Palace of Knossos 8 Oct

Another hot day in Heraklion. We grabbed a coffee at Starbucks as it was on our way and got the Hop on bus to Knossos. This archeological site is on the outskirts of the city and the parking lot is full of cars and tour buses already at 10 am. We must see the cradle of European civilization also and line up with throngs of people to pay the 15 E admission.

Built about 1700 BC although earlier settlements here go back 6000 years - this is generally accepted as Europe's oldest city.
The sophisticated layout includes storage facilities for grain, wine and olive oil. There was a system of indoor plumbing and water management.
The site covers about 8 acres of land. It is the legendary home of Minos and the Minotaur (half man half bull).
The amount of tourists pouring through the gates is astounding. Cruise ships dock at Heraklion. Lots of stairs and uneven ground, not that handicapped accessible. Good thing I came now and have my son to hang onto for stability.
You cannot come to Crete and miss out on Knossos - so much history in this Minoan city.
The Palace of Knossos covers an area of about 20,000 square meters and features a complex layout of interconnected rooms, corridors, and courtyards.
The architecture exhibits advanced engineering techniques, including multi-story buildings, large open spaces, and an intricate ventilation and drainage system.
The palace underwent significant destruction around 1450 BC, likely by earthquakes. It was rebuilt and continued to serve as an important site until around 1375 BC, when it was abandoned. Just why continues to be debated.
We took the Hop on bus to the old town and enjoyed lunch on a shady patio. We shared a giant bowl of Greek Salad and a ham and cheese crepe. A really big lunch with drinks and tip for 20 E

We thought we would take the hop on bus out to a beach but it is never seemingly on time and we worried about getting stranded so instead got off at our stop and spent an hour on the rocky beach. Jeff swam in the Mediterranean and I sat on a rocky ledge and dangled my feet in the water. We could see the Archeological Museum and the old Venetian Fortress, amazing. There were about a dozen other people swimming, this is not a proper beach but there was a little strip of sand which Jeff used but I couldn't get to because of the rocks. As it was it was an exercise in physics getting up from the ledge which was on a slope - this would have been hilarious to watch, it took me 5 minutes to figure out how to get myself up. Jeff says he'll pull me up but I know that won't work. I have to somehow get on my knees on these sharp rough rocks and push myself up that way. I had to pad my knees with my socks - well it would have looked pretty funny also pathetic.
I wish I had taken a picture of Jeff swimming it was such an iconic spot.
I read that Knossos is getting over 5000 visitors every day (totally believable and likely more given the huge crowd today) so that's close to 113000 Cdn in ticket sales per day plus they have a separate archeological museum with a separate admission (in Herakulon) we didn't go as the crowds are daunting but we are glad we shuffled through Knossos today!!