Crete day two!

Of course I was up early. Between being excited and pregnant, there was no way I was sleeping in. I got up before Shawn and sat in the bed reading, listening to the rain. When Shawn woke up, we headed to breakfast and discussed what to do for the day. Originally, we ad planned on driving across the island to a gorge we could hike, but it was raining pretty hard and they were calling for rain on and off all day. We decided it would be better to head into the city and explore the museums and shops there... and we were on our way!

Heraklion (Iraklion) is the largest city and capital of Crete, fourth largest city in Greece, so was a great place to visit. It was an interesting mixture of modern Europe and ancient culture. We found a parking garage close to the water and first made our way to see the Venetian Fortress. As we headed down the road, storm clouds moved in and silly us were excited to see them. Of course it rained on us, but we still walked around the fort.

What is this? 

Fortress

At the hotel we had picked up a walking map of the city, with sites to see, so we decided to try to follow the walking path. We headed up the main road, filled with little souvenir shops. There were also these fish spas on every corner, where you stick your feet in a tank of fish and they nibble on your feet. They were all open and you could watch everyone do it. I didn't though!

We saw some historical sites such as Saint Titus church, the loggia (an old meeting hall), fountains, statues, and more. We found our way to a famous courtyard and into a small cafe for lunch. Once again, it was delicious. We also found our way into a local market, and walked through with the smell of bread and fish. Next, we made our way to the archaeological museum, as our tickets to the Knossos ruins also allowed us access to the museum. The museum was interesting, as we saw ancient artifacts, including items recovered from the palace.

St. Titus

Loggia

Square

Shawn's lamb

My Greek salad

Museum 

After the museum, we were greeted by pouring rain as we found the exit. Shawn bought me a nice Greece hoodie, and off we went. As we began to walk again, we found another entrance to the museum with a statue room, and so hopped in there. We were really glad we did! Shawn and I have been reading a series lately that I got into by my students last year. The first set focused on Greek gods and the second on Roman, so we have been learning a lot about the history of the country as well as the legends. It was nice to see many statues depicting the legends we had been reading about, as well as busts of famous people through history we had read about in other books.

We headed out, and were still greeted by the rain, so sat on a bench and enjoyed some Greek chocolate. As the rain lightened up, we bought an umbrella and headed along to continue our adventure. We wound up in a nice park, walking along the old Venetian walls and the bastions. Along the way the map got a little confusing and we were not sure which way to go. As we tried to find our way to a famous grave site, the rain came again in full force. We found our selves under a bridge that used to be one of the gates to the city, a little soaked, but enjoying our crazy adventure. We tried to find the grave site, but decided it wasn't that big of a deal, and headed back towards the car in the rain. Along the way, we passed through the market again, and Shawn bought me a beautiful pendant of the goddess Athena. We also decided to stop and eat dinner, and ended up in a nice patio area under a cover from the rain. The funny part of the story was when I tried to order a virgin drink. In Al Ain, you can't get any alcohol unless you go to a hotel, so virgin drinks are everywhere. A little different in Greece. The guy kept trying to tell me which beverages were good. I finally had to scoot my chair back and show him my pregnant belly. He was very sorry, and got me a nice alcohol free cocktail.

After dinner, we found our car and headed back to the hotel. We dried off and changed, before heading to the lobby. I really wanted a hot shower, yet because the water is heated by the sun on the roof and there was no sun that day, no hot water. In the lobby I chatted with my mom, and the owner of the hotel served us some yummy tzatziki. We also played some cards before heading to bed, tired but excited about more adventures ahead.

Our hotel cat. This cat lives at the hotel. The owner said he was there when he bought the place. This cat followed us everywhere: breakfast, patio, lobby, etc... Here he sat on the couch with us in the lobby for awhile.