At Sea & Matala, Phaestos and Kommos, Crete
Poseidon, the God of the Sea, was smiling on us today; not only did he make the seas calm, he called upon his nephew, Apollo, to bring forth the sunshine which shone upon us in radiant fashion and bathed the island of Crete in soft spring light. Our morning at sea, while unexpected, was filled with interesting discourse, as Ambassador Marilyn McAfee provided us with a perceptive analysis of modern day Egypt and how this nation perceives its past and present roles in the current politics and economy of the Middle East.
After an early lunch we boarded our zodiacs and made for the tiny port of Matala where our buses awaited. It was only a short trip through the gently rolling countryside to the Minoan site of Phaestos. Dating to the middle of the Bronze Age, the palace of Phaestos is considered to be a hundred years older than great palace of Knossos. Located atop a small hill in the center of the fertile Mesara Plain, Phaestos commanded the approaches to the snow-topped mountains of the island’s interior. With the assistance of our local guides, we explored both the West Court and Central Plaza of the palace before becoming lost in a maze of storerooms still stuffed with giant pithoi and the workshops of the goldsmiths and pottery makers. Some of the guests took a different route choosing to opt for a photographic expedition of the site following our National Geographic photojournalist, Massimo Bassano, and staff photo expert, Stewart Aitchison. A carpet of olive and orange groves spread out below us, while clusters of poppies and assorted wildflowers emerged through every crack in the ancient pavements.
We returned to the Matala via the Minoan port of Kommos. Largely excavated over the past thirty years, this small harbor community was used by Minoan traders from 2,000 BC and later by Phoenician merchants, before becoming a small religious Greek sanctuary site during the Classical era. Each respective civilization left its unique mark amongst the sun bleached stones.
All too soon it was time to return to the National Geographic Explorer – but I know that I am not alone in feeling that the memories and fragrant smells of spring in Crete will linger much longer than this five-hour sojourn.
Poseidon, the God of the Sea, was smiling on us today; not only did he make the seas calm, he called upon his nephew, Apollo, to bring forth the sunshine which shone upon us in radiant fashion and bathed the island of Crete in soft spring light. Our morning at sea, while unexpected, was filled with interesting discourse, as Ambassador Marilyn McAfee provided us with a perceptive analysis of modern day Egypt and how this nation perceives its past and present roles in the current politics and economy of the Middle East.
After an early lunch we boarded our zodiacs and made for the tiny port of Matala where our buses awaited. It was only a short trip through the gently rolling countryside to the Minoan site of Phaestos. Dating to the middle of the Bronze Age, the palace of Phaestos is considered to be a hundred years older than great palace of Knossos. Located atop a small hill in the center of the fertile Mesara Plain, Phaestos commanded the approaches to the snow-topped mountains of the island’s interior. With the assistance of our local guides, we explored both the West Court and Central Plaza of the palace before becoming lost in a maze of storerooms still stuffed with giant pithoi and the workshops of the goldsmiths and pottery makers. Some of the guests took a different route choosing to opt for a photographic expedition of the site following our National Geographic photojournalist, Massimo Bassano, and staff photo expert, Stewart Aitchison. A carpet of olive and orange groves spread out below us, while clusters of poppies and assorted wildflowers emerged through every crack in the ancient pavements.
We returned to the Matala via the Minoan port of Kommos. Largely excavated over the past thirty years, this small harbor community was used by Minoan traders from 2,000 BC and later by Phoenician merchants, before becoming a small religious Greek sanctuary site during the Classical era. Each respective civilization left its unique mark amongst the sun bleached stones.
All too soon it was time to return to the National Geographic Explorer – but I know that I am not alone in feeling that the memories and fragrant smells of spring in Crete will linger much longer than this five-hour sojourn.
