Today we went to Knossos after we got off the ferry. The overnight ferry was an interesting experience. The room was quite possibly the size of my closet and Kayla, Lauren, and I all had to sleep and get ready in there. It also docks at like 6 AM and they blare their alarms to make sure you are awake and get off the boat on time. We immediately stopped at our hotel in Heraklion first to eat a little something before we headed off for our day. This hotel has free wifi, so hence I was able to update my blog quite a bit. After we ate we headed to the museum for Knossos in Heraklion. We met our new tour guide for the island part. His name is Vaggelis (pronounced vag-gely; apparently in Greek culture, out of respect you always drop the "s" sound on the end of men's names when addressing them) and he is crazy! So full of energy and I have to fight to keep up with his train of thought. I love him already though, he is super nice and definitely commands our attention. At the museum, Vaggelis talked about the idea of human sacrifice possibly being present in the Minoan culture. The Minoans were some of the first people on Crete and Knossos is the site of one of the four (possibly more) palaces on the island. He insists that they were a peaceful people, but they worshipped Mother Earth and to make her happy in times of great need they would sometimes sacrifice a healthy young male. So crazy what people will do for their religion sometimes. On the way to the palace in Knossos, Vaggelis asked us how our family and friends felt about us coming to Greece; he said that most of the Americans he had talked to had people voice their concerns about the economic stability and their friend/relative's safety when traveling to Greece. We all confirmed what he suspected and he proceeded to tell us that the idea that people were scared to come to Greece made him really sad. He loves his home country and what the American media is portraying is just not the way it is here. Yes they are having a recession and their government is struggling but honestly what country isn't right now? I can personally say that I have felt safe everywhere we have been here and really don't know what all the fuss is about. Anyways the Minoan palace of Knossos is HUGE! I would say if you would lay the ruins down on the town of Clever is would be bigger than the city limits...not even kidding. It was all made of stone, gravel, and wood and contained chambers for the king and queen, altars and places for religious gatherings, throne rooms, storage area, etc. The excavator who found it decided that based on the foundation that he could restore some of the ruins to make you imagine what the palace looked like in the ancient times. In the process he ended up severely damaging areas of the real thing. It was fascinating to see and really gave you an insight in to how even though nobody really had a whole lot back then, the people that were "richer" lived pretty well for their time. After Knossos we headed to lunch in Archanes. It was this quaint little village and we went exploring and found some amazing architecture while we were there. After lunch we headed back to the hotel to relax....so nice after the busy day we had. Then for dinner went to a restaurant called Ladadica. I have never had a dinner like that in my whole life. First they brought out bread and tzanziki (it's starting to become like crack for me), then they brought out some of the best meatballs I have ever had in my life, then they brought out potato crisps, then they brought out cheese balls, then they brought out fried cheese, then they brought out fried zucchini, then they brought out lamb, and that wasn't even our main course. I have never cursed food in my life but at that point every time he brought out another plate of food I groaned. Then for the main course we had potatoes, salad, and beef brisket. All the food was unbelievable and I don't think I have eaten that much food since Thanksgiving! Then Vaggeli met us for a drink of araki (which is the strongest alcohol I have ever tried and I hate it, but the Greek have it almost with every meal) and dessert. Dessert was also amazing; kiwi, apples, and a pastry with cheese and cinnamon sugar made sure that I was too stuffed to walk home. It was totally worth it though and I would go back to that restaurant in a heartbeat! While we were there, two older women and an older man who we later learned were from Austria sat next to us. They were finished with their meal way before us but they sat there and listened to our entire conversations as we laughed and shouted and told stories. As they were leaving they asked us where we were from and told us to enjoy our stay in Greece. I think we totally made their night; it never fails that everywhere we go we are the most obnoxious ones there! I wouldn't have it any other way though, I love this group of people I am with.
By the way, one thing I have noticed is that there really are no traffic laws here in Greece. Even Vaggeli said they are more like suggestions than rules. I don't think our bus driver has stopped at a single stop sign yet! Greek drivers are crazy.
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