Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Heraklion, Crete, Greece

A short flight to Athens, a brief layover, and another short flight to the island of Crete.

Early next morning, we took off to explore the city of Heraklion.


First, a visit to the bus station to make reservations for our trip to Sfakia.



A little art

Ready for the port . . .

Fort Koules, built by the Venetians in 1540, the vaulted wharves used for the protection and repair of the galleys, the famous Venetian Lion, and a gentleman making music.

Then up the Street of the Martyrs of 25th of August, named for the Cretans and British fighters massacred by the Turks in 1898.  

Lots and lots of textiles . . .


Anyone up for a fish pedicure?


An herbal cure for everything . . .


The Byzantine church of Ayios Titos . . . 


A shady spot to enjoy a glass of wine - the only bad wine we had on the entire trip.


A Venetian Loggia - hands down the most beautiful building in town.


Town Hall . . . 


Inside Ayios Markos. The green pillars are supposedly from the Palace of Knossos. 


The Morosini Fountain, dedicated in 1628.  Water for the fountain was brought from Mt. Juktas through an aqueduct to solve a serious water shortage in the city. Originally, the fountain was topped by a statue of Poseidon, but he is long gone. The carvings around the fountain are lovely, representing different scenes from Greek mythology.

A perfect place for lunch


Complete with Brazilian street performers


And a student demonstration.  They were asking for a longer school day and lower tuition costs.  Surprised?

More shopping . . . 

All things leather . . .


Jewelry . . .


Milk products . . .


Sponges, sponges, sponges . . . 


More textiles. These were beautifully embroidered with various Greek motifs.


And, finally, you can't have a city in this part of the world without a plethora of fish shops.

We made our way across town to the Archaeological Museum which houses many of the Knossos treasures. It was interesting, but so much more meaningful on the second visit after our tour of Knossos Palace. I decided to combine all the photos and chose the best of the lot to share in a separate post.


Then, it was back on the city bus and back to the hotel. This little beauty was quite fascinated with Stanley. She never even glanced at me.

A special word about our hotel in Heraklion. The staff at Hotel Sofia was the very most helpful, courteous staff I have encountered on our travels. If you ever find yourself in Heraklion, think Hotel Sofia. You'll be glad you did!