Havana - Cuba March 2016

Getting the visa for Cuba at Mexico City Airport wasn’t as easy as I had been told. Eventually it was obtained and we boarded our flight to Havana. We were met at the airport taken to our hotel and was told Rita from the tour company would meet us the next morning with our itinerary etc. We were on an Art Tour which ended with just the two of us being the only participants, which meant we didn’t have an artist with us the whole time. We didn’t mind.

That evening we walked into the city as far as the coast. Stopped on the way back for a drink.

Our guide Renee picked us up at 9.00 am, Rita didn’t appear, so no itinerary. I managed to persuade Renee to let us look at the one he had.

We were taken to many places and given extensive explanations, much of which was superfluous and were whizzed past places without an opportunity to look inside. Old Havana looked great and we would have loved to just wander the streets on our own.

We had a large lunch at La Bodeguita Del Medio a bar now famous as Ernest Hemingway frequented it. There was a crush of tourists outside. We entered then up a fight of narrow stairs. The meal was OK a mosquito drink was complementary, though not that great. I suspect churned out for the tourists. It was interesting to visit the bar but would have been better to eat elsewhere.

'Hemingway's Bar'

After lunch we did sketching with our artist Carlos. I’m afraid we were probably the less serious and more amateurish ‘artists’ he’s ever had. We promised to do a few sketches before we met the following day.

Dinner at the hotel was less than ordinary and they didn’t have any of the drinks we ordered that were displayed on the menu. I suspect they never had them.

The next day, Sunday started with Carlos and again we did minimal sketching. Then we went off for a coffee and had a great conversation with him after which he took us to some interesting small galleries where we met the artists. He proved to be a more interesting guide than Renee who was rather pompous and didn’t listen to us at all.

Cathedral Square

We met Renee around 12.00 and went to lunch at what I call a ‘food barn’ which is set up for large group tours. The food was rather ordinary to say the least though it so purported to be traditional Cuban cuisine, if so, considering the influences of the Spanish, French and African it proved rather disappointing compared to Mexico.

Though a factor impacting on the limitations in variety of food would be the embargo by America and poor economic situation but that doesn’t excuse lack of imagination and flavor of the dishes.

After lunch we went to the amazing home of Jose Rodriguez Fuster who devoted his life and art to the memory of Antoni Gaudi. He not only turned his home into a work of art but engaged the whole community in his vision.

Memorial for Gaudi

We asked to be dropped off at the old city and enjoyed our free time after I tried to re-organise the next day so we didn’t waste the whole day on a couple of things. Renee eventually came around to our way though it had to come out as though it was HIS idea.

Monday up early, regular breakfast spread, cereal consists of coco pops, choco-loops and fruit loops, plenty of cooked fare, terrible tasting juice, cold meats and cheese, fresh fruit, toast and cakes. They haven’t learnt bread making from the French that’s for sure.

Rita turned up only after we phoned yesterday to insist that she comes with copies of the itinerary and discuss it with us. After that we were dropped off in old Havana which was great. Disappointingly museums were closed as it was Monday.

We were then picked up around lunchtime to go to Cojuna on the coast. There was a small fort plus a memorial to Hemingway put there by the fishermen, who melted some of their anchors to make it. He had been their friend and memorialized them in his book Old Man and the Sea.

We had another big lunch which was surprisingly tasty fish soup, paella, rice pudding (a lot of rice!) after tis we went to Ernest Hemingway’s house, which was really delightful, despite the animal head trophies on the walls. A ‘writer’s retreat’ room in a tower with telescope, empty swimming pool, his boat ‘Pilar’ and his dog cemetery gave us an interesting insight into Hemingway.

Computer access is difficult in Cuba and though our hotel had computers and Wi-Fi we couldn’t use it without a card which they didn’t have to sell us.

We went out later for dinner and walked down the road we went along the first night Calle 23. We came across an Iranian restaurant ‘Topoly’ we had a very tasty vegetarian meal, we had been a bit vegetable deprived so really relished our dinner.

Tuesday our last day in Havana, we were picked up a bit later and went to Parque Centrale along the Paseo de Marti which is similar to the Ramblas in Barcelona.  Many interesting surrounding buildings were pointed out and how it was the famous theatre, restaurant and hotel area before the revolution.

