wikipedia pic
wikipedia pic
Phaestos is a Minoan Palace, and proclaimed as a more intimate experience than Knossos. We visited Knossos later, and that is indeed extremely true.
Wikipedia: Phaistos was inhabited from about 4000 BC.[10] A palace, dating from the Middle Bronze Age, was destroyed by an earthquake during the Late Bronze Age. Knossos along with other Minoan sites was destroyed at that time. The palace was rebuilt toward the end of the Late Bronze Age.
I'm looking thru my pictures and realizing I didn't take a picture of one of my favorite details. I must have been so jetlag tired that I didn't think to capture it. In the auditorium section of the palace, there was one spot that had a big swirl etched into the stone. I remember commenting, maybe this is the place where the king sits or something: Like the best acoustical spot or something. And I have since wondered what that swirl means. In searching online for it, I found and remembered the Phaistos Disc, which is quite famous and important. Its supposed to be currently residing in the Heraklion Museum, which we visited later, but we didn't see it. Perhaps it was on loan, or we simply just overlooked it. That museum was packed with SO MUCH STUFF. Anyway, here's what the swirl looked like, and also here's the Phaistos Disc.
Wikipedia: Its purpose and meaning, and even its original geographical place of manufacture, remain disputed, making it one of the most famous mysteries of archaeology.
The disc was discovered in 1908 by the Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier in the Minoan palace-site of Phaistos, and features 241 tokens, comprising 45 distinct signs, which were apparently made by pressing hieroglyphic "seals" into a disc of soft clay, in a clockwise sequence spiraling toward the center of the disk.
internet pic
wikipedia pic
Funny story:
We were looking down into this hole at an impressively large grecian urn, and Chris was bending over it, I think trying to take a picture. Well, his reading glasses, the rx ones with special lenses, fell out of his pocket into the hole. Oh no. So we are trying to figure out how to retrieve his glasses. I unhook one side of my purse strap and hand it to him. Chris very meticulously and carefully is trying to hook the glasses with my purse strap hook and retrieve them from the hole. Then a site worker comes over and inquires suspiciously about our activities. She says its ok if Chris climbs down into the hole to get them. We insist that we just wanted to not break any rules and there was nothing suspicious happening here! Well, Chris comments, "I'm sure this happens all the time. haha." She, deadpan, says "No, you are the first one." Chris responds, "What!? I'm the first one in THREE THOUSAND YEARS to drop something down this hole." And she responds, also deadpan, "Well, actually, the children do." And then she finally smiles. The Greeks. They've Got Jokes. Meanwhile, Brent and Julia were up the hill a little ways and looking at us, wondering what trouble we've gotten into already, on our first day in Greece.
After Phaestos, we headed to Rethymno where we were going to lay our heads for the night. Checked into our hotel, where they charmingly left out an envelope with our names on it and the key inside because the manager had already gone home for the evening.
internet pic
photo credit: Chris
We got cleaned up and headed out to dinner, a place called Raki Ba Raki, that Brent was super excited to revisit. Boy, was he right. It was delicious. They are known for having awesome Meze (appetizers) and we ordered plates and plates of yummies and just shared everything. This was the format for most of our meals throughout the trip. It was super charming, and our waiter was really nice. This was where we experienced fully what greek dining is like. You sit and eat and drink and be merry, and they aren't trying to shoo you out and flip the table to make more money. And the tradition on Crete is that after dinner they bring you complimentary dessert (of which we got two rounds of at Raki Ba Raki), and also the traditional after-dinner shots of Raki.
Wikipedia: Raki is a sweetened, often anise-flavoured, alcoholic drink that is popular in Albania, Turkic countries, Turkey, Greek Islands and in the Balkan countries as an apéritif. It is often served with seafood or meze. It is comparable to several other alcoholic beverages available around the Mediterranean and the Middle East, e.g. pastis, ouzo, sambuca, arak and aguardiente.
In Crete tsikoudia is a pomace brandy that is sometimes called rakı but made from grapes. It is used to make rakomelo, which is flavored with honey and cinnamon. Rakomelo is served warm during winter months.
(I wanted to try Rakomelo, but didn't get a chance. However, since we brought home some raki of our own, I can try to make it at home!)
When you drink the raki, you cheers with your companions and say "Yamas!" Yamas basically means "cheers", but also "to your health".
photo credit: Chris
photo credit: Chris
photo credit: Chris
All the delicious meze.
Mountain tea.
A Cretan specialty.
https://www.completely-crete.com/greek-mountain-tea.html
The plant and flowers that form Greek Mountain Tea, grow wild on the Greek Island of Crete, and the tea is drunk as part of the world renowned Cretan Diet, promoting good health and long life. The plant grows wild on the mountainside throughout Crete, including the White Mountains area in Chania.
dessert & raki
Julia-Goolia
photo credit: Chris
photo credit: Chris
photo credit: Brent
After dinner, we walked around Rethymno. Its a traditional harbor of Venetian buildings, similar to Chania (which we visit later). There's an impressive Venetian castle called the Fortezza, which I don't think we saw. Again, like most places we saw, I wish we had spent more time here. It was a beautiful place.
Then I headed straight to bed. Holy cow, was I tired.
I slept really hard, but not so hard that I didn't wake up in the middle of the night when some drunk Russians were arguing outside our balcony. This was the day of the European election. While walking around town, I noticed several places that had their TV's on the news, and residences with families gathered around open doors also watching their news stations.
What a charming place. More, To be Continued.
In other news, I turn 37 tomorrow! Its a significant number, because I was diagnosed with the big C when I was 32. Its common knowledge that if you are cancer free for 5 years, then you are in "remission". Those words have never been spoken to me....the remission words. So I don't think my doctors really use this as a milestone, and I tend to agree with them. Because, what I've come to know about, especially this country (happy birthday america) but not only here.... I just feel much better about European health & food standards than I do our own. We are being assaulted by carcinogens EVERYWHERE! Dear humans, we ALL have cancer. Healthy people just have the situation under control. Their livers and whatnot are keeping up with the toxic load. And those of us that are diagnosed had a breakdown somewhere along the line, and the cancer cells got out of control. Its my goal to do every single little thing in my control to lessen my toxic load. Every single thing means one thing at a time, admittedly. But its a constant progression of changes. It never leaves my mind.
So instead I will think of this milestone of 37 years on this planet as No Evidence of Disease for 5 years. Plus, I might be off of this tamoxifen in the next year or so. (unclear if I'm taking it for 5 years or 10. The research says both 5 years and 10 years. My medical chart says "5 years, maybe longer". Not sure when that conversation happens.....)
Also, I remember reading on the internet about other women navigating thru their journey, and also seeing them document their lives afterward. Seeing the pictures of their hair growth, the job changes, the vacations they were going on. And I thought to myself, "I'm going to be one of them. You've got this! You will get thru to the other side." And I have!! I've got the long hair that I put into a messy braid almost everyday. That was the big thing I missed about my hair. Being able to braid it, even though I don't have any fancy braiding skills. And, sure enough, I went thru job changes, as well. And I've gone on super awesome fun vacations, a symbol of my returned zest and vitality for the world (<--though more challenging to navigate. I'm not young anymore!) We've done Las Vegas, Florida & the Keys, little get-aways, and GREECE <---- One of my bucket list places. We are already brainstorming ideas for our next trip. Two years from now?
Yamas! to my continued and long-standing health! #surviving&thriving
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