April 14, 2024 Crete, Santorini

April 14, 2024  Crete, Santorini

Itinerary notes: Crete is the largest and the most rugged of the Greek islands. Take a tour to Heraklion and the fantastic ruins of the Palace of Knossos. Discovered in 1899 and partially reconstructed, the elaborate palace is believed to be the mythical Labyrinth of King Minos and the seat of ancient Minoan culture. This afternoon visit the island of Santorini which is perhaps the most breathtaking of all the Greek Islands. You may choose to take an optional panoramic bus tour viewing some of the most spectacular scenery of the Aegean. Travel through countless villages and settlements with delicate architecture and beauties, eventually arriving in Oia. During your time in Oia, visit the many narrow streets, open-air cafes and glittering boutiques. Upon returning to the ship, we view the lace-like caldera, the little islands of Thirasia, Palea, & Nea Kameni. We arrive at the ship for dinner and evening entertainment.

Jan's notes: Today gets a mixed review. First up, the ruins of the Palace of Knossos. Compared to all the incredible ruins we've seen in Turkey, these were quite unimpressive. The most interesting thing at this site were the peacocks that wander the grounds. Add to that the direct sun, the most monotone and boring tour guide and it was not an exciting morning. 

restoration of ruins - Palace of Knossos, Crete

cropped and played with filters on this guy

view of ruins from above

 

Add to that, as I waited for the bus to pick us up (actually more like a huge van due to the size of our group) I kept seeing an unusual plant and wondering what it was. I reached over to touch it and instantly felt like I had been stung by a bee. And it continued to sting/burn for at least half an hour. Since I had taken a picture of the plant, Ronnie used google identification of my photo and learned that it was the "flower bud of the stinging nettle" (commonly called bull nettle). It was growing in lots of places so I feel quite certain I'm not the only person who has made that mistake. I will only make it once!

 

I touched one of these little round balls

However, the second half of the day more than made up for the first! We were then driven to Santorini, a town that's on the bucket list of every photo enthusiast.
 

3 windmills from a distance

 

I LOVED Santorini, in spite of lots more climbing, huge crowds and warnings to watch out for pick pockets. Despite all of this, we were told that we were lucky to come when it was "less crowded". If that was less crowded, I really don't want to think what crowded would be like. However, we have been really blessed with wonderful weather the entire time we've been away! The very first morning, we had a few tiny sprinkles; otherwise it has been sunny, mild and beautiful. It can get hot in the direct sun but there is always a nice breeze and it is downright pleasant when you're in the shade, which we try to do whenever possible.

From there we went to Heraklion, a crowded city (mostly tourists I suspect, as it was on Sunday). We walked to the Lion's Fountain, where children were doing their best to place yellow wreath "crowns" on visitor's heads (you wear it, you buy it). Along the main street were expensive shops, restaurants, street beggars, gelato shops, etc. We walked down to the church of Titus and went inside where I snapped a few photos.

 

Lion's Fountain

let me crown you!

Santorini is one of 5 islands in Heraklion, only 2 of which are inhabited. It is said that the earthquakes (last eruption in 1950) have been equal to 4 atomic bombs! It now has a population of 30,000 (17,000 pre-covid). We were told that it has 360 Greek Orthodox churches on the island and 1 Catholic church. It is home to 21 wineries, windmills and a resort hotel that runs $1,000 per night. There is no fresh water on the island so it has to be brought in by boat every day. However, bottled water is relatively inexpensive.

inside St. Titus church

St. Titus relief

inside St. Titus church

Santorini is just as beautiful as the photos you've probably seen. All the buildings are painted white by city ordinance (special permission must be had to paint any other color). It is said that there are more churches (mostly Greek Orthodox) than residential houses there. We were encouraged to wear blue and white when visiting as a show of respect of the city. I only have one blue/white top so I wore that, and many other visitors wore blue as well.

 

photo op

 

city square

 

one of 360 Greek Orthodox churches

lots of blue & white merchandise for sale

olive products in abundance

Santorini with islands beyond

Unfortunately, the sun was still high in the sky, so to reach the most famous photo location overlooking the Aegean sea meant shooting directly into the sun. There were tons of shops (as always in touristy areas) along the narrow pathways and I would have liked to spent some time browsing. However, our time was limited and we wanted to eat dinner before heading back to the ship. I was able to grab a couple of Christmas ornament souvenirs and enjoy some really good pizza at an outdoor cafe before time to leave. It was almost reaching the "golden hour" for photos as we headed back down to the van that was waiting to carry us back to the ship. 😞