We were shown a couple of beautiful Art Deco buildings which were in surprisingly good condition, there are many beautiful buildings in Havana which have been left to deteriorate and many are derelict. Only recently has restoration of these has been happening in earnest.

One of the Art Deco buildings

We visited the Museo Nacional de belle Artes which features the works of Cuban artists from colonial times to the present day. It was fascinating to see the progression of styles and influences from major European eras. It was great having Carlos with us to give further insight into the Cuban artistic tradition.

Lunch was in a small restaurant, and proved really pleasant both ambience and food, unlike the ‘food barns’ we had endured previously.

We then went to the art school where Carlos teaches. It was an enlightening tour of various classes and seeing the students’ works at various year levels, very sobering considering our meagre effort. We were relieved we could opt out of exhibiting our now quite ‘non-existent’ work.

Carlos with some of his art works

Dinner was to be provided and with no other information assumed it was at the hotel but it seemed there was no voucher (which eventually was sorted out). With various difficulties and muck ups, I dubbed Cuba – ‘China of the Caribbean’ and anyone who has been to China and had a number of dealings with organisations there will understand what I mean.

Next Vinales.

Merida- Mexico February 2016

After a 30 hour journey I awoke early and bleary eyed on my first day. My accommodation was the Hotel Reforma just around the corner from the main square. Off I went to explore the area. The cathedral dominates the square though it has a plain interior unlike Spanish churches which would have influenced the churches here. The acoustics are incredible and when the organ was playing it sound rich and grand. I discovered later that during the Mexican Revolution that Salvardo Alvarao Rubio then a soldier and later the governor of Yucatan made many sweeping changes for the betterment of the peasants and Mayans. He believed that religious fanaticism and loyalty to the church was harmful and hampered development of a modern society. He closed the churches and confiscated icons and relics. Which explains the plainness of the cathedral. Casa de Montejo built in 1549 is on the south side of the main square. It originally house soldiers but was soon converted into a mansion for the Montejo family, the conquistador Francisco Montejo came here in 1541. The mansion stayed in the Montejo family until 1970 and now houses a bank and museum. On the façade of this building conquistadors with halberds stand on the heads of ‘generic’ barbarians (though not Mayans) one can’t escape the association.

Façade of Montejo Mansion

Merida was founded on the abandoned Mayan city of T’HO. The stones from the surrounding Mayan pyramids were used to build the cathedral and other public buildings and churches. I returned to the hotel in the afternoon for a siesta as I was still tired from my journey. Met a German woman on the balcony and we decided to have dinner together that night. After dinner we went to the cultural show in the square, a Mayan ball game with the ball on fire. The next day I went on a small group tour to Chichen Itza. I was the only English speaker of the group, though there was a German on board who spoke both Spanish and English which helped. When we arrived I was split off to go with a group who had an English speaking guide. Chichen Itza is well worth a visit and the information provided was fascinating the Mayans had ceremonies that involved blood-letting but human sacrifice started through the Toltec’s influence.

Chichen Itza

We visited a Cenotes which is a pool which is part of an underground river system. I was very inviting and we could swim there unbeknown to me because I didn’t become prepared to do so. We had a meal around 4.00 pm so when we arrived back in Merida at 6.30 I was feeling tired and not hungry. I rested then went out for a coffee and cake. The police band was playing in the Grande Plaza and the infectious Mexican music had my hips swaying. There was a cultural show later but I was very tired and returned to my room. The following day was Sunday and there were market stalls in the main plaza as well as in the other smaller town squares. More catchy, danceable Mexican music was playing with many people listening and dancing.

I walked to the Archeological Museum situated on the magnificent wide boulevard Paseo de Montjo, it is in a magnificent building and housed a fabulous collection of Mayan artefacts, many in excellent condition. I found a nice café for lunch, which served sandwiches, unfortunately all the tables were taken but there was just one guy at one of them and asked if I could share. It turned out to be great as I had a very interesting conversation with him. By the time I started back to my hotel it was the hottest part of the day, so I went back to have a shower and rest. I went out for dinner to the Chaya Maya restaurant that had been recommended to me and it didn’t disappoint. As approached my hotel I heard a Mexican band playing in the square went to have a listen, a great crowd was gathered and dancing and I even managed to have a short dance with four other women, when the band wound up I went back to my hotel.

