# Crete Vacation



## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Aug 29, 2008)

Well I am not sure if I will be able to log on tomorrow, since I will be driving to the inlaws. We are flying out to Crete on Sunday and our flight leaves from Stuttgart, so we will be staying with them for the night. 

We will be in Crete for 14 days! Hell yeah, can't wait! It has been quite some time, since me and my wife have taken a vacation.

Anyhow, just in case I do not get to log on tomorrow, I will see you all in 2 weeks time! 

I will also use this thread to post pics in when I get back.


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## B-17engineer (Aug 29, 2008)

Sounds fun!!! I have gone on vacation every year since I was 3 but only went out of the Us once adn that was to Canada. Can't wait to see the pictures


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## Gnomey (Aug 29, 2008)

Have fun!

Just watch out for the drunk British "chavs"....

Some Britons Too Unruly for Resorts in Europe - NYTimes.com


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## Bucksnort101 (Aug 29, 2008)

Have a great time. 
Watch out for those unruly, cross dressing, drunken, puking, vanerial dease infected Brits down there. Sounds like the French and Germans are OK though.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Aug 29, 2008)

The Brits pretty much stick to one town that is full of brothels and bars. Sort of a party town. We will be avoiding that place...


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## ToughOmbre (Aug 29, 2008)

Have a good, fun-filled, two weeks on vacation! 

TO


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## Thorlifter (Aug 29, 2008)

I hope you have a blast on vacation Adler! Travel safe.....


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## mkloby (Aug 29, 2008)

Have a great time brother.


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## Heinz (Aug 29, 2008)

Have a great time , take care.


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## Screaming Eagle (Aug 29, 2008)

have a good one adler, be safe.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Aug 30, 2008)

Thanks guys!


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## v2 (Aug 30, 2008)

Have a nice days Adler!


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## Marcel (Aug 30, 2008)

Safe journey, Chris, I heard the weather is quite nice overthere at the moment.


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## wilbur1 (Aug 30, 2008)

Have fun Chris


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## Lucky13 (Aug 30, 2008)

Have a great one buddy, you deserve it!


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## FLYBOYJ (Aug 30, 2008)

have fun chris!


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## Matt308 (Aug 30, 2008)

pics pics pics...


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## lesofprimus (Aug 31, 2008)

Have a hellofa time Chris... Take many picx, as I will be re-living my times there in Crete through ur pics...


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## Ramirezzz (Aug 31, 2008)

a friend of mine spent there 'bout 2 weeks and told me it was fantastic. Not many tourists around, quite quiet..

so have fun there!


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## syscom3 (Aug 31, 2008)

Enjoy yourself!


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## 109ROAMING (Sep 1, 2008)

Have Fun!!


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 1, 2008)

Well we made it to Crete yesterday! It is great here! Spent all day yesterday at the beach with lots of topless women all around! 

Last night we found a really good thatched roof beech bar with great frosty mugs of beer and cheep cocktails and wine. Today we are going to check out the town and then tomorrow start exploring the island.

The weather is great, very hot and muggy but bearable because of the ocean breeze. At night it stays a very comfortable 75 degree. Great weather for sitting on the porch and drinking wine. The water is great as well, very warm but refreshing.

Oh well see you guys in a few weeks!


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 15, 2008)

Well we flew back into Germany last night shortly before midnight. Just got back off the Autobahn and got home. I will post a thorough and extensive review of the trip with lots of pics as well.


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## Marcel (Sep 15, 2008)

welcome back, Chris


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## Gnomey (Sep 15, 2008)

Welcome back. Looking forward to pics etc.


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## ccheese (Sep 15, 2008)

Welcome home, Chris. Waiting for the pic's....

Charles


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 15, 2008)

Thanks guys. I just have a few things I need to do first. I will start the review later this afternoon.


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## Wayne Little (Sep 15, 2008)

Glad your back safe and sound, Chris! looking forward to the pics....


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## Thorlifter (Sep 15, 2008)

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:


> Last night we found a really good thatched roof beech bar with great frosty mugs of beer and cheep cocktails and wine. !



yeah, yeah, yeah.......rub it in!!!! 

I'm glad you made it back safe and sound.  I'm looking forward to the photo's.


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## seesul (Sep 15, 2008)

Good to have ya back Kris...
Post pictures when you have a time...


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## timshatz (Sep 15, 2008)

Welcome back. Sounds like you had a great time.

Speaking of the topless beach, will there be any postings in the "Breaking News" thread from that end of the world?


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## wilbur1 (Sep 15, 2008)

timshatz said:


> Welcome back. Sounds like you had a great time.
> 
> Speaking of the topless beach, will there be any postings in the "Breaking News" thread from that end of the world?




Damn good question tim


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## seesul (Sep 15, 2008)

wilbur1 said:


> Damn good question tim



But damn bad answer I expect...Chris was that one who has forbidden posting pics of naked girls...


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## rochie (Sep 15, 2008)

glad you had a good time adler, looking forward to the holiday snaps


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## Lucky13 (Sep 15, 2008)

Welcome back matey!


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## Thorlifter (Sep 15, 2008)

Maybe Chris would be good enough to email us some of those banned pics!!!!!


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 15, 2008)

Uploading the pics to my computer right now. I have to sort them out and everything. Over 800 of them....

If there are any pics of the topless chics, it is purely by coincidence. You have to remember I was on vacation with my wife, I could not walk around and snap shots of tits...

There is a possibility there might be some from the beginning of the trip. We were hiking around the sunken city and found a really nice cove. Stripped off our clothes (sorry Lucky no pictures taken of me...) and jumped in the water. Later a few German girls showed up and decided to do the same thing, get naked and go for a swim.

Anyhow, let me get these pictures sorted and I will start the review.

Amazing Vacation!


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## Erich (Sep 15, 2008)

Chris :

got to ask this as you busy with pic sortment, but di you folk visit the Musuem to the Crete invasion by the LW Fallshirmjägern ? most likely there are very few artifacts of the forgotten battle and I know from seeing photos the eagle monument has been de-faced.

E ~


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 15, 2008)

Erich said:


> Chris :
> 
> got to ask this as you busy with pic sortment, but di you folk visit the Musuem to the Crete invasion by the LW Fallshirmjägern ? most likely there are very few artifacts of the forgotten battle and I know from seeing photos the eagle monument has been de-faced.
> 
> E ~



No I did not make it to that. I do have something else you will like and a bit of a great history lesson from the battle for Crete. I have some photos as well of German weapons and artifacts as well.


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## B-17engineer (Sep 15, 2008)

Glad you had a good time!


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## Micdrow (Sep 15, 2008)

Welcome back Adler, cant wait to see the pictures.


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## Njaco (Sep 15, 2008)

Glad to see you back!! Sounds like it was relaxing.


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## 109ROAMING (Sep 16, 2008)

Welcome back! look forward to the pics


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## Becca (Sep 16, 2008)

**sits and waits patiently** 

I'm glad you guys had a great time, Chris! Welcome home!!


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## Wildcat (Sep 16, 2008)

Sounds like you had a great time mate. Looking forward to seeing your pics.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 16, 2008)

Sorry for the delay guys. I got swamped at work today and trying to catch up with laundry and all that stuff that happens when you leave your house unattended for almost 3 weeks. 

I will get this thread going as soon as possibly (most likely tomorrow), after I get some more time.


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## Pisis (Sep 18, 2008)

OK, lookin' forward them pictures! Welcome back, by the way.


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## trackend (Sep 18, 2008)

Glad you had a good time Chris did you get a chance to go scuba diving as I know thats was one of your plans.


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## ToughOmbre (Sep 18, 2008)

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:


> Sorry for the delay guys. I got swamped at work today and trying to catch up with laundry and all that stuff that happens when you leave your house unattended for almost 3 weeks.



I think you need another vacation!  

Welcome back!

TO


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

Okay well here goes, a long and lengthy review of the vacation.

First a bit of info on Crete.

*Crete*

















Country: Greece 

Capital: Heraklion 

Prefectures: Chania
Heraklion
Lasithi
Rethymno

Population: 623,666 
(2005)

Area: 8,336 km² (3,219 sq.mi.) 
Density: 75 /km² (194 /sq.mi.) 

Crete (Greek: Κρήτη, transliteration Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea at 8,336 km² (3,219 square miles).

Crete was the center of the Minoan civilization (ca. 2600–1400 BC), the oldest Greek and European civilization.

Today Crete is one of the thirteen peripheries of Greece and a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece. While it keeps its own local cultural traits (e.g. its own music and dialect), Cretans openly identify themselves as Greeks.

For centuries the island was known by its Italian name Candia, from the medieval name of its capital Heraklion, Chandax (Greek: Χάνδαξ or Χάνδακας, "moat", Turkish: Kandiye). In Classical Latin it was called Creta and in Turkish Girit.

Crete is the location of significant ancient history, which provides popular modern day tourist destinations. They include the Minoan sites of Knossos and Phaistos, the classical site of Gortys, the Venetian old city and port of Chania, the Venetian castle at Rethymno, and the Samaria Gorge.

