our
time in Chania, and each time we were greeted by Stelios
who would proceed to describe what was on the menu for
that particular day. His kalitsounia (little herb/cheese pastries),
dakos, baked aubergine with saltanas and balsamic, stuffed
zucchini flowers..... every morsel was a taste sensation.

Stuffed zucchini flowers - before and after. Thanks
Stelios.  I hope we get to experience  your cooking
again one day.

We took a boat trip to a nearby island to swim
and snorkle and see the protected Cretan
goats - the kri-kri.

Charming Chania has an abundance of
shady lanes.

Beautiful bougainvillea everywhere.

Inside one of the Venetian shipyards is the Maritime
Museum of Crete which houses a replica
of a Minoan ship - a 15th-century-BC rowing ship!
It's incredible isn't it, one-thousand-five-hundred-
years-BC.....

The days are hot and sunny, the evenings
are warm and it's light until around 9pm.

Dinner under the little lemon tree at Kariatis.

Saturday morning farmers market.

Who doesn't love a summer farmers' market?

Crete mountain honey, the sweetest thing.

The majestic White Mountains - Lefka Ori -
are the spectacular backdrop of Chania.
There are 58 peaks higher than 2,000m!
The island on which I live (it's about
10 times larger in area than Crete) has
only 1 peak over 2,000m (I think :) 

From Chania, we headed over those mountains, through the spectacular Ombros Gorge to a quiet village for five days by the sea. It was a remote village with  no roads or vehicles. We left Spiro parked in a public carpark as the only way to reach it is by boat.  Five blissful days together swimming, boating, fish dinners, sun, reading and reinvigorating our enthusiasm for tavli - or backgammon as we know it.  Tavli is played all over Crete.  Most cafes have a bundle of tavli boards. The older Cretan men play so fast, their hands fly around the board, rolling the die and clicking their checkers on the wooden board.  There's no counting the spaces, it's just a rapid roll-dice-tap-tap-roll-dice-tap-tap-roll-dice-tap-tap......

Spiro took us over the mountains to a boat that took
us to this beautiful village.

Agapi mou assures me that the Cretan
red wine is very good, particularly the
Peza red, and Kotsifali. 

While boating around the south coast
bays and coves we threw the anchor
over while we watched a giant turtle
swimming around and underneath us.
When we tried to retrieve the anchor,
it had wedged fast, deep between rocks, and
as carefully and patiently as we tried, we could not
free it.  An old Greek fisherman rescued
us.  He appeared to be about 90, but he
maneuvered his boat and our anchor line
with such precision that he had us free in
no time at all.  Endaxi!

Glorious sailing. Plenty of sunscreen
and hat required. It's mid 30s, the water
is cool and refreshing.

We moored at this lovely taverna
for lunch and a swim. Watched the
fishermen baiting their long fishing
line with hundreds of hooks - they call
it 'throwing the paragadi'.  It's the
traditional Greek way of fishing at night.

We played hours of tavli, by the sea, agapi mou and I.

Ancient Crete

From Istanbul we transited through Athens and boarded our Aegean Airlines flight to Crete. Beautiful views flying south over the Aegean and its hundreds of islands.  Landing in Iraklion, the capital of this largest of all Greek islands, we collected our rental car.  He's small and stocky, red, he knows Crete like the back of his dash, he's ours for the next three weeks....and his name is Spiro!

Spiro took us down the number 1 national road directly to our first pretty taverna for refreshments and a study of the map.  Spectacular to be seeing the rugged and handsome green/grey rocky-hills and bare mountains, so distinctive  and familiar to what we've previously seen in Greece and the Ionian islands. Their bare nakedness dominates the view but provides a perfect backdrop to the beauty of the sparking greens and blues of the Aegean sea.

We spent our first Cretan night with Agyro at her beautiful apartments overlooking the sea. Just a few steps to a swim in that sparkling sea, and a sunny terrace to soak up the warm sunshine.  That night, another pretty taverna, a greek salad and some friendly locals meant that our Cretan adventures were off to a great start.