The next day I was on a trip to see the flamingos in Celestun. There were three of us in the group me, and a young Dutch couple. We saw hundreds of flamingos, which are the oldest species of birds. These beautiful, elegant birds colour comes from the organisms they eat. There were other water-birds, a few pelicans, small, dark grey and black a surprise from the large white ones I’ve seen in Australia, egrets and black kites riding the thermals. We also went the mangroves saw a couple of crocodiles and giant black termite mounds on the trees. We had a tasty fish lunch over talking to the Dutch couple Astrid and Erik it was revealed that Astrid’s parents had been killed in the Malaysian flight MH17 that had been shot down over the Ukraine. Such a tragedy which revealed she was still struggling with, which I could fully understand. We were given time to go for a swim in the ocean, I hadn’t brought my bathers but it wasn’t a problem as the wind was very cold and no one wanted to go for a swim.

Flamingos at Celestun

The evening cultural show back at Merida featured Mexican dancing which was very enjoyable. In Merida every night there is a cultural show and it’s not just for the tourists and there a four theatres around the town, one being a beautiful art-deco building.

There is a free guided city walk everyday even though I had explored the main area of the town I thought it I could learn more about the history. It was well worth doing. In the afternoon after the guided city walk I took a tour for the Light and Sound show at Uxmal another Mayan ruin. It is not as large or as commercial as Chichen Itza but still worth a visit with or without the show. Unfortunately for us for some unknown reason there was no English translation of the show. Our guide gave us the gist of what was being in said in the ‘sound’ part. The lights with the sound was very atmospheric and I could work out what was happening from the earlier explanation. What was amazing was watching the sky. Without the lights a mass of stars were visible but when the light show was on just about all of them ‘disappeared’.

On my last full day in Merida I took a mini bus to Izamal a small town of around 35,000 people about 70kms from Merida. An enormous Franciscan Convent dominates the town. There are also many craft workshops in the town but they were hard to find so gave up looking. There was one Mayan pyramid close by and the small but enjoyable Museum of Arts and Crafts I visited. The Mexicans really love the macabre with sculptures of the skeletons wedding. There are many references in art and souvenirs of skulls and skeletons. After lunch I returned to Merida.

Franciscan Convent Izamal

The mini buses work on the same principal as buses in China, they leave when they are full. On return I went to the Sherberteria de Colon which was recommended and had a very refreshing and fruity strawberry sorbet. My last night after wandering around ended up at dinner at Los 2 Toros restaurant near my hotel. I wasn’t flying out of Merida until late afternoon so had time to catch up on a few places and maybe buy some souvenirs.

I again looked for the City Museum but just found a building which looked abandoned with no information on the door. As it was near the Yucatan Artisans Museum I went there and it was a much larger version of the one in Izamal with very informative information sheets. I met a French woman there and we ended up having a coffee together and chatted for quite a while. I showed her the way to the cathedral, then went to lunch. Then wandered around for ages bought nothing, went back to the hotel, then to the airport and arrived in Mexico City at 7.30 pm.

Walking the Camino de Santiago de Compestela Day 1

We arrived in Sarria after nearly 40 hours travelling which included stopovers and didn't arrive in Sarria until around 7 pm, we were so thankful that we were having 2 nights there.
We explored the old town which included a couple of churches and an ex monastery now na auberge.

After a quiet day and a second night sleep we were ready for our first walking day which we started full optimism. We climbed the strap steps out of the town and followed the yellow arrows along many woodland tracks and gravel pathways. Where the paths climbed steadily we were slowed down somewhat. After 9km we stopped at Peruscallo for a drink and a short sit down.

The countryside is interesting with many little dairy farms from which much of the special local cheese is made. Many of the village buildings are simple stone structures. Most villages had little chapels with equally tiny graveyards.

Our lunch stop was 4kms further on at Ferreiros revived us but my feet were getting sore. We plodded onto Portomarin without a break. It is a small town with a cobbled stoned main street surrounded by stone colonnades.

