← 2023 Italy, Greece, & Poland

Crete

Heraklion's Koules Fortress still guards the harbor entrance, a Venetian holdover with the Lion of St. Mark carved into its walls and an old iron anchor resting nearby. A few blocks in, the Morosini Fountain's lions keep flowing past an ornate Moorish-arched facade. A short drive out of the city, a bust of Minos Kalokairinos — the man who first broke ground at Knossos — stands watch over the palace's reconstructed red columns and sprawling ruins. Out in the countryside, the Olive Tree of Vouves is gnarled and still bearing fruit after an estimated 3,000 years, not far from a prickly pear cactus in bloom. Chania, on the island's western coast, keeps its own rewards close together: a blue-framed door, alleys canopied in bougainvillea, a cat keeping watch, morning glories climbing a wall, hand-painted café furniture, and geraniums beside a wine barrel. The day winds down at the harbor — a lone fishing boat rigged with buoys at sunrise, a trinket boat strung with shells, the Orthodox Cathedral catching the morning light, the Monument of the Hand remembering the roughly 200 lives lost when the ferry Heraklion sank in 1966, and the harbor itself glowing pastel by day before it settles into gold at dusk.

An old iron anchor resting on the cobblestones inside Koules Fortress — An old iron anchor inside Koules Fortress

A marble relief of the Lion of St. Mark set into the fortress walls — A marble relief of the Lion of St. Mark on the fortress walls

The Morosini Fountain with its lion spouts flowing in Heraklion — The Morosini Fountain, its lion spouts flowing

An ornate stone building with Moorish-arched windows framed by palms in Heraklion — An ornate building with Moorish-arched windows, framed by palms

A bust of Minos Kalokairinos, the excavator who first unearthed Knossos — A bust of Minos Kalokairinos, who first unearthed Knossos

The restored red columns and reconstructed frescoes of the Palace of Knossos — The restored red columns and frescoes of the Palace of Knossos

A wide view of the Palace of Knossos ruins

The Olive Tree of Vouves, an ancient gnarled olive tree in Crete — The Olive Tree of Vouves, over 3,000 years old and still bearing fruit

A blooming yellow prickly pear cactus flower in Crete — A blooming yellow prickly pear cactus flower

A weathered wooden door framed in blue in a Chania backstreet — A weathered wooden door, framed in blue

A bougainvillea-draped street in Chania's old town

A bougainvillea-draped alley in Chania's old town with a cat sitting in the street — A bougainvillea-draped alley, a cat keeping watch

Blue morning glories in bloom in Chania — Blue morning glories in bloom

Hand-painted furniture and pots outside a red doorway in Crete — Hand-painted furniture outside a red doorway

Pink geraniums beside a wine barrel painted with a mural — Pink geraniums beside a wine barrel

A fishing boat rigged with buoys and gas cans at sunrise in Chania's harbor — A fishing boat rigged with buoys at sunrise

A trinket boat strung with shells and jewelry moored in Chania's harbor — A trinket boat strung with shells, moored in Chania's harbor

The Orthodox Cathedral of Chania with its bell tower catching the morning light — The Orthodox Cathedral of Chania, in the morning light

The Monument of the Hand at Talos Square in Chania, a memorial sculpture — The Monument of the Hand, remembering the 1966 sinking of the ferry Heraklion

Chania's Venetian harbor lined with pastel-colored buildings — Chania's Venetian harbor, lined with pastel buildings

Chania's Venetian harbor glowing gold in the evening light — Chania's harbor, glowing gold at dusk

← 2023 Italy, Greece, & Poland