vicarious travelling: Crete - Heraklion, Knossos

The fortress in morning light

and a fishing boat right below our balcony.

Breakfast at the hotel then a walk, past the Venetian ship sheds,

to catch the bus to Knossos.

Heraklion is a large, sprawling city and most of our half hour trip was driving through it. We had just entered countryside and we were at Knossos. Advantages to coming out of season..reduced rates

and no crowds.

The site was a major center of the Minoan civilization and is known for its association with the Greek myth of Theseus and the minotaur. It is located on the outskirts of Heraklion,

Knossos is dominated by the monumental Palace of Minos. Like other Minoan palaces, this building served as a combination religious and administrative center rather than a royal residence. The earliest parts of the palace were built around 1900 BC in an area that had been used for ritual feasting since the Neolithic. The palace was continually renovated and expanded over the next five centuries until its final destruction around 1350 BC.

The site was first excavated by Minos Kalokairinos in 1877. In 1900, Arthur Evans undertook more extensive excavations which unearthed most of the palace as well as many now-famous artifacts including the Bull-Leaping Fresco, the snake goddess figurines, and numerous Linear B tablets. While Evans is often credited for discovering the Minoan Civilization, his work is controversial in particular for his inaccurate and irreversible reconstructions of remains at the site.from Wikipedia

Some areas looked like they were probably original, like this large plaza with obvious pathways through it. A write up described the assumptions that Evans had made about its purpose and the name he had given it. Many of those assumptions have been questioned since, as our knowledge of the Minoan culture has increased with subsequent discoveries, but there are still a lot of unknowns.

Then there's areas that have obviously been reconstructed. Evans used concrete and painted some of the elements that he found vestiges of paint on.

It makes for an odd mix with parts looking just like other sites we have seen

and parts looking a bit "Disney".

Either way it is a large complex and some of the buildings have been reconstructed enough to see that they were up to 3 stories high.

The copies of "The Horns of Consecration" (originals in the museum)

Rick had downloaded an app with the info on the site but the bright sun made it difficult to read his screen.

The main buildings

and places where

there had been significant finds

had explanations in Greek and English.

It was a beautiful day,

warm and sunny with a light breeze

and sparrows claiming nesting spots.

We explored it at leisurely pace, spent a few hours

and I sat a couple of times to sketch.

Photo by Rick.

We were curious about 2 kinds of rocks/stones on the site. This one may be Gypsum as it was listed as a building material and when I researched it found that it is very soft and soluble. Seems like a odd thing to build with.

This (Mica?) we found used on staircases. It glints in the sun and may have been used for decoration I guess.

A bust of Arthur Evans. One of the write ups pointed out that whether you agree with his approach or not he did help preserve the site and is part of the sites history.

We took the bus back into town and had a couple of huge Greek salads. The vegetables here taste so crunchy and fresh. Then back to the hotel via a different route

Turkish pump house.

This landmark used to be a Philantrhopic (sebil)* fountain, built in 1776 by Hadji Ibrahim Aga.

It is worth to mention that in order to build and preserve it, Hadji Ibrahim Aga dedicated almost all his property. The building is polygonal with arched windows, under each one there used to be a water tap.

Right behind it, you cannot miss the Bembo Fountain (built between 1552 – 1554). It was named after the Venetian Gianmatteo Bembo who built it and it was actually the first fountain to bring spring water in the city.

*sebil or sabil refers to a public water fountain, usually built at crossroads in order to provide drinking water for travelers and enable purification prior to the prayer. from aboutheraklion.com

Down the market street

Tempted but didn't buy them, too full from lunch.

Found the Lion Fountain and we know our way back to the hotel from here.

Drinks on the balcony again and then Rick took me out for our final dinner, to an Italian place. He had pasta and I had Risotto.

And today's photos from Munich, courtesy of Rick:

He went to visit the Palace Residence which he said was huge and begun in 1385.

The Residenz (German: [ʁesiˈdɛnts], Residence) in central Munich is the former royal palace of the Wittelsbach monarchs of Bavaria. The Residenz is the largest city palace in Germany and is today open to visitors for its architecture, room decorations, and displays from the former royal collections.