We woke up early and got together stuff for overnight into the day pack. We left both with the hotel and checked out, and enjoyed a hearty breakfast by the pool.
While planning this trip, we were in two minds about Crete. Most opinions seemed to indicate that it would require at least a week's time to do justice to the island ; we had a mere three days. Nevertheless, we decided to strike off the main sights off our list, leaving others for any future trip.
The ruins of Knossos palace, being the only Minoan site, was top dog on our list and we headed there by taxi. The strange thing is that it costs around 10 euros from the city to Knossos, but only 3 Euros on the way back ! The journey takes about 10 minutes.
An archaeologist hard at work at conservation on the site.
Inside one of the structures are frescos such as the ones below. We eventually bought a copy of the "ladies in blue" in Santorini. The second features the leaping of the bull ritual.
The south propylon features a replica of the "cup bearer" figure, a part of the "Procession" fresco.
The Horns of Consecration, probably used as a altar for religious rituals and sacrifices.
The replica in situ of the "Prince of the Lilies" fresco. We would see the original the next day.
The Throne Room was marked by colourful frescoes and a high chair in the middle.
The Queen's megaron, with the dolphin fresco was closed for visitors.
These giant jars, called "pithois" were used to store food, wine and other produce. Knossos was an important trading post.
The replica in situ of the famous "Leaping of the Bull" fresco.
On the way out of the site, could not resist this natural chaise-longue !
We managed to find a cab back to the city after waiting for a short while unsuccessfully for a bus. We grabbed our overnight pack and headed off for the 20 minute walk to the bus station.
At the bus station, we bought our return tickets to Hania and boarded the packed bus immediately. The ride was uneventful, with beautiful seaside scenery on the way.
The bus stopped in the seaside town of Rethymno which is known for its picturesque little harbour.
After some more beautiful scenery, the bus entered the outskirts of Hania, with the roads getting progressively more busy. We arrived just a little late at the bus station, and asked for directions to our hotel - The Casa Delfino Suites. We were directed to the harbour, a 10 minute walk away.
At the harbour, we stopped and asked for directions at a shop, and were told to go all the way to the end of the harbour and walk into one of the back streets.
We finally found the hotel, and checked in. It was such a laugh when they started looking for our luggage !
We walked out onto the beautiful Venetian harbourfront of Hania.
We spent most of the afternoon walking around the main streets lined with shops, taking our time to duck into interesting back streets and alleys.
Dinner was at the Remezzo cafe, one of the umpteen choices lining the harbour, making for great views as the lights come on, as well as good people watching.
We walked back to the hotel and turned into bed, well satisfied with the day.
