My View from Mill Bay
Today, October 21st, is Trafalgar Day. The day back in 1805 when Admiral Horatio Nelson and the Royal Navy kicked the butt of the combined fleets of France and Spain during the Napoleonic wars. This victory ensured that the Royal Navy ruled the waves for the next 140 years. The victory also ensured that England would not be invaded by Napoleon’s Grande Armee.
Cross the “T” or line.
Santorini, or Thira, is a small island in the Greek Island archipelago. Its large and expansive harbour is surrounded by high cliffs and low lying hills. It is quite dramatic and is famous for its blindingly white washed houses that are covered by sea blue tiled roofs. What is not evident to the untrained eye or those not in the know is that its harbour is a cauldera for in about 1600 or 1500 BCE the island blue up with one of history’s most dramatic,explosive and dangerous volcanic eruptions. The magnitude of the blast was felt all over the known world at that time and is thought to have been responsible for the decline and ultimate end of the Minoan civilization on Crete.
Next post: Amsterdam 24 October.
Read ya later.
Last day here. Off to Santorini tomorrow for the weekend then fly to Amsterdam Monday. 😔 I can’t believe that this adventure and the Camino Compestella started way back 21 August, although I started my Camino training way back in February. I know, I look awful here. But you have to know that pilgrims have to suffer. We are not allowed to have fun and….no swearing…damn!
The second part of the adventure started when the Camino ended. I mean, why come all the way over here and not explore the area? So Dot met me in Lisbon 03 October and our adventure began as this blog attests to. And the blog serves a dual purpose. To entertain and inform you (hopefully) but also to serve as a journal and course of record for me. As you may or may not know I have written 4 books (see menu or top of the page), so these short snippets provide me with valuable resource material for my stories.
Heavenly intervention.
So today Dot and I are going to further explore Heraklion and visit their natural history museum, among other things.
It was a nice day. Returned the rental car, went to the bank then walked up to Liberty Square. From there we walked along the car free roads and alleyways all the way down to the old Venetian port. Stopped and had lunch at a place on the water before heading up to the natural history museum.
Spent about 2 hours in the museum, which was interesting and fun, as this photo shows.
Afterward we walked some more, killed some time and then had dinner at one of the cafes around freedom Square.
Nice final full day in Heraklion and Crete. Loved it here. Back to our hotel, pack and leave early tomorrow morning for Santorini by fast ferry.
Read ya later.
Drove to Crete’s south coast today. A distance of about 30 kilometers as the crow flies took over 4 hours to cover. What started out as a very slick beautiful highway morphed into weaving, rolling curves and cutouts over narrow and sometimes rough blacktop. After a few hours of maneuvering the car right then left, up and down across stark, barren but unbelievably incredible landscapes. I have never seen such rock formations, or deep and narrow gorges of huge proportions. This was coupled and broken by broad plains that are filled with olive groves and vineyards. You also see herds of goats and flocks of sheep on the slopes and cliff faces. The rocky mountains at home do not come close to the frightening and spectacular views that these formations afforded. I can tell you that after 3 hours of driving through this I was exhausted. This is a rugged and beautiful terrain.
I wasn’t able to take any pictures as my hands were locked on the wheel. Dot had to use pliers to unlock them. You will just have to visit Crete to experience this. My drive today was from Heraklion to the Frangocastelle area on the South Coast. When we left we drove to Rethymon.
Then lunch.
Read ya later. Pictures cannot do the area justice.
I am referring to the second world war but it is more than that. Crete has been under some form of occupation since 1350 BCE. The Greeks followed by the Roman’s, followed by the Saracens, Moors, Venetians , Ottomans and then finally the Germans. They are a resilient people, fiercely proud.
I rented a car here so Dot and I drove down to Souda Bay, which is near Chania or Hania as the c is silent. Here lies over 2,000 allied war dead in the island’s Commonwealth Military Cemetery. It is a silent, emotional and beautiful spot befitting of the ultimate sacrifice of the military men, some women and civilians. Some as young as 19 years of age. SAD! To be brought down at such a young age.
The Germans conducted an airborne assault on Crete in May of 1941. Crete was considered strategic due to German military operations in the Mediterranean and North Africa. The island had military garrison of about 42,000 strong consisting of British, Australian, New Zealanders, Greeks, some Canadians, Jewish and handful of non combatants. They were no match for the Germans however who soon overran them. When it became clear that all was lost the allied troops retreated to the southern coast to be evacuated by the Royal Navy. This was Crete’s version of Dunkirk. There is too much to cover here. Google The Battle of Crete or expand the picture below for an overview.
THANKS!
The grounds are maintained beautifully.
Crete is such a grand,magical place.
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