Greek trip, June 14

Still on board ship today, and our excursion took us to Herakleion on Crete, the palace of Knossos, and the island of Santorini.  In history, Crete is distinguished above all as the home of Europe's earliest civilization.  The Minoans, whose palace Knossos we examined today on Crete, had a remarkably advanced society and was a center of maritime trading as early as 2000 BC.  Knossos was  the ceremonial and political center of Minoan civilization and culture, and Sir Arthur Evans excavated the complex in 1900 and continued for 35 years.  As an interesting aside, Heinrich Schliemann, the archaeologist who excavated at Troy, wanted to dig in Knossos in 1898 but did not receive a permit to do so, leaving the field to Evans.  Currently visible is an accumulation of features over several centuries.  Both public spaces as well as the royal apartments and a stepped amphitheater, possibly the oldest on earth, make for a fascinating experience.

In the afternoon we went to Santorini on our second shore excursion.  Santorini is regarded as one of the most important geological curiosities in the E Mediterranean and home of the most important pre-historic settlement of the Aegean.  The island sports a caldera, and the land rises up and clamps around it.  Sheer cliffs loom hundreds of feet above, nothing grows or grazes to soften the view, and the only colors are the reddish-brown, black and gray pumice striations layering the cliff face.  We cruised the city on foot, but I found the crowds oppressive.  Howerver, enjoyed a Fanta and people-watching before catching another tender boat for our cruise ship.  Dinner late, and then we packed for an early debarcation tomorrow.