This is our second stop in Naples. The first time we toured Pompeii and today we will visit Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. I am excited to return to the Amalfi Coast. It has been 15 years since Stu and I met our friends Greg and Leslie to spend some time hikng and enjoying this beautiful section of Italy.

We have a bit of a bus ride, 45 minutes to take us to Sorrento, on the ankle of Italy.

Taking photos from buses is difficult, but I think I got a nice shot of us approaching Sorrento. It is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula and is perched atop high cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea an the Bay of Naples.

We wander through the historic center. It is fairly early and the crowds have not yet arrived.

In 2009 Stu and I had lunch at this restaurant in Piazza Tasso, a cafe lined square.

Our tour includes lunch. We meet at the designated spot and our guides leads us to the restuarant where have a soso lunch of gnocci, a chicken dish, desert and wine. After lunch we reboard the bus for the drive along the very very windy Amalfi Coast Road. Again photos out of the window of the bus as we pass by Positano. There is a lot of boat traffic coming and going into Positano as it is an iconic destination on the Amalfi Coast. Unfortuneately we only have so much time and Positano is not on our itinerary today.

Our next stop is the town of Amalfi. In 2009 Stu and I stayed on the Amalfi Coast and spent a few nights here in this town. There is a very unique fountain in the square. It is called Fontana Sant’Adrea or Saint Andrew’s Fountain. It features a nymph with water spouting from her breasts. I have a photo of Stu from that trip filling up his water bottle here. Most Italian cities have fountains that have safe potable water so that you can refill your bottles. This time I asked Alex and Adam to re-create that photo. 😁

When we were here in 2009 we spent our days hiking in the hills behind Amalfi town. Today and to some extent back then the town is jam packed with day trippers. Some from cruise ships like ourselves, others seeing the coast on bus tours from Naples, Sorrento or Salerno. By the time we were done our hikes and cleaned ourselves up, the day trippers were gone and we could enjoy a lovely meal and wander the almost empty streets.

The first hike we did in Amalfi in 2009 started part way up the main street. It doesn’t really look like a trailhead, more like a staircase. A local police officer took a photo of Leslie, Greg, Stu and I as we left the town that day. Today Michael, Adam, Lindsey and I made our way up the main street weaving through the many tourists wandering up the street, trying to find the “spot“. We found it! There have a couple small changes in 15 years. The planter that sat empty in 2009 now has lush foliage, the wall on the left has been painted, but still very recognizable. We posed for another re-creation of that old photo. We left some our Travelling Fish in the planter. I think he would love this location. We always said that this 2009 trip was the BEST!!!

Some of the beach here in Amalfi have the rental loungers and umbrellas but there is a public beach next to the breakwater. It was here that in 2009 we would take a dip in the ocean after a hot day of hiking. We haven’t been able to find a suitable spot to dip our toes into the ocean yet. We are running out of time as today is our last port day. We head over the spot and get that tiny dip in the Mediterranean.

Returning to the bus loop, which was our meeting spot, we wait trying to find some shade. There was not much available. Eventually our guide arrives and we head to the pier to take a boat to Salerno.

The pulls out of the marina and we get the view of Amalfi from the sea. It really is a magical place, especially without all the people 🤪

After arriving in Salerno there is a tour of a cameo factory. Basically a shopping trip. We did learn how they make cameos. I have seen cameos for years, but I had no idea at all how they were made. It really is quite fascinating. The take a shell, like a scallop shell that has layers of colour. They then hand carve the shell to expose the darker shades. They are really very intricate. We certainly could have spent a lot of money 💶💳💰🤑here!!

As we approach Naples we get a better view of Vesuvius. The volcano is monitored constantly. We were told this day that all was well. It was just a couple of days later that the mountain was rumbling there were concerns of an eruption. The fear of an eruption is something that the people of this area live with everyday.

Our last port day is done. We have one more sea day tomorrow before arriving once again in Barcelona.

Today we are docked in Messina. Messina sits on the Strait of Messina which is a very narrow strait that separates Sicily from the toe of mainland Italy. At its narrowest point it is only 3.1 km wide. I am certain that the local pilots are needed here as well.

