Checking in from Crete, the biggest of the Greek islands and directly south of Athens. We arrived here yesterday in the early AM on a huge overnight ferry. The beds were small and the mattresses were interesting... but I was so tired that I went to bed right away and woke up right before we started our day. 10 hours of sleep - probably near twice my average so far this month. I'm having so much fun that I don't realize it, but it was nice to catch up a little on sleep.
Our hotel is very nice, and even had a little gym where I could go and run off a little tzatziki sauce. Yesterday we visited the Minoan ruins at Knossos, a museum and a supplementary site some miles away. It was a very interesting culture to learn about - totally different from the culture we know as "ancient greeks". There were some great frescos of the Minoans doing some crazy stuff - my favorite was the "bull leaping", which entailed a guy running towards a bull and vaulting over its horns, doing tricks and landing on the other side. Obviously, we don't know how much of it is true, but it is a fairly prevalent image. Their self-depictions are very cartoon-like, so it is pretty funny to see the rendition of this feat.
Today, we visited the site of an old written legal inscription, the Gortyn code. It actually provided some interesting protections to women and slaves, but due to the extremely low literacy rate, only a few could decipher it and control "what it meant". So...didn't work. But interesting. We also saw the Basillica of St. Titus, which is now just a ruin, but there was a lot of great original architecture still intact.
Afterwards, we drove to the sea, and spent the afternoon on the beach. The weather was amazing, and I wish I could tell you that the water was warm too. Unfortunately, it was absolutely freezing. I got in for 15 mins or so and that was all I could possibly stand. Just being on a sand beach in January, however, was great.
Heraklion, which is what city we are staying at on the Island, is really nice. Very fancy town square area, with lots of people trying to be fancy. Lotta hair gel. But yesterday we sat outside and watched some soccer and enjoyed little sandwiches before just exploring. The markets here are pretty great.
Well, hope to check in soon. Sorry for no actual pics, still trying to get a battery charge to hold. There are plenty from my group and I am in many of them, so I'll upload a couple when I get the chance. Thanks for the support - I am one happy traveller!
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