Heraklion

Since I've been somewhat lazy about sightseeing during my time in Crete, I figured I should do a little before I left. So I headed to Heraklion, the largest city in Crete, for some whirlwind speed-sightseeing. I made a stop at Knossos, an enormous Minoan palace, and probably the most famous site on Crete, and then headed to the archaeological museum. It was a bit of a shock going from a sleepy village to Knossos, one of the most, if not THE most touristy places on Crete. The site is huge and takes a long time to navigate, and the sun was beating down. I kept trying to jump in on tours, but they were inevitably in another language. My inability to speak any other language fluently has become a solid theme of this summer. Note to self: fix that.

One of the highlights for visitors must certainly be “The Hall of the Fresco Copies.” Thrilling. 

The central courtyard.

The site is famous for the excavations by Arthur Evans, who essentially created the romanticized notion of Minoan culture as we know it, but who also took great liberties in his reconstructions. While the placards at the site acknowledge this, and I even overheard people discussing the issue, it is still a bit tricky to discern the original material from the imagined. It remains a hot topic among archaeologists and conservators, as you might guess.