Wine-Tasting Optional Excursion on Crete

The second optional excursion on the island of Crete is a panoramic tour of Heraklion and a wine-tasting tour of the beautiful country south of Heraklion beginning at the Venetian lion-guarded port. The bus tour heads south of the city to the famous wine producing area of Peza through breathtaking landscapes of countrysides and vineyards as old as Minoan times. The first stop is a modern winery where you will see the updated procedures of wine making and sample some of the delicious Cretan wines. Your drive continues through rural villages to the village of Archanes, the municipality in the area. On the way, you will make a photo stop at Vathypetro to view one of the oldest farmhouses of Crete, dating to the Minoan period. The tour continues through the island’s hilly countryside where olive groves and vineyards have existed for 4,000 years. In the village of Archanes, which is 10km south of the Palace of Knossos, you will visit a quaint market town with many restored sandstone houses dating from the Turkish period. At a local tavern in the village’s tree-shaded square, you can sample an assortment of Cretan snacks and locally-produced wine. There will be free time to browse the village before the return to Heraklion and the ship. As I said in the Optional Excursions post, my friend did not have anyone on his tour take this excursion so you will need to decide if this is your kind of activity or not. I'm sure our EF guide and the cruise director can offer assistance too.

Palace of Knossos

One of the optional cruise excursions on Crete is a visit to the Palace of Knossos about 30 minutes from the city of Heraklion and lasts about 3 hours. We will be docked in Crete on Thursday from 7 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. The excursion costs around 56 Euros (subject to change).

Knossos was once the capital city of the prehistoric Minoan civilization and thought to be the basis for the original underground labyrinth housing the mythological Minotaur. This half-man, half-bull was born of King Minos’s wife, Pasiphae, and slain by Theseus. We will be able to visit a portion of the excavated and partially reconstructed Palace of King Minos and the surrounding area.

There are many palaces on the island of Crete, but Knossos is the largest and most sophisticated with over 1,000 rooms and an elaborate drainage system, flushing toilets, and paved roads. All the more amazing because this palace dates to around 1700 BC! The first palace, built around 1900 BC, was destroyed by an earthquake and these ruins date almost entirely from the rebuilding.

Unlike other Minoan sites, the Palace of Knossos was restored by Sir Arthur Evans between 1900 and 1929. Although his version of the reconstruction is controversial at best, it does give us an idea of life in the Minoan civilization.

The Palace houses the Hall of the Royal Guard decorated with frescoes and shields, the Hall of the Double Axes, the King’s Chamber housing the alabaster throne amid paintings of griffins and lilies, and the Queen’s Apartment adorned with murals of dolphins and spirals reminding us of the legend of the labyrinth. The original frescoes are in the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion.

The King’s Chamber and the Queen’s Apartment may be closed due to temporary restoration but can be viewed from above. Go here for a 3D virtual reality tour. Be sure to click inside each photo to scroll around for a 360-degree view.

This is an excellent introduction video to Knossos and the part Sir Arthur Evans played in its excavation and reconstruction.

The remaining time will be spent browsing in Heraklion. Since the museum is closed for restoration until 2012, a special exhibit of its most famous holdings is available, but the entrance fee is not included in the excursion price.

If you are game to try and visit Knossos on your own, here is a site that will give you some tips.

The Island of Crete

One of our island stops is on the island of Crete at the port of Heraklion from 7 a.m. til 11:30 a.m. – a 4½ hour stop. You will be free to roam around the city of Heraklion on your own or opt to take one of two excursions provided through the cruise line. One is to the Palace of Knossos and the other is the Panoramic Heraklion and Wine Tasting tour.

Crete is one of the largest islands in the Aegean Sea…and one of the most rugged. It is also home to the Minoan civilization which lay buried for nearly 3,000 years until Sir Arthur Evans discovered this archaeological wonder. Magnificent palaces at Knossos, Phaestos, Malia, and Zakros show just how sophisticated the Minoans were.