We have transportation to a hilltop town approximately 50 km south of Messina. It sits not far from Mount Etna. It’s streets are car free, so very walkable. The have built a large parking garage at the entrance of the town to accommodate cars and the many tour buses that visit this picturesque town. The view out over the Strait of Messina is eye-catching.

An opportunity for our family photo from the summit of Taormina.

Another beautiful door and a fancy lion head knocker for our “Door Series” of photos.

The main street has lots of shops. My leg is complaining that I am walking too much. Up until yesterday I have logged almost 239,000 steps. The equivalent of 159 km. My leg is not happy with me! Sooo, Nicole and I decide to find a little outdoor cafe to have a cold drink and sit in the shade.

Everyone else goes for a walk to see the Greek Theatre of Taormina. As I didn’t get there, I have used an image I found online. A very large theatre that could hold around 10,000 spectators.

It is time to head back to our bus. Once we arrive back in Messina Michael, Lindsey and I go into the town to find some of the sites, while Nicole and the boys board the ship. Michael’s GPS was having trouble today. We walked the wrong way and found ourselves in the seedy side of Messina. This old building must have been magnificent at one time. It has certainly seen better days.

We head towards the ocean and walk back to the ship from there.

In the harbour we see a large structure. I have discovered that it is an old fort San Salvatore. The fort was built in the middle of the 16th century and is a military property still. The words we see are “Vos et ipsam civitatem benedicimus”. This apparently translates to “We bless you and your city” and is supposed to be a quote from a letter the Virgin Mary sent to the population of Messina in the year 42. Legend has it that the Apostle Paul came to Messina around this time two thousand years ago to convert the Sicilians to Christianity.

There is scaffolding around the column, I assume restoration work is being done.

For dinner tonight we have been given a table at the stern of the ship. An unbelievable view from this table. Shortly after we are seated the Sun Princess leaves Messina behind and heads back to Naples for our second visit.

Later in the evening while Adam is at the gym the rest of us meet in the Princess Live Theatre for trivia. The theme for this was music, I think perhaps movie themes? I knew 1 answer, I think Lindsey had 1 answer. Between Michael, Nicole and Alex they had 18. A perfect score! Here is the winning team!! 🍾🥂🏆

Another great day. My total steps for this trip after today were 252,234 or 168 km. That is a lot of walking!!

We don’t have a tour today, just transportation into the town of Corfu. Corfu, the town is the capital of Corfu the island.

Lindsey bought a postcard and a stamp in Mykonos. Today is our last port in Greece, so she wold like to find a mailbox to send it off to her friend in Nanaimo. We don’t even get to the shuttle bus before, low and behold a mailbox. Perfect!! Mission accomplished.

The shuttle bus drops us off close to the 15th-century Old Fortress. A little to the west, there is a Venetian-built New Fortress has a network of tunnels underneath and views over the harbor. This is the entrance to the Old Fortress.

The old fortress was built on a peninsula and initially containe the old town of Corfu. The town got its name from the twin peaks of the fortress which is “Coryphe” in Greek.

Here we can see one of the peaks and the Church of Saint George at its base.

From the walls we have a view into the harbour where a number of boats are anchored. This old classisc ship dwarfing all of the smaller sail boats. I discovered that this ship was built in 1931 in England and named HMS Evadne. It was commissioned as a warship by the Roayl Navy during the Second World War. It has quite a history. Today it is a charter yacht named Marala (check out the interior here) and operates in the Mediterranean.

We are climbing to the top of the old fortress. It takes a bit of time as it is very warm. We need to walk through ancient tunnels to get there. The stones on the walkway are well worn from the immeasurable footsteps that they have seen.

The views from the top are quite lovely. The sky so blue, the ocean so blue.

We made it to the Cross. This is not a Christian symbol, but was used to communicate with ships.

The Travelling Fish enjoyed the views as well.

Got the family shot at the top.

Time for a beverage, so we head back down to meet Nicole. The town of Corfu is so beautiful. Brightly coloured buildings and lovely tiled boulevards.

We quickly find a spot to have a drink, Corfu Beer!!

There are lots of great shops in town. I managed to spend some money here! 🤣😁🤪

After some shopping, Mike and Nicole adding to their magnet collection and me, some small objects for my souvenier shelf at home. We have worked up an appetite. Quite by accident we stumble on an out of the crowd spot. Right on the ocean. A splendid spot for a bite to eat.