The first human settlements on the island, dating to the aceramic Neolithic, used cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and dogs, as well as domesticated cereals and legumes; ancient Knossos was the site of one of these major Neolithic (then later Minoan) sites.[1] Crete was the center of Europe's most ancient civilization; the Minoan. Early Cretan history is replete with legends such as those of King Minos, Theseus, Minotaur, Daedalus and Icarus passed on orally via poets such as Homer. Crete was involved in the Mithridatic Wars, initially repelling an attack by Roman general Marcus Antonius Creticus in 71 BC. Nevertheless, a ferocious three-year campaign soon followed under Quintus Caecilius Metellus, equipped with three legions, and Crete was finally conquered by Rome in 69 BC, earning for Metellus the title "Creticus". Gortyn was made capital of the island, and Crete became a Roman province, along with Cyrenaica.

Crete was part of the Byzantine empire, but then was captured by Iberian Muslims led by Abo Hafs Omer Al-Baloty [2] who established an emirate on the island. In 960 Nicephorus Phocas reconquered the island and held it under Byzantine control until 1204, when it fell into the hands of the Venetians at the time of the Fourth Crusade. During Venice's rule, which was more than four centuries long, a Renaissance swept through the island as is evident from the plethora of artistic works dating to that period. The most notable fruits of the Cretan renaissance were El Greco and Vitsentzos Kornaros. In 1669, after a 21-year siege, Candia fell to the Ottoman empire.

Under the rule of Venetians, the city of Candia was reputed to be the best fortified city of the eastern Mediterranean. [3] The city was surrounded by high walls and bastions and extended westward and southward by the 17th century. The most opulent area of the city was the Northeastern quadrant where all the elite were gathered together. The city had received another name under the rule of the Ottomans, the deserted city.[4] The urban policy that the Ottoman applied to Candia was a two-pronged approach.[5] The first was the religious endowments. It made the Ottoman elite contribute to building and rehabilitating the ruined city. The other method was to boost the population and the urban revenue by selling off urban properties. According to Molly Greene (2001) there were numerous records of real-estate transactions during the Ottoman rule. In the deserted city, ethnical minorities received equal rights in purchasing property. Christians and Jews were also able to buy and sell in the real-estate market.

Jewish, Armenians, and Christians were the largest minority groups living in Crete.[citation needed] The Jews were attracted by Crete during the period of the mass explusion from Spain in 1492.[6] In 1627, there were 800 Jews in the city of Candia. They formed about seven percent of the city's population.[7] These foreign Jews could not establish their own culture and religion and were forced to join the Creten synagogues. This was one of the methods the Venetian ruler tried to use to assimilate the Jews. Jews were also forced to live in a ghetto and were highly taxed by the greedy Venetian officials. In 1574-77, Crete was under the rule of Giacomo Foscarini as Proveditor General, Sindace and Inquistor. According to Starr (1942), it was the dark age for Jews and Greeks. Foscarini described the Jews as a threat to the public. Many Jews suffered capital punishment. Under his rule, the Jews had to pay high taxes with no allowances. This practice ended when the Ottomans conquered Crete. The Ottomans ruler granted more freedoms and rights to the Jews. Like the Jews, Christians received freedoms and rights in Crete.

The fall of Candia meant the end of Catholicism and Orthodoxy in Crete. [8] Christians became a minority. Many churches and monasteries were converted to mosques. However, freedoms and rights were still provided. Church attendance was permitted. Still, many Christians converted to Islam through intermarriage with Muslims. The Islamic law permitted the marriage of a Muslim man to a Christian women, but not the reverse. Through these processes, the population of Christians declined.

Muslim presence in the island started with the Arab occupation but was cemented by the Ottoman conquest. Most Cretan Muslims were local Greek converts who spoke Cretan Greek, yet at the dawn of Greek nationalism, the Christian population labeled them "Turks".[9] Contemporary estimates vary, but on the eve of the Greek War of Independence, as much as 45% of the population of the island may have been Muslim.[10] Many among them were crypto-Christians who converted back to Christianity in subsequent years, while many others fled Crete because of the unrest, settling in Turkey, Rhodes, Syria and elsewhere. By 1900, 11% of the population was Muslim. Those remaining were forced to leave in 1924 in the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey.

Uprisings by Christians were met with a fierce response from the Ottoman authorities who several times executed bishops, regarded as ringleaders[citation needed]. Crete was left out of the modern Greek state by the London Protocol of 1830, and soon it was yielded to Egypt by the Ottoman sultan. Egyptian rule was short-lived and sovereignty was returned to the Ottoman Empire by the Convention of London on July 3, 1840.


Greece and CreteBetween 1833 and 1897, several more Christian uprisings took place, and in 1898, Crete, a complex autonomous Cretan State under Ottoman suzerainty, was nevertheless garrisoned by an international military force, and with a High Commissioner (Armostis) chosen by Greece[citation needed]. During these years Cretan volunteers played an important role in the Greek struggle for Macedonia and in the Balkan wars[citation needed]. Finally, in the aftermath of the Balkan wars Crete joined Greece on 1 December 1913.

During World War II, the island was the scene of the famous Battle of Crete where in May 1941, German paratroopers, meeting fierce resistance by the locals and the British Commonwealth force, commanded by General Sir Bernard Freyberg, sustained almost 7,000 casualties. As a result, Adolf Hitler forbid further large scale airborne operations there during the war.

Crete, with a population of 650,000(2005), is one of the 13 regions into which Greece is divided. It forms the largest island in Greece and the second largest (after Cyprus) in the East Mediterranean. The island has an elongated shape : it spans 260 km from east to west and 60 km at its widest, although the island is narrower at certain points, such as in the region close to Ierapetra , where it reaches a width of only 12 km. Crete covers an area of 8,336 km², with a coastline of 1046 km ; to the north it broaches the Sea of Crete (Greek: Κρητικό Πέλαγος); to the south the Libyan Sea (Greek: Λιβυκό Πέλαγος); in the west the Myrtoan Sea, and toward the east the Karpathion Sea. It lies approximately 160 km south of the Greek mainland.

Crete is extremely mountainous, and its character is defined by a high mountain range crossing from West to East, formed by three different groups of mountains. These are:

the White Mountains or Lefka Ori (2,452 m); 
the Idi range (Psiloritis (35.18° N 24.82° E) 2,456 m); 
the Dikti mountains (2,148 m); 
Kedros (1,777 m); 
Thripti (1,489 m) 
These mountains gifted Crete with fertile plateaus, such as Lasithi, Omalos and Nidha; caves, such as Diktaion and Idaion; and gorges, such as the famous Gorge of Samaria. The protected area of the Samaria Gorge is the home of kri-kri, while Cretan mountains and gorges are refuges for the endangered vulture Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus).

There are a number of rivers on Crete, including the Ieropotamos River on the southern part of the island.

*-Continued-*


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

*-Continued-*

Climate
Crete straddles two climatic zones, the Mediterranean and the North African, mainly falling within the former. As such, the climate in Crete is primarily temperate. The atmosphere can be quite humid, depending on the proximity to the sea, while winter is fairly mild. Snowfall is common on the mountains between November and May, but rare at the low lying areas, especially near the coast when it only stays on the ground for a few minutes or hours. However, a truly exceptional cold snap swept the island in February 2004, during which period the whole island was blanketed with snow. During the Cretan summer, average temperatures reach the high 20s-low 30s Celsius (mid 80s to mid 90s Fahrenheit), with maxima touching the upper 30s to mid 40s (above 110 Fahrenheit).

The south coast, including the Messara plain and Asterousia mountains, falls in the North African climatic zone, and thus enjoys significantly more sunny days and high temperatures throughout the year. In southern Crete date palms bear fruit and swallows remain year around, not migrating to Africa.

Cretan Culture
For centuries Crete has held intact its own distinctive rich and proud culture. Cretan Greek has been maintained as the spoken language, and Cretan wine is a traditional drink. The island is known for its music, and it has many indigenous dances, the most noted of which is probably the Pentozali.
Crete - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And the review:

After about a 3 hour flight, we arrived at our Hotel in Hersonissos, Crete at about 1300. Weather was beautiful and hot. Temp was about 91F/33C and not a cloud in the sky. The whole time were on Crete the temperature never dropped below 88F/31C and even reached a high of 111F/44C, and it never rained once. The Hotel was rather nice. Not exceptionaly fancy but very very nice.

Here are some pics from around the Hotel.





















After unpacking and cleaning up a bit from the travel, we headed down to the beach. The beach for the Hotel was about 500m down the hill from the Hotel. I did not mind the walk because it was through a beautiful gardens with palm trees and flowers as you can see in the pics above.

The beach was rather nice. The sand was not so fine, but it was in a small cove with rocks on either side that helped protect from wind as well keep it kind of small so that it is not overcrowded. The water was very warm and pretty clear.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

The next day we hit up the town of Hersonissos. This is also the town where our Hotel was.

A bit of info on Hersonissos.

Hersonissos (Greek: Λιμένας Χερσονήσου - Liménas Chersonísou) is a town in the north of Crete, on the Mediterranean. This community is about 25 kilometers east of Heraklion and west of Agios Nikolaos. What is usually called Hersonissos is in fact its peninsula and harbour. It is part of the Heraklion Prefecture just 25 klm from the Heraklion airport and 27 klm from the Heraklion port.

Hersonissos is oriented towards tourism industry, and popular with Dutch, British and German nationals. At the end of it there are big hotels and the Star Beach with slides, bars, pools, games, bungie jump, go-karts, like a day time club. There is also a lot to do for children. In the main street there are many souvenir shops, as well as other shops and restaurants, some of which are near the sea. There is also a small aquarium called Aquaworld Aquarium featuring local sea life and reptiles, which the children can hold. Nightlife is also important, and feature discos, clubs, bars and pubs. One can take a sight-seeing train that runs down the main street along the sea, and provides access to the surroundings of Chersonissos.

