Knossos’ Palace

We spent the second week on the island of Crete. We stayed first in Heraklion, then in Reythemno. In Heraklion, we were able to tour Knossos’ Palace, which was an incredible experience. I love history and we had a great tour guide who was very knowledgable about the site and history of Greece in general. One thing in particular that I love about Greek history is that it incorporates ancient mythology. The fact that these old stories are still talked about and remembered today shows jut how valuable the history of Greece is to its people. The palace was set on a beautiful landscape covered with olive trees. We could hear crickets in the trees and the overall setting was just beautiful. It is amazing to me how well ancient ruins can be preserved centuries later.
This past week we went on an excursion to the Samaria Gorges. We hiked six miles in the mountains of a beautiful small island off of Crete. We crossed handmade wooden bridges over fresh, clear rivers of water. The scenery was incredible. It was a little bit scary at times when the gorge would become narrow and we had to be quiet to listen for falling stones, but overall it was a great experience. We also visited Matala Beach this week and learned about the old caves and “hippie” culture of the town. A large mural overlooking the beach and town read “Today is life, tomorrow never comes”, which I though reflected the Greek culture well in the way they take life day by day and appreciate all that they have in the moment. Another cool thing that we did in Matala was cliff jumping. It was about a 30 foot drop and pretty rocky, so naturally I was afraid. We all supported each other and it was a great bonding experience for the group. Looking back, I definitely would have regretted it if I hadn’t jumped! Crete has been a great experience full of new challenges and knowledge.