Over the centuries, the island fell under the rule of the Romans, Byzantines, Venetians, Ottoman Turks, and finally Greece. The most southerly of the Greek islands, four great mountain ranges traverse the island which stretches from east to west.

Crete’s capital of Heraklion (or Irakleio) lies on the northern coast and is famous for its Archaeological Museum which houses the world’s greatest collection of Minoan art including the famous frescoes from Knossos and the Phaestos Disc, which has yet to be deciphered.

The museum, which began in 1883, also houses such great works as the Snake Goddess, Bull’s Head Rhyton, the Minoan Double Axe, the golden bee pendant, and the Bull Leaper.

The museum has been closed for renovation since 2006 and is scheduled to reopen in 2012, however a temporary exhibit of its most famous artifacts is in a building nearby. We will visit on Thursday and the museum is open from 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Heraklion’s harbor is dominated by a vast Venetian fortress of Rocca al Mare and Crete’s Historical Museum is on the waterfront. Housed here is El Greco’s View Mt. Sinai and the Monastery of St. Catherine, his only painting in Crete. El Greco, whose real name is Dominikos Theotokopoulous, was born in Crete in 1545.

Also in Heraklion is the Plateia Eleftheriou Venizelou, a pedestrian zone with cafes and shops around the Morosini fountain. Facing the square is the restored Venetian church Agios Markos built in 1239 and now used for concerts. Also of note is the headless Roman statue that graces the 16th century Bembo Fountain. A place to stop for coffee!

Here's a 360 view of the port of Heraklion. This video is in Greek (I think!) but the pictures give you a good overview.

Travel Safety Concerns

I know that you have been watching the news lately of the growing unrest in North Africa and other areas of the Middle East. This past week there were even riots in Athens. And I realize that you, like me, were concerned about traveling to Greece in light of these headlines.

I contacted EF this week and expressed our concerns for safety and the protection of our investment in our June trip to Greece. I received an answer and want to share with you what EF has said. (Note: Anything in quotation marks, is an exact quote from our EF tour consultant.)

“EF will never put our travelers in harm's way. If the US State Department issues a travel warning we will not send any groups to Greece.” This EF did for Egypt trips.

“No EF groups stay in Athens. We made that move over a year ago. Instead we have our groups stay in Glyfada, a smaller beach/resort town 30 miles south of Athens. Therefore, groups will not be in Athens for anything other than scheduled sightseeing.”

“Our office in Athens keeps us updated about the situation and if there was an actual flare up while you are on tour we will make sure to steer our groups clear of any danger.”

On our trips we request, and it is standard for most tour companies, to stay near city center so that we are in walking distance of at least some of the city’s attractions on our own time. In light of last year’s protests over the country’s financial woes, EF has already taken steps to protect its travelers by moving the hotel location outside of Athens.

Since we are a private tour group with our own bus, then we have control over when and where we can go and make adjustments if need be. This will be a plus for our group.

Glyfada, a southern suburb of Athens, is known as the ‘Beverly Hills’ of Greece and home to many of Greece’s millionaires and celebrities. One of its most famous residents was Aristotle Onassis! This fashion-conscious suburb is known in Greece for its upmarket cafes, well-known restaurants, boutiques and cosmopolitan summer clubs…doesn’t sound like too bad a place to stay!

“In the event that a travel warning is issued you can pick alternative destinations or receive future travel vouchers. Or, if the entire group decides they do not want to travel you can always use the EF Peace of Mind program to change your travel plans.”

Although the Mediterranean area is in turmoil, it does not necessarily mean we will be near any of the problems or that Greece is a dangerous place to visit. If we consider that Mexico, our next door neighboring country, is in worse shape and travel warnings HAVE been issued there, then a European might frown on traveling to Texas because it borders Mexico.

Those of us in Texas are not afraid to live here, but in this perspective I understand why a foreigner might be apprehensive by just listening to the news about Mexico. So until there is a travel warning issued, I believe we are in no danger in Greece.