There is a rather austere Romanesque fortress church that dominates the town square. It was built as both a place of worship and for defence and has 4 defensive towers and battlements. The interior church is quite simple and typical of the Romanesque style.

An early dinner as we were tired and wanted to have a good night's sleep so we would be refreshed for our next day's walk . Our first day we were able to complete the 22kms without too much trouble.

Taste of Japan: Hakone & Takayama

Second Bite:

We had an easy train trip to Hakone and on arrival were encouraged to buy a two day Hakone pass. We bought one each not thinking we would get great value from it, but it turned out to be worth it.

First use for our pass was the bus trip to our accommodation. We had booked a Ryokan, not top draw but it was OK. We were lucky to get directions as to where to get off. It seemed in the middle of nowhere but we soon found it just off the main road and conveniently located to the bus stop.

Mt.Fuji from Lake Ashi

We booked in then caught the bus to Moto Hakone town which is situated on the picturesque Lake Ashi, which from one location you can just see Mount Fuji peaking over the mountains in the distance.

We had lunch, then took returned boat trip across the lake (Hakone pass) then went to the delightful Narukawa Museum of Art. There was an exhibition modern Japanese painting as well the interesting kaleidoscope display. The coffee shop provides a wonderful view over the lake. After some refreshment we then walked along the cedar path.

It was getting late-ish and as we hadn’t ordered dinner at our accommodation we looked for a place to eat. All the eateries we saw around lunchtime were closed. We finally found a funny little place some sort of steak café. I was sure there was something else around but not knowing where to look we decided to eat there. Obviously it was a pretty ordinary meal. When we finished and left the placed closed.

Back to our ryokan and we had booked a private onsen, which proved to be very relaxing.

Jinja Shrine Hakone

Next day we set out again for Moto Hakone first we walked to the Jinja Shrine via a tree lined path around the lake. We walked up to the shrine Sametomo Minamoto prayed for victory here and he must have been successful as a statue to him has been erected. We walked down to the water’s edge where the shrine’s signature red torii rises from the lake.

Then back on the boat to cross the lake onto to ropeway (cable car) to Owakudani is a volcanic cauldron of steam, hot pools and strange smells. We walked along the various walkways, but the gaseous smells were quite overpowering, as well as being poisonous. A black egg was a must, actually you have to buy 5, they are normal chicken eggs cook in one of the hot pools and the chemicals in them turn the shells

Owakudani

black. They are just boiled eggs!

From here we took the cable car to Hakone Open Air Museum. This is a wonderful and surprising place with an impressive array of 19th and 20th century sculptures which include works by Henry Moore, Rodin and Miro. There is also an excellent Picasso Pavilion. It is certainly well worth the visit as there is much to see. It was getting late but we decided to go to Miyanoshita as they

Hakone Open air Museum

have a number of antique shops there. Unfortunately by the time we arrived they had all closed, in fact it is quite a small town and everything was closed, however Japan’s finest Western-heritage hotel, the Fujiya Hotel is there. It opened in 1878 and has played host to some famous people. It is very elegant but we were a bit late for afternoon tea so went to the bar for a drink. Lucky for us it was happy hour. After our drink we decided to look for a place to eat. Actually could see very little on offering in the main areas of the town so treated ourselves to dinner. We then caught the bus back to our accommodation.

We left early and caught the bus back to the station to catch the train to Takayama.

Our hotel was across the road from the station, which was great. Then we went to explore the town which has retained its traditional charm. Its present layout dates from the 17th century and there are a huge museums, galleries and temples, too many to do justice to in such a brief visit.

Our first stop was Hida Kokubun-ji was originally Takayama’s oldest temple which was constructed in the 8th century. This was later destroyed by fire and the oldest present building dates from the 16th century. In the courtyard there is a three-storey pagoda and a very impressive old gingko tree 1,200 years old. We wandered in and out of the interesting ‘old’ streets. There are quite a few sake breweries in the town.

Typical Takayama street

That night we decided to go to a Hida beef restaurant, the beef is like waygu as it marbled. On our way there I managed to trip over, and not only hurt my dignity but my hand. I had blood pouring from my finger. We were passing a pharmacy so popped in to get some band aids. Not only did I get those but the chemist bathed my hand, applied antiseptic cream and attached the band aids. I was most impressed.