We're keen to see some of the ancient history of Crete, remains of the Minoan civilisation, Byzantine, Venetian, Ottoman empires, however our first days have been spent.....well, swimming at glorious beaches!  We travelled west, along the north coast to spend four nights in Kato Stalida and then Kissamos.  We took days trips.... Spiro led us to three spectacular beaches in three days.  First, it was over the mountains to the south west islet of Elafonisi beach. It's about 45 kms from Kissamos to Elafonisi and the winding mountain road passes typical villages, each with their old church, traverna, and road side stall selling local wine, olive oil, honey.  The way is also lined with flowering oleander, silvery-grey olive groves, carob trees, bee-hive boxes and spectacular scenery.  We descend and finally arrive back at sea-level.  Before us, the sea is jewel-like, crystal-clear and calm. It's stunning.

Love this useful sign on the side of the
precipitous, winding road.

Yes, the view was nice.  Deep shady gorge,
jagged cliffs, and glimpses of the sea.
We were heading for....

... the pristine and sublime Elafonisi beach.

Elafonissi's warm, clear water, and
sand-tinged-pink at the shore

The amazing carob tree, or in Greek, ksylokerato.
Apparently, for 1,500 years the seeds of the carob
pod have been used as a measuring unit. Irrespective
of the size of the tree or the pods, each seed weighs
exactly 2grams.  Amazing.

Beautiful Cretan food - baked feta, and
dakos.  It's easy to loose your heart to
dakos... crunchy oven-dried barley bread,
topped with sun-ripened tomatoes, rich red
and smell like summer, crumbled Cretan cheese,
olives, oregano... all splashed with God's olive oil.
Heavenly dakos.

Church at Kissamos harbour - I love
its pretty frilled domes.

We took a boat and sailed up the rugged Gramvousa
peninsula to this beautiful location, Gramvousa island
- pirate island - complete with Venetian fortress
built in the1500s in the shape of an isosceles triangle.
You can just see it on the top of the mountain.
The impressive rocky peninsula is dotted with
caves and coves that have been used over the
years by pirates and rebels.  

From Gramvousa we sailed on to the azure wonder
of nature that is Balos Lagoon.  Oh dear, the
beauty of Balos Lagoon is difficult to describe.

Exceptional swimming in this
divine location. We spent the afternoon
swimming and laying on
sunbeds on a small sand spit.

He sells sea shells by the sea shore.

One evening we left Kissamos to drive to Sfania.  We'd been told of a lovely taverna on the beach, where the sunsets are particularly special.  What we weren't told was of the spectacular drive over the mountain to this remote west coast village.  The views over the cliffs at the top of the mountain to the shore below were stunning. The road is winding, narrow and lacks guard rails in parts.  The odd grazing goat and donkey also provides 'interest' for the driver.  The ''Sunset" taverna sits right on pebbly Sfinari beach.  Such a beautiful night.  The hospitality in Crete's tavernas is legendary. Local produce, often cooked by mama using yia-yia's recipes, fish caught that day, and every meal concludes with a tiny chilled carafe of local raki, or rakomelo (raki with honey) accompanied by small sweet mouthfuls of the house dessert, fruit or pastry.  Every menu has a few dessert selections, but there's never an opportunity to order dessert because the complimentary house dessert and raki take its place!  This delightful custom is the taverna family's way of saying 'thank you for choosing us', it's charming and we love it.

Raki - transparent, and served chilled in a tiny carafe
after every meal.  It's about 37% alcohol, but
it's nectar in Crete.

It seems that every Cretan home and taverna
has a vine arbor.  The coolest and prettiest
place to sit in the summer.

Early morning coffee in Kissamos. An
activity that only men seem to practice.
And me.

I love these hand made sticks, 'katsuna'; and
beads 'kompoloi'  that many elderly Cretan's carry. 

Another day, another beautiful beach.
This time Falassana Beach which popularly
appears on lists of Europe's best 10
beaches, and is a favourite of the Cretans.
We first view Falassana from a hill high above,