Crete - A magical island in the Mediterranean
Hello all,
this is my first travel related post! I decided to share my experience and pictures from some of the most amazing and unforgettable trips I have had recently - and I will be starting off with the magical island of Crete!
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, and the fifth-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsica.. Our accommodation was in Rethymno, the third largest town on Crete. It combines the old town's charm and history with proximity to a long sandy beach.
Here are some pictures of Rethymno (I recommend getting accommodation there, all the other beaches are very accessible from there by car):
Some of the most beautiful beaches we saw on Crete are:
Once you're on Crete, you have to visit Knossos, the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and what is considered to be Europe's oldest city.
Legend of Knossos (from Wikipedia)
In Greek mythology, King Minos dwelt in a palace at Knossos. He had Daedalus construct a labyrinth;a very large maze (by some connected with the double-bladed axe, or labrys) in which to retain his son, the Minotaur. Daedalus also built a dancing floor for Queen Ariadne (Homer, Iliad 18.590-2). The name "Knossos" was subsequently adopted by Arthur Evans because it seemed to fit the local archaeology. The identification has never been credibly questioned, mainly because of that archaeology.
Western civilization was thus predisposed by legend to associate whatever palace ruins should be found at Knossos with the legends of Minos and the labyrinth. The first name of the very first man to excavate at Knossos, Minos Kalokairinos, was taken from the legend. As far as is currently known, it was Stillman who, seeing the sign of the double axe on the massive walls partly uncovered by Kalokairinos, first associated the complex with the labyrinth of legend.[14] Evans agreed with Stillman. The myth of the Minotaur tells that Theseus, a prince from Athens, whose father is an ancient Greek king named Aegean;reason for the name of the Greek sea(the Aegean Sea), sailed to Crete, where he was forced to fight a terrible creature called the Minotaur. The Minotaur was a half man, half bull, and was kept in the Labyrinth – a building like a maze – by the king Minos, the ruler of Crete. The king's daughter Ariadne fell in love with Theseus. Before he entered the Labyrinth to fight the Minotaur, Ariadne gave him a ball of thread which he unwound as he went into the Labyrinth so that he could find his way back by following it. Theseus killed the Minotaur, and then he and Ariadne fled from Crete, escaping her angry father.
As it turns out, there probably was an association of the word, whatever its etymology, with ancient Crete. The sign was used throughout the Mycenaean world as an apotropaic symbol: its presence on an object would prevent it from being "killed". Axes were scratched on many of the stones of the palace. It appears in pottery decoration and is a motif of the Shrine of the Double Axes at the palace, as well as of many shrines throughout Crete and the Aegean. And finally, it appears in Linear B on Knossos Tablet Gg702 as da-pu2-ri-to-jo po-ti-ni-ja, which probably represents the Mycenaean Greek Daburinthoio potniai, "to the mistress of the Labyrinth," recording the distribution of one jar of honey.[15] A credible theory uniting all the evidence has yet to be formulated.
Pictures from Heraklion Historical museum and Knossos
This vacation was one of the most memorable ones because Crete has so much to offer - it is so big that we couldn't discover it to the fullest in 9 days :( We are planning to go back to discover more secluded beaches with turquoise water and beautiful views!
Greece is always a good choice, so I recommend Crete to be your next holiday destination! It has so much to offer, either for a quiet family holiday or a more adventurous one with your friends!
Have you been to Crete or another Greek island? What are your impressions?