The meal turned out to very enjoyable. There are many Hida beef restaurants to choose from and suspect they’re all much the same.

The next day we went the morning market a mixture of produce and crafts, markets like this are always interesting. We then wandered to the hill behind the town to what we thought was Teramachi & Shiroyama-koen where there is a marked walking path, unfortunately we lost our way, but found some interesting shrines behind which was the cemetery.

We returned to town and stopped to have a coffee at Tsutaya Café, a wonderful little coffee shop which had old vinyl records, reel to reel tapes and played wonderful old jazz. Coffee was served in quality china cups. It is run by a husband and wife and also sells leather goods made by the man. Altogether a really it is delightful place to relax and a drink coffee or tea.

After refreshments we went Takayama Museum of History and Art which has 14 themed exhibition rooms relating to local history, culture, literature and the arts. No all exhibits have English labels but overall it is very informative.

Hida Folk Village

Then out to the Hida Folk Village, I hoped they would have an eatery within the precincts but I was wrong. It is worth visiting as it features dozens of traditional houses and buildings as well the demonstration of traditional crafts. We left here very hungry and we decided to walk back to town, again I was sure we would find a place to eat. We eventually came to the Hida Takayama Museum of Art. We had a good lunch at the rather ritzy Mackintosh Café and then decided to view the absolutely amazing art deco collection housed there, wonderful glassware and furniture

One display in Art Deco Museum

which include a magnificent glass fountain designed by Lalique.

We continued our journey back to town and quite surprisingly offered a lift by an Indian who was involved in selling heavy machinery in Japan. Dinner that night was sushi in a wonderful little sushi bar not far from our hotel.

Next stop Kyoto.

A Taste of Japan - Tokyo

First Bite

An almost spur of the moment decision I decided we would have a short trip approximately 2½ weeks in Japan. I researched what was possible to do in that time without just jumping from place to place trying to see too much. A friend gave me an itinerary which she and her husband had followed earlier in the year, she had gone for a similar time but I was sure that we wouldn’t be able to do all they did; it just seemed too full on.

We arrived in Tokyo early afternoon, we had no trouble negotiating the train into the city and were in luck as our accommodation Tokyo City Hotel was on the Yamanote line, we got out at Shin Okubo station and across the road to the left was our hotel, very convenient. However by the time we arrived it was early evening so we just walked around our area which has been dubbed ‘Korean Town.’ We looked for a place to eat, there were many to choose from and most had plastic samples of the dishes on display which made the decision easier. After dinner we walked back to our room, on the way we bought some supplies for breakfast.



Ema -votive tablets



The next day we were quiet refreshed and ready to explore the city. We first went to the Meiji Shrine which is dedicated to the Meiji Emperor (1868-1912) and his consort Shoken. It is a typical example of understated Shinto architecture. Unfortunately the original was destroyed in an air raid in 1945 but the reconstruction is exactly like the original. The ema (votive tablets) are still popular today where people write petitions or gratitude on them. It is a very peaceful and beautiful place to wander around.

From here we made our way to Ueno Park, all made easy bywhizzing around on the subway system which is very easy to negotiate. We discovered the delightful Peony Garden, with the most magnificent display of peonies some which didn’t look real and others with blooms protected by umbrellas. From here it led into the Toshogu Shrine and Kara-mon Gate, this is very ornately decorated not unlike some Chinese Temples. The shrine is dedicated to the memory of the first shogun, Ieyasu. The rows of copper and stone lanterns which lead to the shrine were donated by warlords eager to curry favour.

A beautiful Peony

We planned to go to the National Museum but unfortunately it was closed for the day, though it was meant to be open. We had a delightful lunch at one of the garden restaurants then jumped on a train to Asakusa to go to the Senso-ji Temple. The temple has been rebuilt many times since its founding in 628 and is the oldest temple site in Tokyo. The Kaminari-mon Gate is flanked by two gods, Fujin and Raijin. It is a very lively place with many people coming to pray. The two giant sandals hang on the walls of the Hozomon Treasury Gate are made for deities with feet of mythic size and they also symbolize the traditional footwear of the Buddhist pilgrim. On the street in front of the main gate are market stalls selling souvenirs and food. It’s a good place to buy gifts as well as the arcades which run off from this area.

