Parting shots

Our flight leaves at 9:30 tonight so we packed in a full day before saying goodbye to Crete. We went swimming in the ocean before breakfast, something we should have done every day we were here, however it's hard to get up early, walk 10 minutes to the beach, swim, walk back to the hotel and shower before breakfast when you are on holiday. But the water was perfect for swimming--clear, not cold, no big waves. Shame on me for not taking advantage of it. The beach, BTW, is called Ikarus Beach, which I thought was funny, particularly because there's a parasailing business also called Ikarus.
We had lunch at a taverna before leaving Rethymnon. There were maybe 10 cats milling around, not uncommon in Rethymnon.

They are very well behaved. They don't get on the tables or don't seem to want to interact with humans. Cat in foreground, David in background.

There were shrines all over the island like these two at our restaurant:

They have religious icons inside. I'm not really sure how they work.

Next stop, Knossos, where the old palace dates to 1900 BC and the new palace to 1700 BC. When on holiday, I am not particularly interested in learning about Mycenean, Minoan, Cycleidian, Venetian, or Ottoman empires. I'm happy enough to enjoy the food, admire the beaches and mountains, and take in the architecture without knowing the island's full history.

I get that this was a complex society with sophisticated rituals and infrastructure. I was particularly impressed with the frescoes, which showcased beautiful designs and colours. One of the weird things about Knossos is the role of Sir Arthur Evans, British archaeologist, who did some reconstruction in the early 1900s according to his interpretation of how the rooms would have been used. This is either a desecration of an ancient ruin or an important attempt to preserve the site and make it accessible for tourists, depending on your point of view. Here is one of his reconstructions:

Our next stop indulged my real interest in Greek culture: a bakery. We bought boxes of pastries to take home to friends. Unfortunately, no photo.
Then a short drive to the airport in Heraklion then a long wait for a long flight home. It was a long day, but well spent.
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