People who like to rest and sunbath on holiday can enjoy Hersonissos, for it has beautiful beaches, and excursions to other places on Crete can be made from here as well. Like many communities on Crete, the local economy is not only based on tourism, but also on agriculture. In the fall, when most of the tourists have left, many people normally employed in the tourism industry earn money with the olive harvest.

Ancient history
At the modern settlement of Hersonissos is the site of an ancient seaport of the same name. The vicinity of Hersonissos is noted for its prehistoric archaeological finds, most notably at the Minoan palace and settlement of Knossos to the east; this site has revealed Neolithic habitation and a flourishing Bronze Age culture. On the coast approximately one kilometer to the east of Hersonissos was an ancient temple dedicated to the goddess Britomartis.
Hersonissos - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia





















We found this nice little Greek Orthodox Church in the middle of Hersonissos.











Here is a small dig site where they found some ancient greek ruins.






Shortly thereafter we came across a beautiful beach. The water was clear and blue in different shades.


























Here are some more pics of Hersonissos.
















*-Continued-*


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

*-Continued-*

Here is an ancient temple dedicated to the goddess Britomartis, as well as some info about Britomartis.

Britomartis is among the Minoan goddess figures that passed through the Mycenaeans' culture into classical Greek mythology, with transformations that are unclear in both transferrals.[1] For the Greeks Britomartis (Cretan dialect[2] for "sweet maiden", "sweet virgin"[3]) or Diktynna (derived by Hellenistic writers as from diktya, "hunting nets")[4] was a mountain nymph (an oread) whom Greeks recognized also in Artemis and in Aphaea, the "invisible" patroness of Aegina.[5]

Britomartis ("sweet maid") is an epithet that does not reveal the goddess's name,[6] nor her character, for it has the ring of an apotropaic euphemism.[7] The goddess addressed as "Britomartis" was worshipped as the Minoan goddess of mountains and hunting, an aspect of Potnia, the "Mistress". The oldest aspect of the Cretan Goddess was as Mother of Mountains, who appears on Minoan seals with the demonic features of a Gorgon, accompanied by the double-axes of power and gripping divine snakes. Her terror-inspiring aspect was softened by calling her Britomartis, the "good virgin", a euphemism to allay her dangerous aspect.

Every element of the Classical myths that told of Britomartis served to reduce her power and scope, even literally to entrap her in nets (but only because she "wanted" to be entrapped). The traditional patriarchal bias of Greek writers even made her the "daughter" of Zeus (see below), rather than his patroness when he was an infant in her cave on Mount Dikte, and they made her own tamed, "evolved" and cultured Olympian aspect, the huntress Artemis, responsible for granting Britomartis status as a goddess, a mythic inversion. But the ancient goddess never quite disappeared and remained on the coins of Cretan cities, as herself or as Diktynna, the goddess of Mount Dikte, Zeus' birthplace. As Diktynna, winged and now represented with a human face, she stood on her ancient mountain, and grasped an animal in each hand, in the guise of Potnia Theron the Mistress of animals. The Greeks could only conceive of a mistress of animals as a huntress, but on the early seals she suckles griffons. Archaic representations of winged Artemis show that she evolved from Potnia theron, the Mistress of Animals.

By Hellenistic and Roman times, Britomartis was given a genealogical setting that fitted her into a Classical context:

"Britomartis, who is also called Diktynna, the myths relate, was born at Kaino in Crete of Zeus and Karme[8], the daughter of Euboulos who was the son of Demeter; she invented the nets [diktya] which are used in hunting."[9]

The third hymn to Artemis by Callimachus tells how she was pursued by Minos and, as Diktynna, "Lady of the Nets", threw herself into fishermen's nets to escape him; thus rescued, she was taken by the fishermen to mainland Greece. She was also known as Dicte. This myth element "explains" the spread of the Cretan goddess's cult to Greece. Didorus Siculus found it less than credible: "But those men who tell the tale that she has been named Diktynna because she fled into some fishermen’s nets when she was pursued by Minos, who would have ravished her, have missed the truth; for its is not a probable story that the goddess should ever have got into so helpless a state that she would have required the aid that men can give, being as she is the daughter of the greatest one of the gods."[10] Strabo notes that she was venerated as Diktynna only in western Crete, in the region of Cydonia, where there was a Diktynnaion , or temple of Diktynna.< "Oupis [Artemis], O queen, fairfaced Bringer of Light, thee too the Kretans name after that Nymph," Callimachus says. "She passed her time in the company of Artemis, this being the reason why some men think Diktynna and Artemis are one and the same goddess," Diodorus Siculus (5.76.3) suggested. The most extreme form of mythic inversion is expressed by the Romanized Greek Pausanias, in the second century CE: "She was made a goddess by Artemis," Pausanias asserts (2.30.3), "and she is worshipped, not only by the Cretans but also by the Aiginetans" (see Aphaea, below).

In Minoan art, and on coins, seals and rings and the like throughout Greece, Britomartis is depicted with demonic features, carrying a double-handed axe and accompanied by feral animals.

As Diktynna
A xoanon, a cult wooden statue, of Britomartis, made by Daedalus, sat in the temple of Olous. In Chersonesos and Olous, she was often portrayed on coins and was heavily worshipped in those cities; the festival Britomarpeia was held in her honor. As Diktynna, her face was pictured on Cretan coins of Kydonia, Polyrrhenia and Phalasarna as the nurse of Zeus. On Crete, she was connected with the mountain where Zeus was said to have been born--Mount Dikte. On some early Britomartis coins of Kydonia, the coin was manufactured as an overstrike of specimens manufactured by Aegina.[11]

Temples existed to her in Athens, Sparta, Massalia and between Ambrosus and Anticyra in Phocis,[12] where, as Artemis Diktynna, her cult object was a black stone worked by Aeginetans,[13] but she was primarily a goddess of local importance in Western Crete, such as Lysos and West of Kydonia. Her temples were said to be guarded by vicious dogs stronger than bears. A temple dedicated to the goddess was erected in ancient times on Mount Tityros near Cydonia.[11]

As Aphaea
Britomartis was worshipped as Aphaea (Pausanias, 2.30.3) primarily on the island of Aegina in Mycenaean times, where the temple "Athena Aphaea"[14] was later located. With the coming of Athenian control over Aegina, a temple to her also existed on the outskirts of Athens, at the Aspropyrgos.
Britomartis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



























More pics of Hersonissos:











Another Greek Orthodox Church that was built into the side of the rocks at the harbor of Hersonissos.











Walking along the Harbor of Hersonissos. At night this was the place to be. Big street party with lots of people. All the bars and pubs open and people just having a great time.






Here is an ancient Roman Fountain in the middle of Hersonissos. Some of the original mosaic can still be seen.











Later that afternoon and night stopped off at a beach bar with our friends who went on vacation with us for a few cocktails.


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## comiso90 (Sep 19, 2008)

Very nice... so clean.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

The next day we travelled to the city of Heraklion and the famous Palace of Knossos. Heraklion is the capital of Crete and the Palace of Knossos is one of the most important and historic archeological sites in the world.

Here is a bit of info on Heraklion.

Population: 137,711 
Area: 109.026 km² (42 sq mi) 
Density: 1,263 /km² (3,271 /sq mi) 

Heraklion or Iraklion (Greek: Ηράκλειο, Irákleio, IPA: [iˈɾaklio̞]; Venetian: Candia), is the largest city and capital of Crete. It is also the fourth largest city in Greece. Its name is also spelled Herakleion, a transliteration of the ancient Greek and Katharevousa name, Ἡράκλειον, or Iraklio, among other variants. For centuries it was known as Candia, a Venetian adaptation of the earlier Greek name Χάνδαξ or Χάνδακας, which in turn came from the Arabic rabḍ al-ḫandaq. Under the Ottoman Empire, it was called Turkish: Kandiye). In the local vernacular, it is often called Κάστρο (Kástro, "castle") and its inhabitants Καστρινοί (Kastrinoí, "castle dwellers").

Heraklion is the capital of Heraklion Prefecture, with an international airport named after the writer Nikos Kazantzakis. The ruins of Knossos, which were excavated and restored by Arthur Evans, are nearby.

History
Heraklion is close to the ruins of the palace of Knossos, which in Minoan times was the largest centre of population on Crete. This Bronze Age palace and human settlement has yielded significant archaeological finds that have given insights to the Minoan civilisation.[3] It is likely that there was a port at Heraklion as long ago as 2000 BC, although no archaeological recovery has been made of the port itself.

Founding
The present city of Heraklion was founded in 824 AD by the Saracens who had been expelled from Al-Andalus by Emir Al-Hakam I and had taken over the island from the Byzantine Empire. They built a moat around the city for protection, and named the city ربض الخندق rabḍ al-ḫandaq 'Castle of the Moat'. The Saracens allowed the port to be used as a safe haven for pirates who operated against Byzantine shipping and raided Byzantine territory around the Aegaean.

Byzantine Era

In 961, the Byzantines, under the command of Nikephoros Phokas, later to become Byzantine Emperor, landed in Crete and attacked the city. After a prolonged siege, the city fell. The Saracen inhabitants were slaughtered, the city looted and burned to the ground. Soon rebuilt, the town of Chandax remained under Byzantine control for the next 243 years.

