Hello families, friends and fellow mythology enthusiasts!  From this point on in our blogging, we will be posting thoughts and stories from our fellow travelers in this group.  Below, you will hear from Aidan ('17) and Kalinda ('17):

In the past couple of days we have been very busy. We traveled around Heraklion on the Island of Crete, viewing and experiencing its wonderful land and culture. We ate at some authentic greek restaurants. We went to museums and archeological sites, learning about and enjoying the rich history that Crete had to offer. 

We visited the labrynthian palace of the infamous King Minos: Knossos. This was the supposed home of King Minos, his wife Pasiphaë, and the world-renowned Minotaur! The excavation was headed by Sir Arthur Evans from 1900-1903. He started with a 50 acre plot and since then not much more has been found due to the desire to maintain and protect the current site. Evans attempted to restore the palace and in the process created a "Disney-like" recreaction catering to tourists. He did this by creating concrete structures that mimicked what it would have looked like back in King Minos' time. Although this appeals to many tourists, it takes away from the original palace and actually impedes the forward restorations of it as the modifications are irreversable.

We planned to visit the palace of Phiastos but were unable to due to the VERY unexpected sleeting rain. After adjusting our itinerary a bit, we enjoyed the warm and dry Archeological Museum of Heraklion with the help of our friendly guide Lina. There we were able to see the many artifacts from the countless excavations from around the island, including the palaces we toured previously.  

After our presentation on Daedalus and Icarus, the group walked to the History Museum of Crete and had a small photo shoot with the most wonderful seaside background we have seen. We enjoyed a traditional Greek meal to wrap up our last night on the beautiful island of Crete, and now we are anxiously awaiting to board the overnight ferry to Athens where we will begin the next chapter of our journey.

Until next time,

Aidan and Kalinda