Friday 3rd June - Heraklion, Crete

We didn't do too well yesterday, but at least we managed to catch up on relaxation.

Which meant we were full of energy for today.  (OK, that might be a little bit of an exaggeration).  I'd researched a little better, knew where the shuttle bus was going to drop us off, and book marked Maps.Me with the sights that would best suit Peter and myself. 

In all honesty, the best thing to do in Heraklion is to visit the archeological sight of Knossos.  Due to Covid restrictions, we're not supposed to use public transport, but I've since found out that it's only a couple of Euro's on the bus from the shuttle bus point to the site, and once there, it's 15 Euro's to get in.

We chose not to do that, or use the ship's tour.  Instead we went a walking.  

Castello a Mare was our first target.  It's a fortress, with a pretty marina alongside.  It was only 4 Euro's each to get in, and as fortress's go, quite impressive. 

Boaty McBoat Face in the Venetian Marina.  I tried to get Peter to sketch it.  Failed!

Then a toddle along the marina boundary to get a different perspective before we turned back into the town.

We quite liked the town.  Good for sitting and having a coffee or a beer in, with plenty of shops for those who like them.  Even the tat souvenier shops looked pretty good

 We has a quick look inside at:

Agios Titos church which holds the religious relic of the skull of Agios Titos

The loggia, which is uses for local council business

We worked our way to the Morizini fountain, which is obviously the perfect meeting point, judging by the number of tour groups there.  Loads of eateries around it too.  

From there, we found the cathedral, Agios Minas.  Beautiful inside, with an incredibly ornate chandelier.

Our final stop was at the city fortress walls, at the grave of Nikos Kazantzakis to get a view across the city. 

Not a bad day all in all.  next time, we may visit Knossos, but there are issues at the site, because the first archeologist to excavate it decided to rearrange it slightly. I'm sure it's interesting anyway though.

Back on the ship, the entertainment team are gearing up for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.  The jubilee sailaway party was supposed to kick off at 5pm, but a couple of busloads of passengers on tour were still out on the island somewhere, so it was a little bit late. 

After dinner, we ended the day in the Playhouse, watching the Searchers no less.  Well..... one Searcher, with a few guys that have replaced the original guitarist, base player and drummer.  It was a good showing despite all that.  I was surprised that he 69 year old lead singer still sounded as good as he did in his younger days. 

Sea day tomorrow - up early for the registrations..........

Crete and Chania

So today we have a tour and a blotted copybook to make up for. So once again we got up at the unearthly time of 7am.  Actually, that's not quite true. Because we'd gone to bed at 10.30 last night, which is very early for us, I woke at 5am. I tried to go back to sleep, but gave up at 6:30am.
So, as I said, we were up early, breakfasted, and on the dock next to our tour bus at 7. 50.  Today's tour was to visit a monastery, a panoramic view, and to be given a quick guide of the best places to see in Chania, (pronounced Hania).

A panoramic view of Souda Bay

The monastery was quite nice, the courtyards and gardens made it a loves place to live no doubt.  The view was impressive, our guide was knowledgable, and Chania was charming.

Leather Street in Charnia.   The port area, market stalls and cathedral were really quite lovely.

It was quite a long morning though, and we were pleased to get back for lunch at 20 past 1.  The ship left port shortly after, and earlier than planned, the captain advised us that there was rough weather ahead, and that he was planning to sail the longer route around it, and therefore, since all the passengers were on board, he might as well get on with it.
So this afternoon, with the gentle rock of the ship, it was impossible to resist the lure of an afternoon nap.

This evening was formal night. His nice to get dressed up, and although Peter hates it,  he donned the suit and black tie and we went to the Veranda Restaurant for dinner. Because it's formal night, there was no buffet today, the menu was a la carte, and we were seated on a table of 10 and met loads more passengers.  Always interesting.

So that was today.  Tomorrow is a sea day, and Pete will be running a class. The best bit will be the lie in, Peter's not on until 2pm. Class!