On my first trip to Greece, I made plans to visit the islands of Crete, Santorini, Athens, then join day tours to Meteora and Delphi.
Day 1
I started my travel today from St. Louis to Toronto, Toronto to Athens, then Athens to Heraklion, Crete to see Knossos Palace – one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world and learn more about the Minoan civilization from 1700 BC. The flight from Athens to Heraklion arrived after lunch and I was dropped off at my lodging and was settled in by mid- afternoon. I stayed at an aparthotel that was a 5-mins. walk to the ocean boulevard along the Sea of Crete.
After dinner I found a pharmacy then walked back to my aparthotel
Day 2 – Venetian Harbor
On this Lord’s Day, I found a neighborhood cafe where I enjoyed breakfast al fresco with the locals. After a hearty and satisfying breakfast, started walking along the waterfront to find the Venetian Sea Fortress and Waterfront in Heraklion.
I arrived at the Venetian harbor and found the entrance to the Sea Fortress. Several joggers/runners passed me along the way. I was curious to see where the runners route ended so I followed them while taking pictures along the way.
I didn’t get to the end since it was getting hot even with my sun umbrella keeping me 10 degrees cooler under the shade. Here’s a video at the stopping point where I turned around. The view, serenity, tranquility was worth it!
Next, I followed the crowd to 25th August Street which is Heraklion’s main shopping and dining destination. I found a beautiful church on the way to Morossini Fountain (Lions Gate). From there I walked to City Center to find the kiosk and buy my bus ticket to Knossos Palace on Day 3. After walking a total of 22K steps I was looking for a hearty dinner reward for all calories burned today.
For dinner, I went to a neighborhood restaurant that was small and only open on the weekends. My craving was satisfied! I enjoyed the best Seafood Linguine I’ve ever had. Its ingredients were mussels whose texture melted in your mouth, shrimp that had a sweetness I’ve never tasted before, and the octopus meat was tender and flavorful. For appetizers, I ordered the house made grape leaves and eggplant salad. The eggplant salad was like a spreadable mousse rich with beautifully blended flavors that I took home and made a sandwich out of it for breakfast on my ferry ride to Santorini.
Traveling with Joy 