Journey through Ancient Greece

 

Bronze Age Crete

 

Tuesday 20th to Tuesday 27th April 2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bull leaper ivory, Iraklion museum

We will fly with Olympic from Heathrow at mid day on Tuesday to Athens and then catch a flight to Iráklion where Christos will meet us. We are staying 4 nights in the capital of the island, Iráklion, at the Hotel Atrion, and 3 nights in Ayios Nikólaos, at the Hermes Hotel. These are both excellent hotels in quiet locations but very close to tavernas and local sights. None of the journeys is long, the scenery is stunning and in spring the flowers are magnificent. We have found some lovely restaurants in both Iraklion and Ayios Nikólaos where we can sample traditional Cretan cooking.

Crete in the Bronze Age is the subject of much debate; the buildings excavated in the last century, older than anything on the mainland, were called palaces by the archaeologists but there is no evidence of kings in Crete; Minos may or may not have existed.

The harbour at Iraklion, close to our hotel

On Wednesday we will visit the best known of the Cretan Bronze Age sites, Knossós, the 'palace' excavated at the beginning of the twentieth century by Arthur Evans and controversially reconstructed by him. It was also he who coined the term Minoan.

Close to Knossós is Arhánes, scene of the daring capture of general Kreipe in World War II and where beneath the modern town are bronze age remains; here too is an excellent small museum containing a 4,500 years old sistrum, probably the world's oldest musical instrument.

Knossos

On Thursday we travel to the fertile agricultural plain of Mesara on the south coast where we will visit two important 15th century BC sites, Festós, the second largest of the palaces and Ayia Triada (right), possibly a summer 'palace'.

Weather permitting we will also go to Kommos, where the ruins of the ancient harbour town lie alongside a beach.

Friday will be spent in Iráklion to visit the museum which houses the stunning frescoes from Knossos, the painted sarcophagus from Ayia Triada, Karames pottery, the miniature house mosaics (see right) and many other treasures from bronze age and later Cretan civilisations.

There will also be time to visit the churches, fortress, market and other sights of the town.

On Saturday we leave Iraklion to visit the extensive Bronze Age palace complex at Mália. The first palace here was built around 1900 BC; the remains we see today (right) are of a replacement built around 1650 BC. It was here that the magnificent gold bee-pendant (below) was found.

We then continue to Ayios Nikólaos where we will stay at the 4 star Hermes Hotel, on the waterfront (there is a beach over the road and a sea water swimming pool on the roof)

On Sunday morning we will visit the town of Gourniá, where there are remains of seventy houses built on the side of a hill, on top of which is a small palace, built around 1500.

The afternoon will be spent in Ayios Nikólaos where the archaeological museum has a fine and well displayed collection of local finds including the Goddess of Mirtos, a jug from 2,500 BC, (right), a large number of clay larnakes (bath tubs / burial chests) painted with octopi, birds and fish and a wonderful grinning skull of an athlete.

On Monday we will visit the 4th century BC town of Lató dramatically set in the mountains (see right). Here there are a number of houses, an agora, a temple and other public buildings all of which were only excavated in the late 1960's.

We will stop for coffee in the traditional Cretan mountain village of Kritsa, where the locals now earn a living from handicrafts including embroidery and rug making.

We will then go to the former leper colony island of Spinalonga (a short boat trip from the village of Plaka).

We will have supper in a waterside taverna at Plaka overlooking Spinalonga.

Tuesday Fly home from Iraklion via Athens arriving Heathrow 1530

The cost per person sharing a twin or double room is Ł995; a single room costs Ł1,170 and includes scheduled day flights from Heathrow, 7 nights B&B en-suite hotel accommodation, comprehensive information about the sites and their history.

It does not include entrance to sites and museums or lunch and dinner for which you should allow about Ł250.

Please note: if airport taxes are increased substantially we will have to pass the cost on.

If you have any queries or you would like to reserve a place please contact

Mary Kehoe 07882694189 or maryekehoe47@yahoo.co.uk

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The tour is organised and accompanied by Mary Kehoe & Jane Maw Cornish. Travel to Greece with Olympic Airways is booked through Thornton's Travel (ABTA) & travel & accommodation in Greece is arranged as usual by Christos Patakis of Anassa Travel, Athens (with whom we have worked for 15 years).