There was a small Craft Museum in the area which we eventually found which was quite interesting. There were plenty of places to eat around this area so we had dinner here.

Sushi Bar near Fish Market

We didn’t get up at 5.00 am to go to the Tsukiji Fish Market, but we did arrive at a reasonable time considering it was across town from where we were staying. All very interesting plus our sushi breakfast in a little hole in the wall place. We looked around the general market then walked back towards Ginza. We were passing the Kabuki Theatre and decided to check out if we could see one act (1 hour) with English translation. We were in luck we could get in straight away (standing room only). Kabuki is a very stylized form of theatre. Originally the women’s roles were performed by prostitutes, and then young men took the roles but due to the bawdiness of the plays and various goings on the roles had to be taken by men of a certain age. Kabuki is still performed by males and now young men take the female roles. The act we watched was humorous and quite bawdy. It was definitely worth seeing.

We had lunch then off to the Imperial Gardens which were beautifully laid. There is a craft shop around the area, but could we find, no. We wandered around and ended up in the area of a number of beautiful government buildings.

Our big expedition was to Nikko a place of temples, religious art, sacred store houses and tombs. We went to the tourist information bureau to get a map and were given two paper cranes, a lovely gesture. We then caught the bus to the start of the temple area, as we got off it bucketed down with rain; our umbrellas were sitting comfortably in our hotel room. Across the road was a shop and restaurant. We bought 2 umbrellas had a bite to eat. As we left it had completely stopped raining and the sun was shining. Oh well we have the umbrellas now. We paid to cross the Shinkyō (Sacred Bridge). It was constructed in its present form in 1636. Except on special religious events only the Emperor or members of his retinue could cross it. It was all very interesting but crossing doesn’t get one to the actual entrance so a bit of a rip off.

Shinkyo Bridge Nikko

We then followed the path up the hillside to where the temples and shrines were. There were some buildings under renovation so we could not enter but the ones we did were all very fascinating. It is definitely worth the visit. As we arrived around lunchtime we couldn’t do the whole area justice. However we were glad of our umbrellas as we left one of the temples as it bucketed down again and we would have been completely soaked. It was a good thing

Three Wise Monkeys -Nikko

we bought them before our meal rather than after.

When we returned to the town it was rather a sleepy hollow and was hard to find anything open, we eventually found a little coffee shop that barely looked open it had a gentile English décor, which seemed out of place. Duly refreshed we headed back to the station to catch our train.

The next day we went to the Tokyo National Museum it has a huge collection of Japanese art and antiquity. There is so much to see almost 3000 items at any one time. It is hard to absorb it all in one visit.

There is a market under Ueno rail lines but we thought it quite rubbishy really, just lots of clothing all much the same. We then walked to Yanaka, there is a famous cemetery there but the area itself was quite interesting. As we made our way to the station there were many food stalls lining the footpath inviting us to try their wares, which we did, very yummy.

The next day we were off to Hakone.

Tips for Independent Travel in China

 Always get the business card from your hotel as you can just show it to a taxi driver.

 Taxis are cheap always insist the driver uses the meter.

 Sometimes this doesn’t happen no matter how hard you insist. If you have travelled in a taxi previously you can sense what the prices can be so don’t accept the first and usually exorbitant price.

 Chinese do not line up for anything it is one mad scramble to get tickets, get on buses, just act like a ‘native’ and you won’t be left standing.

 Four and five star hotels are great places to get a free map of a city as well as other information from the concierge even if you are not staying there. Many are extremely helpful.

 China can be frustrating at times sometimes something that should be easy and straight forward is anything but.

 Patience is important and shouting gets one nowhere but I must admit it can be hard not to at times.

 It is always good to take a phrase book (I’ve used Lonely Planet’s) if you don’t speak Chinese fluently. Even using this can be fraught even though words and phrases have Chinese characters written next to the pinyin.

 People are generally very helpful and friendly but beware of the ‘Tea House’ scam. Someone or a couple befriends you. ‘We/ I just off to have some tea would you like to come?’ Then you can end up being left to pay an astronomical amount. (yes some tea is very expensive anyway – but this is a con).

