Palace of Knossos

                                            
Knossos day...

We started the morning as we had every day in Crete, eating breakfast atop the roof at Kalimera Village (in Piscopiano). The thing that made this morning special was the fact that it was our last here, and I looked out over the view with the knowledge that I would never see the morning sun over the mountains again. Giving Anna our thank you gift was first on the agenda, and after that we headed for Knossos. (Irene), a local Rotarian, was our knowledgeable guide and related a lot of interesting facts as we walked around the ancient ruins. The air was a nice temperature, but the sun was potent as usual and the top of my scalp was burned for the first time.

We proceeded to the nearby musuem and took time to watch the progression of an island civilization through a collection of vases, jewelery, art and everyday items.

Lunch was an outdoor cafe on the water next to an ancient castle left by the Venecians. I learned an important thing today: Fruit Salad in Greece can consist solely of things that come from the sea.I needed a moment to fortify myself before trying food that still had eyes and seemed to be looking back at me. I can't say I enjoyed it all, but it was a good experience to try the various seafood that Greece can offer.

A nap, and a quick pack of our things, and it was time for dinner. Our meal was a lovely affair with homemade Spaghetti (Bolognese) served on the rooftop garden overlooking the city lights, with violin music played softly in the background by Steven.

We all agreed that Crete was a special island, not only beautiful in nature, but with kind, content people that we are happy to have met. Several people took time to surpise us by meeting us as we boarded our ferry to Athens. Parents, grandparents and friends all kissed us goodbye and told us to return at any time. We boarded that boat with thoughtful smiles, knowing that we had truly been blessed to have had the opportunity to come to this island.
-Tonya

Throne room with restored frescoes and Original throne.
The Minoan Griffins flanking the throne are painted misnus the
traditional wings: They cannot fly away and leave the
king defenseless.

Our group with Irene to the far left and the the Herakleon
Rotary club president to the far right...