The food was excellent. Saganaki cheese, pita & tzatziki and mussels saganaki. Yum!! 😋😋

From here we have a great view of the town of Corfu. The Old Fortress on the left and the New Fortress built by the Venetians in the 1800’s.

A closer look at the New Fortress.

We can also see the port where our ship is docked. The Sun Princess is sooo huge!

It is Eighties night on the Sun Princess. The Atrium decorated with a giant Rubix Cube.

I had forgotten about the Cruise Ducks. Decided I had better start placing them around. This week we seem to have quite a lot of children on board, so this is perfect.

The end of a very wonderful day!!

Bar was not originally on our itinerary. We were supposed to go to Kotor. Once again the size of the Sun Princess was an issue for the tender situation in Kotor. Bar is about an hour and half south of Kotor.

Bar is a historic city. It has not been definitively determined when exactly it was created, but archaeological findings prove the presence of life in this location during prehistoric times. We have a half day tour called “Old Bar on your own”. This just means a bus ride to Stari Bar, which is also known as Old Bar.

The Old Town of Bar is being considered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I am finding this quite interesting as I have never heard of it before. The official language of Montenegro is Montenegrin, although Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian and Albanian are also recognised official languages as well.

Old Bar has a medieval walled fortress atop Londsa hill at the foot of Mount Rumija.

The fortress is now a museum. Interestingly a cypress tree shows it’s resilience by growing right out of the fortress wall. We enter the museum through these ancient doors.

Olive oil is an important commodity for the little town today. It is sold in many of the shops just outside the walls. Inside the museum is one of the very early olive presses.

There are the remains of many of the buildings inside the walls.

We are here fairly early. We are experiencing very few other people here for the first hour or so. Once of the photos below shows a section of the wall that was severely damaged by an earthquake. I originally thought the earthquake was in the 1600’s, but on looking further it seems that it was only in 1979.

Climbing to the top of the wall provides some stunning views.

The family photo in Stari Bar.

Outside the fortress wall shops and restaurants have popped up. The town is on a hill so the design their spaces to accommodate the slope. There are signs advertising “Pink Beer”. Unfortunately the little place we chose did not offer it. It is created by adding pomegranate juice to beer. Maybe next time. 🤪😁

Cats here in Bar as well. This one joined us at lunch.

This was a very quaint little village. The shopkeepers are now open and encouraging us to come in and see there wares. They were mostly closed when we arrived. They are very proud of their Olive Oil. I bought one to take home,

The town is getting busier now. It is time to head back to our ship. Tomorrow we are in Corfu.

It is a nice relaxing day today. We have had 3 busy port days and are looking forward to some down time. Alex will be hanging in the hammocks on Deck 19 and Adam will spend time working out in the gym.

I am wandering around the ship. Going between the big pool deck and the smaller pool at the stern of the ship. Looking out at our wake in the Mediterranean is just stunningly beautiful!!

Some other interesting sights on board. You must get the perfect tan.

Line dancing happening in the Atrium. Very popular event. For line dancers and spectators.

One of very few guys, this guy is a pro!

We spotted a couple of brave young guys hanging out in the back. 😁😁

The end of a very chill day. Tomorrow we are in Montenegro. A town called Bar. Should be interesting!!

We are doing the Hop On Hop Off bus in Athens today.  Since the Acropolis is a very busy site in Athens, we decide to head there first. We need tickets to enter so we hope that we can get them on site.

We arrive and walk up to the area where the ticket booths are. The line up is so long that we can’t really see the end of it. Michael read online that it is possible to get tickets for the Acropolis at the Temple of Zeus. So we get back on the next Hop On Hop Off bus and head there.

The Arch of Hadrian is very close to the stop for the bus.  It is a triumphal arch which lies in proximity to Syntagma Square, right between the Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus. We have a view of the Parthenon where is sits atop the Acropolis.

We stand in a short line for this attraction. Signs indicate that we can buy a combo ticket for this temple and the Acropolis. Once we reach the cashier we are told, no, those tickets are not available. So we purchase tickets for this site only. It is a very very hot day. Lindsey and Nicole have decided to head back to the ship. I will stay touring with the “Boys”. I go online to buy tickets to the Acropolis and manage to get 4 for 2:00pm.

