Stephanie Desmueles
11/6/95 aboard Concordia
Reflections on Greece
Our first stop in Greece was Iraklion. Iraklion is Crete's capital and Greece's fifth largest city, with a population nearing 120,000. It is known for the grand palace of ancient Knossos and for the world’s largest collection of Minoan artifacts.
The palace of Knossos was built in 1950 BC but collapsed in the earthquake of 1700 BC. Construction of a new palace followed but again, in 1400 BC. most of it was destroyed by a great fire. It is the remains of this that we visited during our stay. The ancient city of Knossos is frequently mentioned in Greek Mythology. In the palace, we saw the Dictaean Cove, the home of the Greek God Zeus, and the labyrinth, the home of the monster known as the Minotaur.
We also visited the archeology museum. By law every important antiquity found on Crete belongs to the museum, resulting in a collection as vast as it is unique. The museum is laid out in chronological order from the Neolithic age to the last of the Romans. The museum is very famous for its Minoan collection: the Polychromatic Kamares vases, the Snake Goddess, and the mysterious Phaistos Disc. The sarcophagi, and the graceful frescoes of acrobats, dancers, dolphins, and bulls are very impressive too.
After Iraklion, we stopped on Santorini Island which is a very beautiful place. I was delighted by the uniformity of the architecture in the city. All the houses are white and have blue roofs. From our ship, we could enjoy the sight of the white city perched on the edge of the cliff. To reach this small town you could either ride a donkey or take the funicular to the top. We only stayed for a day or so but I was completely charmed by this enchanting island.
Our final stop in Greece was Rhodes Island. Rhodes Island was fortified by the Knights of St. John during the Middle Ages. We also visited the palace of the Grand Master who was the leader of all the knights at that time. A long time ago, he lived in the castle. It was destroyed by a gun powder explosion in 1850. Twenty-five percent was restored so that it is possible to visit it today.
Brad Kleiber
October 23, 1995 aboard Concordia
Impressions of Crete
The island of Crete is a very beautiful place, There are many small roads throughout the area with villages, beaches, and interesting buildings that create a feeling of peace and nature on the island.
Another very interesting excursion that we made as a group was to complete a sixteen km hike through a river valley called the Samarian Gorge and ended up on a beach at the end. Ther scenery was breathtakingly beautiful and I enjoyed the hike immensely. The gorge is the longest one in Europe, and it took us all between 4 to 5 hours to hike from the top, about 1000 meters up, to the bottom, on the coast.
In Iraklion, the city where we stayed on the ship, there were many restaurants and small shops that made our visit here a lot of fun. Because of the small streets in Iraklion, the cars and trucks are very small compared to large N American vehicles, and this helped to make the city a unique place.
I really enjoyed our stay on the island of Crete, and I wish that we could have stayed longer to spend more time in the beatiful countryside. This was definitely one of the more exciting and beautiful ports we have visited on this trip. Today we sail to Santorini, a small island north of here, so we will be able to see some more of Greece.
Geoff Kendrick
11/6/95 aboard Concordia
On Rhodes
We are now in Rhodes, a city on Rhodes Island in the Aegean Sea. Rhodes Island is one of many islands that are a part of Greece. We came here after a brief stop in Turkey. When we arrived we could see a huge fortress surrounding the port and most of the city from our ship. The fortress was built in the early 14th century by the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem. They came to the island to protect and help the people that lived there at the time. The fortress is almost all original.
At night, we walked through the fortress guided only by lanterns to the center. On our way, we saw shops and small markets. We soon made our way into the hustle and bustle of the modern city that had everything you can imagine including hundreds of night clubs. The city was great with lots of friendly people. They were very nice especially when we asked for directions back to port after we got lost. We did find our way to a nice Greek restaurant and ate until we were full. It was nice to eat slowly and enjoy the food because we aren’t able to relax while eating at sea. After dinner, we headed back to the ship, walking along one of the many beautiful beaches.
Soon, we are leaving here for Port Said, Egypt and will be traveling through the Suez Canal on our way to Jidda, Saudi Arabia.
Introducing ||
Concordia ||
Students & CrewCurrent Position || Logbook || Journals || FAQs
Q&A || Special Offer || Bibliography || Glossary
Class Afloat / Ocean Challenge / OceanChallenge.com