Site summaries: A | B | C | D | E | F Begin slide show E
Day 7 was our last day of island-hopping, but it was a stellar day of adventure. Early in the morning we docked at Heraklion, Crete. A group of us looked at a local map and found our way inside the walled part of that city. We had a delightful surprise when we stumbled upon a large domed space, made of rock, just inside an arched stone entrance in the wall. Glancing at the entrance I did not guess at the special space we were about to enter. We stopped, stood, and stared upward to a sunlit opening at the top of the dome. We'd gone in search of the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. The museum is closed, I believe, for renovation, but much of the important parts of their collection were on display in a stripped down version of their space. I was fascinated to read about and see examples of early human creativity. Earliest examples were clay vessels and utensils. People quickly became very creative in shaping and decorating the clay. The next major advance was in using and shaping metal into tools and weapons. Examples of work in metal were exhilarating to see. Metal tools also allowed humans to carve in stone, clay and metal. The sophistication and elegance of pieces of work were inspiring. What amazed me most, and this was the insight of this trip for me, was that the next primary output of humans was JEWELRY. It was not long at all before they were crafting fine, delicate work in solid gold. I found bracelets and necklaces in the collection to be forerunners of jewellery that would be snapped up today as pleasing design work. Seeing this early work made me lust for such fine work to adorn myself. I now realize that to decorate our persons is a totally-human action. I followed Washburn travellers into the shopping area of Heraklion for a look around. We then headed back to cruise liner for luncheon and more travel. In late afternoon we headed into the harbour at our last island stop, Santorini. This island was volcanic at one time. The volcano erupted and 1/2 of the island broke away and fell into the sea. Some think that the legend of the Lost City of Atlantis was derived from this event. What is left are towns perched atop impressive sheer cliffs. There is all manner of rock, heavily striated. I love rock, and I loved this rock. Some was quite dark and dramatic. The sea was rough at Santoini. We took smaller boats called "tenders" in to port. Immediately we had to make our way up the cliff. There were two methods. I took a cable lift for 4 Euros. Some of the younger members of our group paid 5 Euros to ride donkeys up the steep incline. It was our goal to get atop the rocks before the sun set. The view of the sun setting was glorious: it lit the white buildings of the town with golden light, then settled into the ocean, low among the many outlying island. Nancy, Glenda and I sat at a bar to watch the sun set. There I had another glass of ouzo, given the opportunity. On Santorini I bought a Greek fisherman’s cap. Max has had one for years. Now, we can both wear them!
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Day 7 (Thursday): Stop at Heraklion, Crete Day 7 (Thursday continued): Heraklion Archeological Museum, Crete Day 7 (Thursday continued): Hanging around in downtown Heraklion, Crete
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