 Always use bottled or boiled water to clean your teeth.

 Eat in places where there are crowds food turnover will be quick so there is less chance it’s been sitting around for a long time ‘gathering bugs.’

 China is relatively safe to travel independently just be cautious with your belongings in crowds as with anywhere you travel.



As with any travel go with an open mind, realize it will be very different and that everyone you have contact will not necessarily speak English. Then you enjoy your trip and have some amazing experiences.



Enjoy your trip.

Crete September 2013

We arrived a Pireaus without too much trouble, it definitely very busy around the port area. We needed to be directed to where we needed to pick up our tickets and once we crossed the extremely busy road found the Minoan Lines kiosk without any trouble. We were lucky as we didn’t have to wait too long to board, though the ferry was leaving at 9.00 pm.

It was all very organized when we were on board; we received our cabin keys and were taken down to its location. It was quite nice with the usual amenities. Once we settled in we went upstairs carefully noting the cabin’s location. The ferry was very large with a huge space for cars and trucks. We indulged ourselves at the best restaurant and had a delicious meal. I noted the ingredients of the ‘Minoan salad’ (mixed salad, pomegranate seeds, shaved parmesan, cherry tomatoes and balsamic vinegar) so easy to replicate at home.

We slept well, on waking we realized the engine had stopped so investigated by checking the corridor. There was a flurry of activity of passengers with their bags ready to disembark. There had been no announcement alerting passengers of our imminent arrival or even the fact we had arrived. We hurriedly showered and dressed and made our way to the exit. The sun hadn’t quite come up so it was quite dull. Not having much idea where our hotel was in relation to the port the only option was a taxi and luckily we did not have much trouble with this.

The Castello Hotel seemed a bit of a distance away; though early we could check in but leave our bags at reception and was able to have our breakfast there. The restaurant was very pleasant with a great view across the harbour.

We got ourselves a map of the city and set out to explore. The hotel was not central but it wasn’t too far to walk into the main part of town. We looked around then decided to go on the ‘Hop on, Hop off’ bus tour which gave us an overview of the places of interested, which included out to Knossos. We decided to visit there early in the morning to beat the hordes we saw on our arrival.

We went to the Historical Museum of Crete, though small was very informative. The sections include collections of artefacts from the long history of Crete as well as a section that features the Second World War involving the Battle for Crete, occupation and resistance.

The writer Nikos Kazantzakis writer of Zorba the Greek and many other novels is featured here, with a display of his study and extracts of some of the films from his novels. Lastly there is an Ethnographic collection, showing life and customs of the people.

Kazantzakis Study

After the museum we wandered down to the Venetian Koules Fortress, the Lion Gate, the old port and craft market. It was disappointing there was no access to the interior of the fort.

The next day we were up early to catch the bus to Knossos, when we arrived there wasn’t any lines to get in and though there were quite a few people there it wasn’t too crowded. It was one place I was really interested to visit as I had learnt about the discovery of Knossos when studying Greek history and about Sir Arthur Evans excavations and his interpretation of his findings and restorations of the ruins. I had recently read the book Mysteries of the Snake Goddess by Kenneth Lapatin which blew

Murals from Knossos

apart the previous interpretations. I have since discovered that there had been misgivings about the way Evans’ ideas for quite some time.

That said it didn’t take away the thrill of being of being amongst these ancient ruins of the Minoan civilization. We wandered around a number of times sucking in the atmosphere which can never be captured in photos. When we exited Knossos the number of people lining up to enter seemed endless.

Back into the city we went to the Archaeological Museum which

Concert by the Church

houses treasures from the Minoan civilization. We had a rather ordinary dinner but on our way back to the hotel we heard music we walked down a laneway into the courtyard of a church. A concert was taking place music and folk dancing. It was delightful; we hung around there for quite a while then continued on to our hotel.




View of Heraklion from Bar

Our last day in Crete we wandered to the port, taking in various landmarks and places of interested highlighted on our map. The weather was quite hot and after lunch we went back to the hotel for a respite from the heat. We indulged in another wander around the streets, had dinner and returned to the hotel, indulged in our complementary drink at the bar which had a great view of the harbour.

The next day we were leaving early for our trip home.