Venetian Era

Ottoman Era
After the Venetians came the Ottoman Empire. During the Cretan War (1645–1669), the Ottomans besieged the city for 22 years, from 1648 to 1669, the second-longest siege in history. In its final phase, which lasted for 22 months, 70,000 Turks, 38,000 Cretans and slaves and 29,088 of the city's Christian defenders perished.[4] Under the Ottomans, the city was known officially as Kandiye (again also applied to the whole island of Crete) but informally in Greek as Megalo Kastro ("Big Castle"). During the Ottoman period, the harbour silted up, so most shipping shifted to Hania in the north of the island.

Modern Era
In 1898 the autonomous Cretan State was created, under Ottoman suzerainty, with Prince George of Greece as its High Commissioner and under international supervision. During the period of direct occupation of the island by the Great Powers (1898-1908), Candia was part of the British zone. At this time the city was renamed "Heraklion", after the Roman port of Heracleum ("Heracles' city"), whose exact location is unknown.

With the rest of Crete, Heraklion was incorporated into the Kingdom of Greece in 1913. The biggest monument of the city is the Venetian medieval fortress Rocca al Mare (also known as Koules, Turkish for "tower") located at the port.

Heraklion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


























An interesting Fountain. It was originally a Roman tomb that was turned into a small fountain. The water pours into the former sarcophagus of the dead roman.






Anothere Greek Orthodox Chruch.































Below is the Morosini Fountain on Venizelou square in Heraklion, Crete, built in 1628. It is a Venitian Fountain.






Venician buildings and the original Venian wall built in the 13th century.
















Below is some pics taken in the harbor with an original Venitian Fortress. I am not sure of the date it was built but I believe it was in the 13th century.


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## Gnomey (Sep 19, 2008)

Lovely pictures Chris, looks like you had a great time. Certainly as Comiso says it looks very clean which is good too see.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

Some info on the Palace of Knossos.

Knossos (alternative spellings Knossus, Cnossus, Gnossus, Greek Κνωσός pronounced [kno̞ˈso̞s]), also known as the Knossos Palace is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and probably the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan civilization and culture. It is also a tourist destination today, as it is near the main city of Heraklion and has been substantially, if imaginatively "restored", making the site more comprehensible to the visitor than a field of unmarked ruins.

The city of Knossos remained important through the Classical and Roman periods, but its population shifted to the new town of Handaq (modern Heraklion) during the 9th century AD. By the 13th century, it was called Makryteikhos 'Long Wall'; the bishops of Gortyn continued to call themselves Bishops of Knossos until the 19th century.[1] Today, the name is used only for the archaeological site situated in the suburbs of Heraklion.

Discovery and excavation

"Prince of Lilies" or "Priest-king Relief", plaster relief at the end of the Corridor of Processions, restored by Gilliéron, believed by Arthur Evans to be a priest-king, wearing a crown with peacock feathers and a necklace with lilies on it, leading an unseen animal to sacrifice.The ruins at Knossos were discovered in 1878 by Minos Kalokairinos, a Cretan merchant and [[antiquarian]. He conducted the first excavations at Kephala Hill, which brought to light part of the storage magazines in the west wing and a section of the west façade. After Kalokairinos, several people attempted to continue the excavations, but it was not until March 16, 1900 that archeologist Arthur Evans, an English gentleman of independent means, was able to purchase the entire site and conduct massive excavations. The excavation and restoration of Knossos, and the discovery of the culture he labelled Minoan, is inseparable from the individual Evans. Nowadays archeology is a field of academic teamwork and scientific rigour, but a century ago a project could be driven by one wealthy and self-taught person. Assisted by Dr. Duncan Mackenzie, who had already distinguished himself by his excavations on the island of Melos, and Mr. Fyfe, the British School at Athens architect, Evans employed a large staff of local labourers as excavators and within a few months had uncovered a substantial portion of what he named the Palace of Minos. The term 'palace' may be misleading: in modern English, it usually refers to an elegant building used to house a head of state or similar. Knossos was a complex collection of over 1000 interlocking rooms, some of which served as artisans' workrooms and food processing centres (e.g. wine presses). It served as a central storage point, and a religious and administrative centre.

The site has had a very long history of human habitation, beginning with the founding of the first Neolithic settlement circa 7000 BC. Over time and during several different phases that had their own social dynamic, Knossos grew until, by the 19th to 16th centuries BC (during the 'Old Palace' and the succeeding 'Neo-palatial' periods), the settlement possessed not only a monumental administrative and religious center (i.e., the Palace), but also a surrounding population of 5000-8000 people.

Legend

A labrys from Messara.The palace is about 130 meters on a side and since the Roman period has been suggested as the source of the myth of the Labyrinth, an elaborate mazelike structure constructed for King Minos of Crete and designed by the legendary artificer Daedalus to hold the Minotaur, a creature that was half man and half bull and was eventually killed by the Athenian hero Theseus.

Labyrinth comes from the word labrys, referring to a double, or two-bladed, axe. Its representation had a religious and probably magical significance. It was used throughout the Mycenaean world as an apotropaic symbol; that is, the presence of the symbol on an object would prevent it from being "killed." Axe motifs were scratched on many of the stones of the palace. It appears in pottery decoration and is a theme of the Shrine of the Double Axes at the palace, as well as of many shrines throughout Crete and the Aegean. The etymology of the name is not known; it is probably not Greek. The form labyr-inthos uses a suffix generally considered to be pre-Greek.

The location of the labyrinth of legend has long been a question for Minoan studies. It might have been the name of the palace or of some portion of the palace. Throughout most of the 20th century the intimations of human sacrifice in the myth puzzled Bronze Age scholars, because evidence for human sacrifice on Crete had never been discovered and so it was vigorously denied. The practice was finally verified archaeologically (see under Minoan civilization). It is possible that the palace was a great sacrificial center and could have been named the Labyrinth. Its layout certainly is labyrinthine, in the sense of intricate and confusing.

Many other possibilities have been suggested. The modern meaning of labyrinth as a twisting maze is based on the myth.

Several out-of-epoch advances in the construction of the palace is thought to have originated the myth of Atlantis

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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

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Description of Palace

Magazine 4 with giant pithoi. The compartments in the floor were for grain and produce. An alternative explanation for these compartments is that they were catch basins for the contents of the pithoi if one should break or leak. It would be very hazardous to store grain or produce in the floor of a magazine, the main purpose of which was to hold giant vases of liquids.The great palace was built gradually between 1700 and 1400 BC, with periodic rebuildings after destruction. Structures preceded it on Kephala hill. The features currently most visible date mainly to the last period of habitation, which Evans termed Late Minoan. The palace has an interesting layout[2] - the original plan can no longer be seen because of the subsequent modifications. Also, there are not several main hallways. Instead, 1300 rooms are connected with corridors of varying sizes and direction. The six acres of the palace included a theatre, a main entrance on each of its four cardinal faces, and extensive storerooms (also called magazines). The storerooms contained pithoi (large clay vases) that held oil, grains, dried fish, beans, and olives. Many of the items were created at the palace itself, which had grain mills, oil presses, and wine presses. Beneath the pithoi were stone holes used to store more valuable objects, such as gold. The palace used advanced architectural techniques; for example, part of it was built up to five stories high.

Liquid management
The palace had at least three separate liquid management systems, one for supply, one for drainage of runoff, and one for drainage of waste water.

Aqueducts brought fresh water to Kephala hill from springs at Archanes, about 10 km away. Springs there are the source of the Kairatos river, in the valley of which Kephala is located. The aqueduct branched to the palace and to the town. Water was distributed at the palace by gravity feed through terra cotta pipes to fountains and spigots. The pipes were tapered at one end to make a pressure fit, with rope for sealing. The water supply system would have been manifestly easy to attack. No hidden springs have been discovered as at Mycenae.

Sanitation drainage was through a closed system leading to a sewer apart from the hill. The Queen's Megaron contained an example of the first water flushing system toilet adjoining the bathroom. This toilet was a seat over drain flushed by pouring water from a jug. The bathtub located in the adjoining bathroom similarly had to be filled by someone heating, carrying, and pouring water, and must have been drained by overturning into a floor drain or by bailing. This toilet and bathtub were exceptional structures within the 1300-room complex.

As the hill was periodically drenched by torrential rains, a runoff system was a necessity. It began with channels in the flat surfaces, which were zig-zag and contained catchment basins to control the water velocity. Probably the upper system was open. Manholes provided access to parts that were covered.

Lighting and heating
The palace was designed to take best advantage of natural lighting during the long days of the summer season. The suites of rooms were arranged around courtyards to provide more window openings, the doors were polythyra ("multiple-door") to provide more door opening area, stairs wound around the periphery of light wells, and corridors were open porticos wherever possible. One cannot imagine that the palace shut down at night for lack of light, however. Minoan Crete had a long tradition of ceramic lamps, which consisted of a reservoir of olive oil surrounded by niches for one or more wicks. The better lamps multiplied the niches and wicks to provide more candle-power.

Winter must have presented the Palace of Minos with as much of a heating problem as its architecture solved the lighting problem. The wind would have swept through the open palace, increasing the chill factor, unless the openings were blocked. The door openings must have been provided with doors of wood or bronze, as in later Classical times. The Town Mosaic, a depiction of houses on faience found at Knossos, shows windows with cross-members and four panes, suggesting that some translucent substance was used to block the openings. There is no sign of glass panes.

