ST. PAUL'S JOURNEYS, JUNE 26 RECAP

After another delicious breakfast buffet on our cruise ship, we docked in Crete, the largest Greek island & 5th largest island in the Mediterranean. It's reputed to be the birthplace of Zeus, with the emphasis on "reputed." Our destination was the archeological site of the Palace of Knossos, which was inhabited by the Minoans as early as 6,000 B.C. Little is known of this culture, because only fragments of inscriptions have been found--not enough to construct an alphabet. Most of what we know comes from frescoes. 

It's the 2nd most visited archaeological site, after Ephesus. The ruins were discovered in 1870 & excavated from 1900-1936, but the excavators got carried away. Many of the ruins, including the frescoes, were renovated, not restored, so much of the original ruins are reproductions, not original. Much of what we know was deduced from the original frescoes, which required lots of speculation, since not enough inscriptions were found. It was a huge palace, involving at least 1200 rooms & 5 levels. The complexity of the corridors & so many rooms resulted in the designation of a labyrinth. Frescoes showed men vaulting over bulls--they didn't always survive--which led to the creation of the mythical minotaur. [I'm going to have to brush up on my Greek mythology.] We surmise that the Minoans worshiped Mother Earth [Gaia]. The city suffered many earthquakes & suffered its final destruction around 1300 B.C. The site eventually became entirely covered until discovered. The ruins also include a theater, including a royal box, & the oldest paved roads in Europe. Our guide also pointed out the water & sewage systems. One annoyance:  Another tour group was using the same frequency as our headsets, & there was nothing our guide could do about it. Whenever they got too close to us, there was a lot of audio interference.

We returned to the port city of Heraklion & made our way to the Church of St. Titus, which was originally built in 1200 A.D. Over time it's been destroyed, rebuilt, & repurposed many times. We couldn't go inside right away, because a Greek Orthodox service was underway. We tucked ourselves into a shady spot, where we could hear the chanting, & had our group devotion. [These devotions became a high point of each day.] After the service was over, people trickled out, & we trickled in. There was a small room which contained more relics, including the remains of St. Titus. Right.

We made our way back to the historic city center, which included the Merozini Fountain, built in 1629. Very few original buildings survived the Nazi bombing during WW II. Eventually the city was liberated by British, Aussie, & New Zealand troops. I deposited myself in a small cafe & enjoyed my first cup of Greek coffee. Very good, but there was a thick residue of sludge on the bottom of the tiny cup. I should have stirred it better. We passed a lot of gypsies & were warned to keep a close tab on our valuables. [I am NOT a gypsyphobe!]