CRUISE THROUGH THE GREEK ISLANDS. STAGE 5: HERACLION (CRETE)

Time on the cruise passes very fast, nothing in Venice we were embarking for the first time in our lives in a bug like this, and now its end is getting closer. We thought that this was not for us, that we were going to get bored, but changing the chip a little can really enjoy a cruise.

Ours continued its course crossing the Mediterranean from north to south, although in reality the seas that we cross are the Adriatic Sea and the Aegean Sea, the previous stops were Venice, Split, Corfu and Santorini, and the one we see far from the Restaurant windows is none other than Crete. Next we tell you everything you have to see and do in Heraklion in a few hours visit. And you know, at the end of the article you have all the useful information to prepare the visit.

The island of Crete is the largest in Greece, although its importance in the history of Helena is not too extensive. Apparently it was the origin of the Minoan civilization, the oldest in Europe, and later went through Achaean hands, by those of Alexander the Great, even by pirates, Romans, Byzantines, Cordovan Arabs and of course, the Republic of Venice. After a short time under Turkish rule and periods of autonomy, in the 19th century it was finally annexed to Greece.

The capital and the place we visited in Crete is Heraklion, and if we have to be honest, he knew us little by little. The city was devastated during World War II and razed many of its treasures, and with them also a bit of its millenary soul ... We did not know how to get juice from its streets or its inhabitants, it may be our fault, it may be do not…

Although if something is famous the island of Crete is for the legend of the Labyrinth of the Minotaur, it sounds to you, doesn't it? He tells that Minos, king of Crete, received a beautiful white bull as a gift from Poseidon. Actually it was a test, the god hoped that Minos would offer it to him in sacrifice, but he hit the change and sacrificed another bull, not as lush as the original. Poseidon pissed off like a monkey, cast a spell on Minos' wife, Pasifae, causing him to fall madly in love with the bull. There was no way to stop Pasifae's sexual desires and he ended up messing with the bull. From this union was born the famous Minotaur (the bull of Minos), a beast with the body of a man and the head of a bull.

Minos, wounded in his pride, ordered a maze to be built under his palace to lock the creature. The one in charge was the architect Dédalo who, along with his son Icarus, were also locked up (see what your prize). Although both were able to fly with wings that were built, but the son flew so high that the heat of the sun melted them and ended up pineapple ... but this is another story.

To what we were going, the Minotaur needed to be fed, for which Minos put as punishment to Athens, after winning a war, sending 7 men and 7 women of the best they had every nine years, to be devoured by being. Now imagine those 14 poor people wandering the maze, hiding for days, until they were found and dismembered ...

Well, in the third shipment the prince of Athens Theseus volunteered to try to kill the Minotaur and end the punishment on his city. The young man coaxed Ariadna, the precious daughter of Minos and Pasifae, who handed him a magic sword with which to kill the monster and a roll of thread to mark his way back.

And so he did, he killed the Minotaur, returned following the thread and left with ... Fedra, Ariadna's sister. This really is a plot twist, huh?

Roman mosaic of Recia in which Theseus and the Minotaur are represented in the labyrinth. Wikipedia photo

It is believed that the Labyrinth of the Minotaur was to be found on the grounds of the Palace of Knossos (Knossos), a few kilometers from Heraklion, and this is considered the most interesting visit of the stop in Crete. Admission is € 15. From what we understand the Palace must have been very cool in the past, but today, removing its three colored columns, it does not have much more. Then we tell you how to get there.

In a few hours you can make a nice route through Heraklion for free, which we tell you below. Although if you want, you have the option to sign up for a cruise tour like this. It costs less than what they offer on boats and has very good ratings.

On a walking tour of Heraklion like the one we did from the port, following the coast street, you will arrive at the old Venetian Port, where the Koules fortress, of the thirteenth century that served, among other things, as a poster. From here begins the main artery of the city, the August 25th Avenue, a pedestrian street that enters directly into the heart of Heraklion.

First on the left is the Agios Titos Cathedral, built by the Byzantine Empire after the expulsion of the Arabs from Crete in 961. Initially it was a church of Orthodox faith, however it was transformed into a mosque during Turkish domination. But the church did not live for scares, in 1856 the island suffered a great earthquake and completely destroyed this and many other buildings, so what we see is a reconstruction of these ruins. Inside, the relic of the skull of St. Titus, a disciple of the apostle Paul, is preserved.

Your visit is a must, both the building and the environment where they are located are very interesting.

At a very short distance and on the same side of the street stands the towering Loggia, built by Morosini in 1630 in Venetian style. Today is the seat of the town hall. And then the soberSan Marcos Church, which is intended for art exhibitions.

We will then arrive at the Eleftheriou Venizelou square where theFountain of the Lions (or Fountain Morosini), is the heart of the historic center of Heraklion. The fountain is over 400 years old and, in addition to its magnificent lions typical of Venetian art, it exhibits scenes of Greek mythology at its bottom.

At this point we can turn to the right, to the San Minas Cathedral, one of the largest in all of Greece with its two beautiful towers, although not the oldest. Of course, next door is the Basilica of Agia Ekaterini, from 1555, which houses the Museum of religious art.

If we start the way back we can go through the Bembo fountain, in the Kornarou square, one of the oldest in the city (1552) and as important as it was the first where the inhabitants of Heraklion could see water running in the city. And from there climb up Calle 1866 where theMunicipal market, this street and its surroundings are a good place to quench our hunger in one of its restaurants. ThebazaarIt floods everything with its typical souvenirs with the evil eye amulet (the Turkish eye or nazar), handmade leather espadrilles, soccer jerseys and some clueless selling figs.

Finally we leave the Archeological Museum, we do not enter but apparently it is one of the best in Greece, with especially interesting collections such as the Minoan period.

If at this point you have enough time and are interested in visiting the Knossos Palace, you can go to the bus station that is a few steps away and take the bus to the Palace, see below that we explain everything 😉

These are the Top things to see and do in Heraklion (Crete) in a few hours, on a visit from a cruise. We hope you enjoy the trip!