No central heating is in evidence. The rooms must have been heated individually. Fixed hearths were used to some degree but there is long tradition of portable ceramic hearths as well. The Minoans never made the transition from a portable hearth to a closed metal stove, which would have been technologically within their grasp and are much more efficient radiators.

Fires within the palace were for the most part of charcoal, probably lit with olive oil, in hearths or braziers. The tall drafty rooms, probably with smoke openings at the top (the roofs did not survive), were designed to keep the smoke away from the humans and evacuate it as quickly as possible. The palace undoubtedly reeked of smoke within and gave a pillar of it without. Odor issues would have been mitigated with incense and perfumed unguents kept in pyxes.

The emphasis of palace civilizations in colder climes on home production of textiles is understandable. The open vests of the women and the loin cloths of the nearly nude men could only have been summer attire. No frescos of snow-clad mountains and frosty plains are in evidence, such as appear in Crete in the winter. Over such a length of time, no perishables, such as boots or winter robes, have survived, but the frescos cannot depict year-round ordinary life in Crete.

Minoan Columns
The palace also includes the Minoan Column, a structure notably different from other Greek columns. Unlike the stone columns characteristic of other Greek architecture, the Minoan column was constructed from the trunk of a cypress tree, common to the Mediterranean. While most Greek columns are smaller at the top and wider at the bottom to create the illusion of greater height, the Minoan columns are smaller at the bottom and wider at the top, a result of inverting the cypress trunk to prevent sprouting once in place.[3] The columns at the Palace of Minos were painted red and mounted on stone bases with round, pillow-like capitals.

Frescoes

Frescoes decorated the walls. As the remains were only fragments, fresco reconstruction and placement by the artist Piet de Jong is not without controversy. These sophisticated, colorful paintings portray a society which, in comparison to the roughly contemporaneous art of Middle and New Kingdom Egypt, was either conspicuously non-militaristic or did not choose to portray military themes anywhere in their art. (See Minoan civilisation) One remarkable feature of their art is the colour-coding of the sexes: the men are depicted with ruddy skin, the women as milky white. Almost all their pictures are of young or ageless adults, with few children or elders depicted. In addition to scenes of men and women linked to activities such as fishing and flower gathering, the murals also portray athletic feats. The most notable of these is bull-leaping, in which an athlete grasps the bull's horns and vaults over the animal's back. The question remains as to whether this activity was a religious ritual, possibly a sacrificial activity, or a sport, perhaps a form of bullfighting. Many people have questioned if this activity is even possible; the fresco might represent a mythological dance with the Great Bull. The most famous example is the Toreador Fresco, painted around 1550-1450 BC, in which a young man, flanked by two women, apparently leaps onto and over a charging bull's back. It is now located in the Archaeological Museum of Herakleion in Crete.

*Sorry that this is broken down into so many parts. The text is rather long. I hope I am not boring you with this.*

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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

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Throne Room

Throne from which the Throne Room was named.The centerpiece of the "Mycenaean" palace was the so-called Throne Room or Little Throne Room[4], dated to LM II. This chamber has an alabaster seat identified by Evans as a "throne" built into the north wall. On three sides of the room are gypsum benches. A sort of tub area is opposite the throne, behind the benches, termed a lustral basin, meaning that Evans and his team saw it as a place for ceremonial purification.

The room was accessed from an anteroom through two double doors. The anteroom in turn connected to the central court, which was four broad steps up through four doors. The anteroom had gypsum benches also, with carbonized remains between two of them thought to be a possible wooden throne. Both rooms are located in the ceremonial complex on the west of the central court.

Griffin couchant facing throne.The throne is flanked by the Griffin Fresco, with two griffins couchant (lying down) facing the throne, one on either side. Griffins were important mythological creatures, also appearing on seal rings, which were used to stamp the identity of the bearer into pliable material, such as clay or wax.

The actual use of the room and the throne is unclear. The two main theories are:

The seat of a priest-king or his consort, the queen. This is the older theory, originating with Evans. In that regard Matz speaks of the "heraldic arrangement" of the griffins, meaning that they are more formal and monumental than previous Minoan decorative styles. In this theory, the Mycenaean Greeks would have held court in this room, as they came to power in Knossos at about 1450. The "lustral basin" and the location of the room in a sanctuary complex cannot be ignored; hence, "priest-king." 
A room reserved for the epiphany of a goddess[5], who would have sat in the throne, either in effigy, or in the person of a priestess, or in imagination only. In that case the griffins would have been purely a symbol of divinity rather than a heraldic motif. 
The lustral basin was originally thought to have had a ritual washing use, but the lack of drainage has more recently brought some scholars to doubt this theory. It is now speculated that the tank was used as an aquarium.

Society
A long-standing debate between archaeologists concerns the main function of the palace, whether it acted primarily as an administrative center, a religious center -- or both, in a theocratic manner. Other important debates consider the role of Knossos in the administration of Bronze Age Crete, and whether Knossos acted as the primary center, or was on equal footing with the several other contemporary palaces that have been discovered on Crete. Many of these palaces were destroyed and abandoned in the early part of the 15th century BC, possibly by the Mycenaeans, although Knossos remained in use until destroyed by fire about one hundred years later. It is worth noting that Knossos showed no signs of being a military site -- no fortifications or stores of weapons, for example. Minoan civilization was a remarkably unmilitaristic society. Likewise, the position of Minoan women was unusual compared to any other contemporary society in the aspect that it was matriarchal.

Knossos - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia







































































The Horns of the Minotaur.











The oldest thrown in Europe:






What is believed to be the King Mino's Queens room.











Painting of the Minotaur.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

On the next day we drove out to the town of Agios Nikolaos, Elounda and then to Spinalonga.

Some info on Agios Nikolaos.

Population: 19,462 
Area: 317.834 km² (123 sq mi) 
Density: 61 /km² (159 /sq mi) 

Agios Nikolaos (or Aghios Nikolaos, Greek: Άγιος Νικόλαος) is a coastal town on the Greek island of Crete, lying east of the island's capital Heraklion, north of the town of Ierapetra and west of the town of Sitia. In the year 2000, the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos, which takes in part of the surrounding villages, claimed around 19,000 inhabitants. The town is the capital of the nomos (province) of Lasithi, and sits partially upon the ruins of the ancient city of Lato pros Kamara.

History
Agios Nikolaos was settled in the late Bronze Age by Dorian occupants of Lato, at a time when the security of the Lato hillfort became a lesser concern and access to the harbour at Agios Nikolaos became sufficiently attractive.[3]

The name Agios Nikolaos means Saint Nicholas, and its stress lies on the third syllable of the word "Nikolaos". Agios Nikolaos or Ayios Nikolaos (alternative transliterations of the Greek Άγιος Νικόλαος) is observably a common placename in Greece and Cyprus, since Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors and of all of Greece.

Modern Agios Nikolaos
Agios Nikolaos is probably best known as a tourist town that serves as a hub to the twenty or so small villages and farms that make up that part of Lassithi. Tourist attractions include the small lagoon Lake Voulismeni, small beaches in the town, the tiny island Agioi Pantes, the archaeological museum, the local flora exhibition “Iris” and numerous fairs. Tourism is mainly west European with Greek tourism concentrating in mid August. The lagoon features a small park with a trail, traditional fishing boats, ducks, pigeons, an amphitheatre and many cafès.

Agios Nikolaos, Crete - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia











Below are some pics of Elounda.

Some info on Elounda.

Elounda (Greek: Ελούντα, alternative transliteration Elounta or "Elouda", road-sign transliteration "Elounda" or "Elounta") is a small fishing town on the bay of Elounda, on the northern coast of the island of Crete, Greece. It is part of the municipality of Agios Nikolaos (Greek: Άγιος Νικόλαος), and the prefecture of Lassithi (Greek: Λασίθι). It is popular with European tourists and has several hotels. Elounda is also the closest major town to the former leper colony of Spinalonga, located on an island officially named Kalydon (Greek: Καλυδών), located at the entrance of the Bay of Elounda, a lake-like body of water enclosed by mainland Crete and the peninsula of Spinalonga (Greek: Σπιναλόγκα). The town is close to the city of Agios Nikolaos and the village of Plaka (Lasithi).

History
The earliest recorded settlement at Elounda was the ancient Greek city of Olous, whose people were in intermittent conflict with the citizens of Dorian Lato, until a peace treaty was eventually reached.[2] Elounda has a later history as part of the Venetian era. Elounda has changed considerably during its lifespan. The bulk of the ancient city of Olous was reclaimed by the sea towards the end of the Ancient Greek period and is still visible, in part, when diving in the bay of Elounda.

During the early 1900s, Elounda acted as a stopping off point for lepers being transported to the leper colony at Spinalonga.

Elounda - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia






Another Greek Orthodox Church in Elounda.


























Below are pics of the ancient city of Olous. Olous is a sunken city as it was reclaimed by the sea. It can still partially be seen from the surface and it can be seen under water pretty well. We did some snorkling and took some pictures with our underwater camera. Unfortunatly the underwater camera is not digital so you will have to wait until the pics are developed and scanned to see them. It is pretty neat but most of the interesting stuff has been brought to the surface and is in the archeological museum. We for the most part only saw walls and a few pillars and broken statue pieces.

Here are some info on the city and some pics taken from the surface with my digital camera.

Olous or Olus (Ancient Greek: Ὄλους,[1][2] or Ὄλουλις[3] is an ancient, sunken city situated at the present day town of Elounda, Crete, Greece.

