Heraklion, Crete, June 19-21

We got off the bus in Heraklion, and the people I was with, mostly French, wanted to stop for a coffee in the bus station. I was a little bit hesitant, but I sat down with them for 20 minutes before we all split up to find various hotels. I had an idea of where I wanted to stay, a cheap place called Rent Rooms Hellas. The hostel in Heraklion has a horrendous reputation for being unwelcoming and dirty, so that was a last, last, last resort for me. It was not hard finding Rent Rooms Hellas. I checked in, paid for my two nights, dropped my things off in the room and had a beer on the rooftop terrace. Then, I walked around Heraklion for a few hours, finding a concrete pier that extended the entire length of the harbor. I think it is close to a mile long. I watched the sunset from out there and then walked back to the hostel. I grabbed a dinner of pasta at a nearby cafe and then went to bed at around 11.

I woke up on June 20th, and immediately set off for the archaeological museum with a Quebecian girl who is in the same room. The museum was very interesting, although quite small. Every item had a placard next to it, which was good, because there is a ton of information to be absorbed. However, the museum is basically one room, so I was a bit annoyed at having to pay 5 euros to see it. We then caught a bus to see Knossos, the ancient Minoan palace that allegedly was the home of the great King Minos. I say allegedly because it is a hot debate point amont historians as to whether it is a palace or was closer to a monastery or religious center. The man who excavated it in 1900, Arthur Evans, is also highly controversial because he rebuilt many parts of the site to what he thought they were. Some sections have obviously modern concrete additions that are somewhat unsightly. I left Knossos glad that I had made the trip and seen the ruins, but mostly unimpressed.

We got back to Heraklion and the Quebecian girl and I split up for a few hours, agreeing to meet for a frappe a couple of hours later. I headed to an internet cafe and updated the blog, checked email, etc. I walked around for a bit more and ended up getting a frappe alone near the harbor before getting another one with Jen. Saturdays and Sundays are especially slow around Greece, particularly during siesta time of between 2-6 p.m. We strolled around streets full of closed businesses, checked out the famous cathedral, and then Jen went off to get dinner while I did some laundry and took a shower. I ended up getting a pasta dish near the harbor for under 5 euro for my dinner. I smoked a cigar, headed back to the hostel, and crashed at around 11:30.

I woke up at around 7:30 on June 21st, packed up my bag, and checked out of the hostel. I walked down and had an espresso at the bus station while I waited for my ferry. I got on the Sea Runner and read my book about Magellan while the ferry sped to Santorini.