Today We Hung Out Underground Most of the Day

When we last left off I was heading to the ferry that would take me and the rest of the group to Crete.  The Greek definition of ferry turned out to be very different that my image (I was picturing the Staten Island Ferry).  This was more like a Carnival Cruise Ship minus Kathie Lee Gifford.  This “ferry” had ten stories, cabins to sleep in, a casino, restaurants and a disco.  It was kind of weird.

During dinner we sadly watched the Germans destroy the Greeks in the Euro Cup…

We woke up at 5:30 am to get ready for the boat to dock and to watch the sun rise over the Mediterranean Sea.  

 Then we boarded our bus to head to Chania, Crete.

Map of Crete:  http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/europe/greece/crete/

 In Chania we went to Venizelos Tomb, which was to honor a native of Crete who helped lead the fight for independence against the Turks.  Then we headed to Suda Bay which is a cemetery for Bristish, New Zeland and Australian soldiers who were killed in WWII when the Germans invaded Crete.  Some of the soldiers were actually archaeologists who saw the importance of keeping Crete out of the hands of the Germans.

Next we headed to Arkadi to visit a 17^th century monastery and church   However, on our way there our professor surprised us with a trip to a local olive oil factory where we learned about the olive oil making process and got to taste some fabulous oil!

Back to the monastery… The monastery is walled in so it also serves to protect the people in the surrounding villages.  When the Turks came into Crete and the town of Akadi, the villagers locked themselves behind the monastery walls.  The church has been storing weapons in the refinery (dining room) to defend themselves.  They soon realized they did not have enough weapons to win and so they changed tactics.  The priests went out to fight and then lured the Turks inside the walls.  They then led them to the refinery, where, in the ultimate sign of sacrifice, they people of Arkadi lit the gunpowder in the room, killing themselves and the Turkish soldiers.  Today there is a shrine with the remains of those killed in the blast.

Next we headed to the town of Eleutherna and we climbed down into two HUGE underground (flashlights necessary) cisterns where ancient people stored their water.  There we also saw a foot print which had been preserved under the floor of the cistern, meaning it was from as old as ancient Rome.  Then we walked into an underground corridor where the water would come through, and that was pretty cool.  We also went to some graves they are excavating and there were still some skulls and bones left in the tombs, waiting to be excavated.

                                                                From Inside of the Cistern 

For lunch we went to the town of Margarites.  I had goat (yum), some great tzaiki, fried saganaki cheese and dakos, which are kind of like bruschetta.  Then we headed to meet a local potter who still makes pots using styles that have been used since Mycenaean times.  He explained some of the tricks of pottery and then made a cup in front of us called the “Cup of Justice.”   The cups are used to make sure that no one is greedy when passing around wine.  If someone tries to take more than everyone else the cups empties itself.  It is believed that the cup was created by Pythagoras.

Finally we head to Melidoni to go into a CAVE!!!!  The cave has been inhabited since Neolithic times and inside is a shrine from the late-Minoan period.  There are inscriptions to the god Pan on the outside of the cave.

Pan information:    http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/Pan.html

When the cave was discovered there were so many pottery shards on the ground that you could barely walk.  There are still a lot today so as you walk you can stop and touch all the broken pottery on the ground.  This is the site of another sad example of the tolls of war.  In 1824 when the Turks came in the people of the town hid in the caves.  The Turks then threw fire into the cave, shut the entrance and suffocated the people of the village.  There is a shrine to them in the cave.  

There's also lots of guano in the cave... it was kind of gross.

Right now we’re driving along the northern coast of Crete and heading back to Chania to go swimming and get some sleep!!  

Addendum: we went to the beach.  The water was GREAT and the sunset was cool too.  We kept all of our stuff together to make sure no one robbed us... a dog peed on some of our stuff.... ugh.