History
After continuing boundary disputes with the hillfort of Lato,[4] the citizens of Olous eventually entered into a treaty with those of Lato. [5] There was a temple to Britomartis in the city, a wooden statue of whom was erected by Daedalus, the mythical ancestor of the Daedalidae, and father of Cretan art.[6] Her effigy is represented on the coins of Olous.

Archaeologists discovered ancient texts within the ruins linking the town the ancient cities of Knossos and the island of Rhodes. The sunken city can be visited by tourists swimming in Elounda Bay. Today, the only visible remnants of the city are some scattered wall bases.

Olous - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


























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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

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Below is pics from Spinalonga. Spinalonga was a venitian island fortress which was then used as a leper colony in the 20th century. It can only be reached by taking a boat to the island.

Here is some info on Spinalonga.

The island of Spinalonga (official name: Kalidon) is located at the eastern section of Crete, near the town of Elounda. The name of the island, Spinalonga, is Venetian, meaning "long thorn", and has roots in the period of Venetian occupation. This location is also the setting for Victoria Hislop's bestselling novel The Island and Werner Herzog's experimental short film Last Words.

Origin of the name

According to Venetian documents, the name of the island originated in the Greek expression "STIN ELOUNDA" (meaning "to Elounda"). The Venetians could not understand the expression so they familiarized it using their own language, and called it SPINA (thorn) LONGA (long), an expression that was also maintained by the locals. The Venetians were inspired for this expression by the name of an island near Venice called by the same name and which is known today as the island of Giudecca.

History

The Venetian cartographer Vincenzo Coronelli reports that Spinalonga was not always an island, but was once linked with the adjacent peninsula of Kolokitha. He mentions that in 1526, the Venetians cut down a portion of the peninsula and thus created the island. Because of its position the island was fortified from its earliest years in order to protect the entranceway of the port of Ancient Olous.

Olous, and accordingly the wider region, were depopulated at the middle of the 7th century because of the raids of the Arab pirates in the Mediterranean. Olous remained deserted until the middle of the 15th century when the Venetians begun to construct salt-pans in the shallow and salty waters of the gulf. Consequently, the region acquired commercial value and systematically became inhabited. This fact, in combination with the Turkish threat to use gunpowder for warlike purposes, particularly after the occupation of Constantinople in 1453, and the continuous pirate raids, forced the Venetians to fortify the island.

In 1578 the Venetians charged the engineer Genese Bressani to plan the island's fortifications. He created blockhouses at the highest points of the northern and southern side of the island, as well as a fortification ring along the coast of the island that closed out any hostile disembarkation. In 1579, the General Previsor of Crete Luca Michiel put the foundation stone of the fortifications. There are two inscriptions that cite this event: one on the transom of the main gate of the castle and the other on the base of the rampart at the north side of the castle. In 1584, the Venetians, realising that the coastal fortifications were easy to conquer by the enemies attacking from the vicinal hills, decided to strengthen their defence by constructing new fortifications at the top of the hill. The Venetian fire would thus have bigger throw, rendering Spinalonga an impregnable sea fortress, one of the most important in the Mediterranean basin.

In addition, in 1579 the Venetians built a fortress on Spinalonga over the ruins of an acropolis. They kept control of the island until the Ottoman Empire took possession of it in 1715.

Following the Turkish occupation of Crete in 1669, only the fortresses of Gramvousa , Souda and Spinalonga remained in Venetian hands; they would remain so for almost half a century. Many Christians found refuge in these fortresses to escape persecution. In 1715, the Turks came to terms with the Venetians and occupied the island. At the end of the Turkish occupation the island was the refuge of many Ottoman families that feared the Christian reprisals. After the revolution of 1866 other Ottoman families came to the island from all the region of Mirabello. In 1881 the 1112 Ottomans formed their own community and Later, in 1903, the last Turks left the island.

The island was subsequently used as a leper colony, from 1903 to 1957. It is notable for being one of the last active leper colonies in Europe. The last inhabitant, a priest, left the island in 1962. This was to maintain the religious tradition of the Greek Orthodox church, in which a buried person has to be commemorated 40 days, 6 months, 1, 3 and 5 years after their death. Other leper colonies that have survived Spinalonga include Tichilesti in Eastern Romania, Fontilles in Spain and Talsi in Latvia. As of 2002, few lazarettos remain in Europe.[1])

There were two entrances to Spinalonga, one being the lepers' entrance, a tunnel known as Dante's Gate. This was so named because the patients did not know what was going to happen to them once they arrived. However, once on the island they received food, water, medical attention and social security payments. Previously, such amenities had been unavailable to Crete's leprosy patients, as they mostly lived in the area's caves, away from civilization.

Spinalonga Today

Today, the unoccupied island is one of the main tourist attractions in Crete. In addition to the abandoned leper colony and the fortress, Spinalonga is known for its small pebble beaches. The island can easily be accessed from Elounda and Agios Nikolaos. Tourist boats depart from both towns on a daily basis. There is no accommodation on Spinalonga, meaning all tours last only a few hours. Boat trips from Elounda take approximately fifteen minutes while trips departing Agios Nikolaos can take nearly one hour.

The book "Island of the Damned" by Victor Zorba - a local expert on the island - is still in print. It relates the true story of the leper colony and, because the author met with the last governor of the colony, contains many exclusive photos and stories of the German occupation.

The book "The Island" by Victoria Hislop is set in Spinalonga and shares the fictional story of a family's ties to the leper colony.

There is also a fascinating novel called "Yannis" written by Beryl Darby (who also wrote the offical guide book to the island "Spinalonga - A leper colony") which is an insightful story about the lepers who lived on the island. Although the novel is fictional it is based on stories retold by one of lepers who was last to leave the island when it eventually closed. The guide book "Spinalonga" has also been translated into many other languages. Following "Yannis" is also the next book in Beryl Darby's series "Anna". For more information go to wwww.beryldarby.co.uk

Spinalonga - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

The next day we took a one hour boat ride to the Island of Chrissi. It is a very famous beach also know as the Golden Beach. I have never seen such clear blue water in my life, and I have been to some pretty famous beaches in the Caribbean. The water was so clear you could see the fish swimming around you from the surface. We also took a lot of underwater pics of the fish and sealife but again the pics are not developed yet.

Some info on Chrissi.

Chrissi (Golden) or Gaidhouronisi (Donkey Island) is an uninhabited island some twelve kilometers off the coast of the town of Ierapetra. It is five kilometers long and on average one kilometer wide. The island's average height above sea level is ten meters; Kefala, the highest point of the island, is 31 meters above sea level. The island is renowned for its white beaches, sand dunes and forest of pines and junipers. The western tip of the island has some remains of past settlement: a few Minoan ruins and a 13th century chapel dedicated to Agios Nikolaos (Saint Nicholas). It was inhabited into Byzantine times. The main sources of wealth were fishing, salt export, and the export of porphyra (Tyrian purple), a scarlet dye made from shells. After the Byzantine period the island was abandoned, although later it was used as a hideout.

Nowadays the island is protected as an "area of intense natural beauty". Especially in summer, the island attracts many tourists. As camping is forbidden on the island, only day trips are possible. Ferries leave the quay at Ierapetra daily at 10 A.M. and return at 5 P.M. Visitors are not allowed to roam freely over the island, but only on designated paths and some beaches close to the eastern tip of the island. There is a small tavern at the ferry landing. 700 meters to the east of Chrissi lies the rocky islet of Mikronisi (Small Island).

Ierapetra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

The next day was a rest and relaxation day at the beach (as if we needed another relaxation day after the Island of Chrissi...).

The day after that however we drove to the city of Chania and Rethymno.

Here is some info on Chania followed by pics, then info on Rethymno followed by pics.

Population: 55,838 
Area: 12.564 km² (5 sq mi) 
Density: 4,444 /km² (11,511 /sq mi 

Chaniá (Greek: Χανιά, IPA: [xaˈɲa], also transliterated Hania and Khania, older form Chanea and Venetian: Canea, Ottoman Turkish: خانيه Hanya) is the second largest city of Crete and the capital of the Chania Prefecture. It lies along the north coast of the island, about 70 km west of Rethymno and 145 km west of Heraklion.

The official population of the municipal area is 55,838 but around 70,000 people live in the greater area of Chania. With 4,248.1 inhabitants/km², the municipality is the most densely populated outside the Athens and Thessaloniki metropolitan areas.

Geography

The city of Chania lies at the east end of the Gulf of Chania, a wide embayment between the Akrotiri peninsula in the east and the Spatha peninsula (also called Rodopos) in the west. Kastelli Hill is a prominent landform within the city, which hill was a center of the ancient city of Kydonia. It covers a significant part of the small Plain of Chania and borders with the hilly suburbs of Profitis Ilias, Agios Mattheos and Kounoupidiana towards the east, with the villages of Vamvakopoulo, Nerokourou, Mournies and Perivolia towards the south and with the coastal areas of Chryssi Akti and Agioi Apostoloi towards the west.

