Goodbye Greece, Adieu Athènes

Chania

Final stage of my trip to Crete. By bus, Rethymno-Chania : 6,20 euros.

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Rethymno

Iraklion-Rethymno by bus : 7,60 euros. 1h30.

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Rethymno is a really nice little town which, even more than Iraklion, has kept a lot of its historical monuments, among which a lot of the Ottoman and Venitian period. The most impressive being the fortezza built by the Venitians to protect the old city :

In the middle of the fortress is also the Ibrahim Khan Mosque, which serves nowadays as an exhibition center :

From the beaches on the East, the fortress is even more impressive and looms like a huge shadow over the city :

And yes, the beaches are as good as it seems :) Clean sands, clean water, and lot of waves :)

The old city is really worth a visit with its narrow streets and the wooden galleries on the facades of the houses :

And let’s not forget the Venitian port :

Nor the remains of the Muslim community :

And if you are a solo traveller, don’t hesitate to go to the YOUTH HOSTEL of Rethymno. Best company, best staff and best advices for the best of trip.

Iraklion Archeological Museum

The Archeological Museum of Iraklion is probably the second largest in Greece. This is where most of the treasures discovered in Minoan ruins have been gathered, so it’s a mandatory step after Knossos. However, it is likely you will only enjoy, like me, the temporary exhibition, the museum being renovated. Here are some of the treasures on display.

 

And finally the Disc of Phaistos, a disc of clay, printed with symbols, whose meaning remains a mystery :

KNOSSOS

The main advantage, when you take the ferry to Crete, compared to the plane, is that you arrive in Iraklion  center, a hundred meters away from the main bus station, which can take you to any city in Crete AND to the ruins of Knossos. You can jump off the ferry, leave your backpack at the bus station for 2 euros, and jump into the bus for Knossos for 1,5 euros. Simple as that.

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Knossos is only 20 minutes from the city center. My advice is to go as early as possible, because after 10am, the buses arrive regularly to unload hundreds and hundreds of tourists groups on the site and there is a good chance that you might see nothing more than a crowd after that.

Knossos is quite controversial because Sir Arthur Evans, who purchased the site and made his mission to bring it back to life, chose to reconstruct some parts on his own assumptions. So, there must be today almost as much concrete in Knossos as original stones from the Minoan dynasty. It gives a good glimpse of what the temple should have looked like but some details must be taken with a bit of salt.

 

These paintings and frescoes are all copies of the originals, which are being saved in the archeological museum of Irakleion, which boasts some of the greatests artefacts of ancient Greece and that next post will cover !