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Heraklion (or Herakleion, Iraklio, Irakleion) is the capital of Crete and an industrialized city of around 155,000 residents. The modern city is densely populated and traffic-choked, at first overwhelming the visitor. However,... Read more
Heraklion (or Herakleion, Iraklio, Irakleion) is the capital of Crete and an industrialized city of around 155,000 residents. The modern city is densely populated and traffic-choked, at first overwhelming the visitor. However, in recent years, things have begun to change and efforts are being made to bring out the beauty of the city's rich cultural history. Strolling along the coastline, the city wall, or down a park can reveal various historical remains of potentially immense interest to the watchful eye. The knowledgeable visitor will be able to trace the past under the urban sprawl of the present. The core of the city is still enclosed and defined by the Venetian wall, which includes seven outjutting bastions. In the southernmost of these, the Martinengo Bastion, is the grave of Nikos Kazantzakis standing on a windswept hilltop with its moving inscription, "I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free."
You can use public city bus network to get around Heraklion but you have to figure out the line to your destination. There are usually no routes or schedules posted at the bus stops. Buses do not stop at bus stops unless you signal the driver by raising your arm.
When you get on the bus, hold the bottom half of your ticket in your right hand. The bus driver will take the top half (the side with the number value of the ticket) and the two of you will rip it in half. Tickets are available inside buses with increased prices.
Throughout most of the downtown, it is easy to find cheap tavernas (ταβερνα) A strict budget can be met by sticking to the supermarkets which provide the usual array of fruits, vegetables, and cheese for modest prices. Central cafes serve the local breakfast treat bougatsa, a local pastry with cottage cheese, served with honey, or cinnamon and sugar. Also available are the usual complement of pastry shops for standard meals such as spanakopita (spinach pie) and various cheap deserts.
LOCAL TIME
3:50 am
May 29, 2022
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LOCAL CURRENCY
EUR
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One day, we decided to arrange a self-guided tour around Heraklion , the capital of Crete. Unfortunately, we had to wait 40 minutes for a bus. Although, the local buses were nice and comfortable. There's an airport located in Heraklion, so the fans of the aircraft can admire it... |
One day, we decided to go on a tour from
Rethymnon
to
Preveli
. The tour included a trip to the city of Rethymno, then the monastery of Preveli, after that the Libyan Sea, and in the end, we saw the
Kourtaliotiko gorge
.
Here's a view from the bus.
This is the... |
An hour later, I decided to come back to
the museum by the lake
- and it was open! And here's what I saw there!
Is this Ukrainian embroidery???
It was probably a museum of folk crafts. I love such museums.
I liked this icon - with a sea theme! Well done! That left flag looks like the... |
On Crete, our ship stopped in the tiny town of
Agios Nikolaos
. Those who have never been on the island, of course, rushed on a tour to "
Knossos
", fortunately, it is very close. But we have already been there. So we decided to walk around Agios Nikolaos.
At the... |
The next morning was rainy:
The bay in
Crete
was more narrow than the day before:
The island of Crete is known to everyone from the Greek Mythology. According to the Greek epos, King Aegeus sent 7 boys and 7 girls there every 8 years to please Minotaur, a monster with a... |