Climate

The city enjoys a typical Mediterranean climate, with sunny dry summers and mild rainy winters. During the period between April and October, clear-sky weather is almost an everyday feature. The atmosphere is always warm, but fierce heat waves (temperatures above 38°C) are not very common, since the prevailing Etesian winds ("Meltemia") blow from northern directions and pleasantly moderate the conditions. Intervals of sunny days are frequent during the windy and rainy winter as well. Snow and frost are rare near the coast, with very few exceptions, like the snowstorm on 13 February 2004, when 10-30 cm of snow accumulated in the urban area, causing general chaos. However, such cold days can be followed by much warmer and sunny weather. Even minor early heat waves can occur in March or April, during a Saharan dust event, whose main feature is the strong and hot katabatic southerly wind, which is a type of Sirokos (σιρόκος) and is called "Livas" (i.e. the wind from Libya) by the Greeks. Such events happen only a couple of times a year, and their duration is never more than 1 or 2 days.

Chart to the left is based on data recorded during 1958-1997. Absolute maximum temperature ever recorded was 42,5°C, while absolute minimum ever recorded was 0°C. However, the record minimum was broken on 13 February 2004 when the temperature reached -1°C at midday.

Early history

Chania is the site of the Minoan settlement the Greeks called Cydonia, Greek for quince. Some notable archaeological evidence for the existence of this Minoan city below some parts of today's Chania was found by excavations[3] in the district of Kasteli in the Old Town. This area appears to have been inhabited since the Neolithic era. The city reemerged after the end of the Minoan period as an important city-state in Classical Greece, one whose domain extended from Hania Bay to the feet of the White Mountains. The first major wave of settlers from mainland Greece was by the Dorian Greeks who came around 1100 BC. Cydonia was constantly at war with other Cretan city-states such as Aptera, Falasarna and Polyrrinia and was important enough for the Cydonians to be mentioned in Homer's Odyssey (iii.330). In 69 BC the Roman Consul Metellus defeated the Cretans and conquered Cydonia to which he granted the privileges of an independent city-state. Cydonia reserved the right to mint its own coins until the third century AD.

Byzantine Era

The early Christian period under Byzantine rule (First Byzantine Period, 395 - 824 AD) and the rule of the Arabs, who called the settlement Chania, are not well documented. During the former, Christianity spread in the island but during the latter, the Christian population was persecuted and moved to the mountains. The Byzantine Empire retook the city in 961 AD (Second Byzantine Period, until 1204 AD). They began to strongly fortify the city in order to prevent another Arab invasion, using materials from the ancient buildings of the area. By this time Chania was the seat of a bishop.

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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

*-continued-*

Chania in World War II

Another important period for the city of Chania was the invasion and occupation by German forces during World War II. The British force that faced the German paratroopers during the Battle Of Crete in 1941, had artillery elements over the hill of Dexameni in the south of the city. These elements bombed the German forces in the Maleme airfield undetected, until they ran out of ammunition.George II of Greece also, stayed in a villa near the village of Perivolia, outside Chania before he escaped to Egypt. Part of the city was bombed, progress in several aspects of life was halted and a significant proportion of the area's human potential was either executed or imprisoned due to participation in the resistance against the German rule. The Jewish community of Chania was also eliminated during the German occupation. Most of them were transported off the island by the Nazi occupiers in 1944. Tragically a British torpedo sank the ship "Tanais" carrying most of the Jewish prisoners, killing the island's pre-war community.

Modern Era

Fortunately, Chania and Crete in general escaped the disastrous consequences of the Greek Civil War of the postwar years. The city of Chania was slowly regaining its normal pace of development during the 1950s, trying to overcome the difficulties that the war had left as an aftermath. During the 1970s Crete became a major tourist destination for Greek and international tourists, something that gave a significant boost to the city's economy and affected the everyday life and the overall culture of the locals. The capital of Crete was moved to Heraklion in 1971.

Chania - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
































































































Later that day we traveled to Rethymno. It was late in the day and the only reason we went was because of a Venitian Fortress that we wanted to see.

Some info on Rethymno.

Rethymno (Greek: Ρέθυμνο, pronounced [ˈreθimno], also Rethimno, Rethymnon, Réthymnon, and Rhíthymnos), a city of approximately 40,000 people, is the capital of Rethymno Prefecture in the island of Crete. It was built in antiquity (ancient Rhithymna and Arsinoe), even though it has never been a competitive Minoan center. It was, however, strong enough to mint its own coins and maintain a mild urban growth. One of these coins is today depicted as the crest of the town with two dolphins in a circle.

History
Rethymno started growing again when the Venetian conquerors of the island wanted to have an intermediate commercial station between Heraklion and Chania acquiring its own bishop and nobility. Today's old town (palia poli) is almost entirely built by Venetians. It is one of the best preserved old towns in Crete.

The town still maintains its old aristocratic appearance, with its buildings dating from the 16th century, arched doorways, stone staircases, Byzantine and Hellenic-Roman remains, small Venetian harbor and narrow streets. The Venetian Loggia today houses the information office of the ministry of culture. The Wine Festival is held there annually at the beginning of July. Another festival is held on 7-8th of November, in memory of the destruction of Arkadi Monastery.

It has a Venetian castle called the Fortetza which is the one of the biggest and best standing castles in Crete. Other monuments include the Neratze mosque (St. Katherine's Catholic Church), the Great Gate (megali porta, Porta Guerra), the Piazza Rimondi (Rimmondi square), the Venetian Loggia etc. Today its main income is tourism, with large facilities that have been built the past 20 years and Agriculture especially, for its olive oil and Mediterranean products. It is also the base of the Philosophical School and the University Library of the University of Crete and the School of Social and Political Sciences having 8,000 students every year on its University Campus at "Galos" and where the Academic Institute of Mediterranean Studies is situated.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

The next day we drove into the inland part of Crete and visited the Lasithi Plateau. There we hiked up a small mountain and then visited two caves including the Diktaian Cave which was the birthplace of the Greek God Zeus. We also stopped in a little town in the region and sampled traditional Cretan drinks such as Raki and sampled some wine as well. We ended up buying a bottle of local Raki and bringing it back to Germany with us.

Here is some info on the Lasithi Plateau.

Oropedio Lasithiou (also Lasithi Plateau) (Greek: Οροπέδιο Λασιθίου) is a large (11km in the E-W direction and 6 km in the N-S, approx. 25 km²), scenic plain located in the Lasithi prefecture in eastern Crete, Greece. It is approximately 70 km from Heraklion and lies at an average altitude of 840 m, which makes it one of the few permanently inhabited areas of such altitude around the Mediterranean.Winters can be very harsh and snow on the plain and surrounding mountains often persists until mid spring.

History

The fertile soil of the plateau, due to alluvial run-off from melting snow, has attracted inhabitants since Neolithic times (6000 BC). Minoans and Dorians followed and the plateau has been continuously inhabited since then, except a period that started in 1293 and lasted for over two centuries during the Venetian occupation of Crete. During that time and due to frequent rebellions and strong resistance, villages were demolished, cultivation prohibited and natives were forced to leave and forbidden to return under a penalty of death. Later, in the early 15th century, Venetian rulers allowed refugees from the Greek mainland (eastern Peloponnese) to settle in the plain and cultivate the land again. To ensure good crops, Venetians ordered the construction of a large system of drain ditches (linies, Greek: λίνιες) that are still in use. The ditches transfer the water to Honos (Greek: Χώνος), a sinkhole in the West edge of the plateau. Lasithi plateau is famous for its white-sailed windmills that have been used for centuries to irrigate the land. Despite their vast number (some 10,000) in the past, most of them have been abandoned nowadays in favour of modern diesel and electrical pumps. Today, Oropedio Lasithiou is a municipality with a population of 3,152 (2001), with the seat of the municipality being the town of Tzermiado.

Archaeological sites

There are several caves of archaeological interest in the surrounding countryside, of which Diktaion Andron (Greek: Δικταίον Άντρον, also Diktaean / Diktaian Cave) near the village of Psychro (Greek: Ψυχρό) is the birthplace of Zeus according to Greek Mythology. Zeus is also said to have used Diktaion Andron as his hiding place after abducting Europa.

Oropedio Lasithiou - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia





























































Here is a cool cat with 2 different colored eyes that we found.






The small mountain we climbed up was Mt. Karfi and it has a hight of 1452m/4,764ft. Not very big, but for people that are not that experienced in mountain climbing it was a lot of fun.









































And this is Diktaian Cave where according to Greek mythology the God Zeus was born. The pictures did not come out very well because they do not let you use flash in the cave.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

The next day we drove out to Kato Kakros, The Deaths Gorge, Vai Beach, and the Toplou Monastary. Unfortunatly due to lack of time we did not visit the ruins at kato Kakros.

Here is some info on Kato Kakros followed by some pics.

Zakros (Greek: Ζάκρος) is a site on the eastern coast of the island of Crete (in modern-day Greece) containing ruins from the Minoan civilization. The site is often known to archaeologists as Zakro or Kato Zakro. It is believed to have been one of the four main administrative centers of the Minoans, and its protected harbor and strategic location made it an important commercial hub for trade to the east.

Geography
Zakros is sometimes divided into Epano Zakros (Upper Zakros), the portion higher up on the hillside, and Kato Zakros (Lower Zakros), the part near the sea. A ravine known as the "Ravine of the Dead" runs through both the upper and lower parts of the ancient site, named after the numerous burials that have been found in the caves along its walls.

Epano Zakros is 38 km (24 mi) from Sitia. The road passes through Palekastro where it doubles back towards the south. A comparatively large village, Zakros includes in its community the following smaller villages: Kato Zakros, Adravasti, Azokeramos, Kellaria, Klisidi and the small hamlets of Ayios Georgios, Sfaka, Kanava and Skalia. The asphalt road ends at Kato Zakros.

Archaeology
Zakro was first excavated by D.G. Howarth of the British School of Archaeology at Athens and 12 houses were unearthed before the site was abandoned. In 1961, Nikolaos Platon resumed the excavation and discovered the Palace of Zakro. This site has yieled several clay tablets with Linear A inscriptions. An ancient labyrinth has been discovered at this site similar to the Minoan sites of Knossos and Phaistos.

Zakros - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia





















Below are some pics of Deaths Gorge. Deaths Gorge is located at Kato Kakros. It recieved its name because all through the Canyon there are caves and the caves were used by the Minoans to bury their dead. The caves in the Gorge were literally tombs and the whole area is an ancient burial ground.


























A mountain goat on the side of a cliff in the gorge.


























The Beach of Vai is a beautiful beach that has been used in many famous comercials including Bounty and Bacardi comercials.

Here is some info on the beach of Vai.

The palm beach of Vai is one of the largest attractions of the Mediterranean island of Crete. It features the largest natural palm forest in Europe, made up of palm tree Phoenix Theophrastii.

For tourism Vai was discovered at the end of the 1970s by the last Hippies who fled the hot-spots Matala and Preveli. At the beginning of the 1980s Vai was full of backpacker tourists from the whole world, leading to a mixture of chaotic campground and garbage dump. Vai was enclosed and declared as a protected area. The unique forest recovered, the beach became clean.

The palm beach, which belongs to the Monastery Toplou, is the touristic center of East Crete, with thousands of visitors each year. Vai lies close to Palekastro and Sitia.

Vai (Crete - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)














































The Monestary Toplou is a small little monestary near the Beach of Vai. It is a little bit famous because of its help in the resistance in fighting the Germans during WW2. Unfortunatly you can not take pictures inside the monestary. That is a real shame because there are texts and hand written books inside that date back to the 14th century as well as a very large collection of original Greek Orthodox Icons and small collection of artifacts from WW2 as well.

Here are a few pics from outside of the monestary.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

The next day we drove out to Preveli Beach, Preveli Monestary and Matala.

Here is some info on Preveli Beach and some pics.

Preveli beach and lagoon (Greek Λίμνη του Πρέβελη), sometimes known locally as "Palm Beach", is located below the monastery, at the mouth of the Kourtaliótiko gorge. Behind the beach is an extensive glade of palm trees. The beach is regularly served by tourist boats from the nearby resort of Plakias.

Preveli - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
























































Preveli Monestary

Preveli Monestary is very famous for its role in WW2. With fierce fighting going on the Australian, New Zealand and British troops were falling back. They sought among the Crete people who were very happy to help them. One of the places that helped the allied troops was Preveli Monestary. The troops were hidden from the German's until they were able to be rescued by submarine from the Beach of Preveli. There is a town in western Australia now named Prevelly in honor of the people in Crete who helped them.

Later after the allies had left Crete, Agathangelos Lagouvardos the Orthodox Monk from the monestary led a resistance group against the Germans. Unfortunatly again you are not allowed to take pics in the Monestary buildings.

Here are some pics:


























A monument to the resistance and allied soldiers who fought on Crete.











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## Wildcat (Sep 19, 2008)

Great set of pics mate!


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

*-continued-*

Later that evening after having dinner in the town of Sitia, we drove to Matala. Matala is famous for its Hippy Caves.  Hippies from all over the world travled to Matala and lived in the caves. After that it was back home for dinner and cocktails.

Here is some info on Matala and some pics.

Matala (Greek Μάταλα) is a village located 75km south-west of Heraklion, Crete. Matala is part of the municipality of Tympaki, and Heraklion Prefecture.

The artificial caves in the cliff of the Matala bay were created in the Neolithic Age. Matala was the port of Phaistos during the Minoan period. In the year 220 BC. Matala was occupied by the Gortynians and during the Roman period Matala became the port of Gortys. In the 1st and 2nd century the caves were used as tombs. One of the caves is called "Brutospeliana" because according to the legend it was frequented by the Roman general Brutus.

Matala was then a fishing village. In the 1960s the caves were occupied by hippies which were later driven out. Now Matala is a small village living mainly from tourism.

Canadian folk singer Joni Mitchell's experiences with the Matala hippies were immortalised in her 1971 song Carey.

Matala, Crete - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

The next couple of days were spent relaxing at the beach near our hotel. After a few days of relaxing we hit the famous Samaria Gorge. It is the longest Gorge/Canyon in Europe and a beautiful hike. The temp on this day was the hottest we had at 111F/44C.

Unfortunatly my camerea battery died halfway through the hike, so I only have a few pics. Once my friends who went with us give me copies of their pics, I can post some more. 

Here is some info on the Samaria Gorge followed by what pics I have.

The Samariá Gorge is a national park on the island of Crete, and a major tourist attraction of the island.

The gorge is in the prefecture of Chania in southwest Crete. It was created by a small river running between the White Mountains (Lefká Óri) and Mt. Volakias. There are a number of other gorges in the White Mountains. While some say that the gorge is 18 km long, this distance refers to the distance between the settlement of Omalos on the northern side of the plateau and the village of Agia Roumeli. In fact, the gorge is 16km long, starting at an altitude of 1,250m at the northern entrance, and ending at the shores of the Libyan Sea in Agia Roumeli. The walk through Samaria National Park is 13 km long, but you have to walk another three km to Agia Roumeli from the park exit, making the hike 16 km. The most famous part of the gorge is the stretch known as the Iron Gates, where the sides of the gorge close in to a width of only four meters and soar up to a height of 500 m.

The gorge became a national park in 1962, particularly as a refuge for the rare kri-kri (Cretan goat), which is largely restricted to the park and an island just off the shore of Agia Marina. There are several other endemic species in the gorge and surrounding area, as well as many other species of flowers and birds.

The village of Samariá lies just inside the gorge. It was finally abandoned by the last remaining inhabitants in 1962 to make way for the park. The village and the gorge take their names from the village's ancient church, Óssia María ["Saint Mary"].

A "must" for visitors to Crete is to complete the walk down the gorge from the Omalos plateau to Agia Roumeli on the Libyan Sea, at which point tourists sail to the nearby village of Hora Sfakion and catch a coach back to Chania. The walk takes 4-7 hours and can be strenuous, especially at the height of summer.

The gorge became a national park in 1962, particularly as a refuge for the rare kri-kri (Cretan goat), which is largely restricted to the park and an island just off the shore of Agia Marina. There are several other endemic species in the gorge and surrounding area, as well as many other species of flowers and birds.

SamariÃ¡ Gorge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
















This pic of the sweat running through my shirt was taken after only 3 km of hiking. Damn it was a hot day!









































This is a Kri-Kri, it is a wild goat that is only found on the Island of Crete. It is endangered and runs the risk of becoming extinct soon. The population was as low as 200 in 1960 but has risen to aprox. 2000 now.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

The next couple of days were lazy hang out on the beach all day days. Pretty nice after hiking the Samaria Gorge.

Of course on our last night in Crete we had to enjoy some more of the great cocktails at the beach bars.

Here are some pics including some of some animals as well that I took at the hotel.































All in all it was a great 14 days! Propably the best vacation I have been on.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 19, 2008)

Okay Ladies and Gentlemen that is it for now. As soon as my underwater pics are developed and I get the pics that my friends took, I can post some more.

Until then, I hope you enjoy this thread and the pictures. Hopefully you might have learned something you did not know about this great island. 

I hope I did not bore you all to death.


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## FLYBOYJ (Sep 19, 2008)

Very cool Chris!!!! My in laws spent time there and they love the place!


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## Gnomey (Sep 20, 2008)

Great pics Chris, looks like you had a great time.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 20, 2008)

Thanks guys.

The pics start on page 5 I believe. I hope you all check them all out.


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## Micdrow (Sep 20, 2008)

Awsome pictures you got there Chirs, Love the history aspect's youve added in detail. Looks like you and the wife had a great time and welcome back.

Great job!!!!


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## Becca (Sep 20, 2008)

Thank you SO much, Chris...those are AWESOME picts. Beautiful. ONE more for the list of places we have to go see. 

I LOVE FLAMMABLE DRINKS!!


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## Wayne Little (Sep 20, 2008)

great series of pics and commentary Chris, interesting stuff!


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## wilbur1 (Sep 20, 2008)

Great shots Chris looks like i found my next vacation spot


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## lesofprimus (Sep 22, 2008)

Awesome stuff Chris, the best write up for a trip/vacation this site has ever seen... U outdid urself brother...


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## Thorlifter (Sep 22, 2008)

Holy crap, I think I need a vacation now. Just looking at those pics and all the traveling you did made me tired!!!!! ha ha

Those are real nice images Chris. Thank you for sharing your vacation with us.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 22, 2008)

Thanks guys, I am glad you liked it.


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## ToughOmbre (Sep 22, 2008)

Great stuff Chris!

Thanks for sharing!

TO


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## evangilder (Sep 22, 2008)

Nice stuff, Chris!  Good photos with great commentary. You could do writing for a travel magazine.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 23, 2008)

evangilder said:


> Nice stuff, Chris!  Good photos with great commentary. You could do writing for a travel magazine.



Yeah it is called copy and past from wikipedia...


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## trackend (Sep 23, 2008)

I agree with both Eric and Dan, Chris a really good travel log I enjoyed it very much.
Thankyou


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