The Temple of Olympian Zeus is a former colossal temple at the center of the Athens.  It was dedicated to “Olympian” Zeus, a name originating from his position as head of the Olympian gods. Construction began in the 6th century BC.  Not much remains today.  A few ornate Corinthian columns still stand, but not much else.  We can see in the center to the collapsed column that there is a hole in the middle. 

We have the Acropolis as a background as we get another family photo.

After Lindsey and Nicole leave on the bus, we walk to a different bus stop. Here we come across the Panathenaic Stadium. It is said to be one of the main historic attractions in Athens, but I must admit that I have never heard of it. It is an interesting looking structure and the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble, that was opened in 566 BC. Yes, extremely old! At one time it had a capacity for 80,000 people. Today, still in use, it can hold 45,000. I borrowed an image from “interweb” as it has a different perspective than I had.

Traffic is just as bad as Istanbul! The guys and I ride around in the Hop On Hop Off bus listening to the audio guide as it describes the site we are seeing. Michael suggests that we get off the bus and have a bite to eat. We find ourselves in a busy square surrounded by restaurants. We stop at one that their “promoter” promises “Greek Food“. Hahaha, hard to find around here. The likelihood of being disturbed by smoking seems small, so sit down.

We enjoy our meals and head back to the bus stop as it is getting closer to 2:00 pm. When we arrive at the Acropolis, the line for tickets is basically nonexistent. 🤷🏻‍♀️Oh well. There are still lot of people here. It is a very good thing that they have implemented the ticket system. It would be overwhelmed without it!

We head back down to the Hop On Hop Off bus stop to ride it back to the ship. It takes us about 30 minutes to return. Once there we hear from Lindsey and Nicole that it took them 2 hours to get back from the exact same bus stop!! Traffic was at a standstill at times for them.

The photo below will give you an idea how busy it is in Athens today. According to a site that tracks cruise ships, there are 9 ships in port with approximately 20,000 passengers. This photo shows 3 large ones, ours being the 4th. If these 20,000 passengers had this impact on a large city like Athens, just imagine what a small island like Santorini could have been like with the same number of people arriving. Glad we are skipping that!!

We arrive in Mykonos a little later than we normally would due to the late departure from Istanbul.  Linsdey and I spend a bit of time on deck as we wait to join our tour of Delos: Birthplace of Apollo which will begin at 12:30.

It is a gorgeous day as we disembark the ship.

We are docked a bit away from the main port of Mykonos, so we take a water taxi to the town where we will board a larger boat for the 30 minute trip over the small island of Delos.  Once there we will have a tour that lasts 2.5 hours.  We board the boat and head to the upper deck, where we wait, and wait, and wait some more.  We don’t understand why???  Finally 2 people come strolling down the pier and board the boat.  They have Princess tour stickers on, but it seems that they were wandering around the town and we spent almost 30 minutes waiting for them.  Grrrrrr.  😡

According to Greek mythology Delos is the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis.  The twins were the offspring of Zeus and Leto.

There many ancient ruins here.  We are rushing through them due our late departure from Mykonos and our late arrivees.  We still have to leave Delos at the original time, so our tour is 30 minutes short.  We rush past remnants of hours of Cleopatra (not the Egyptian one), Trident and Dionysos.

The Ancient Theater of Delos is an impressive complex which could at one time house around 5,000 spectators. It was built in the 3rd century AD, and had stunning views of the sea and the harbor.

One of the more famous site on Delos is the Terrace of the Lions.  The Terrace of the Lions, also was dedicated to Apollo by the people of Naxos shortly before 600 BC. It originally had 9-12 squatting, snarling marble guardian lions along the Sacred Way; one was removed and is presently situated over the main gate of the Venetian Arsenal. The lions create a monumental avenue comparable to Egyptian avenues of sphinxes. (A Greek sphinx is in the Delos Museum.) Today, only seven of the original lions remain.

This little island has soo many cats.  They are cared for by the islands caretakers who are the only people allowed to live here.  The caretakes also watch and ensure tourists stay behind the rope barriers to protect the ruins from further damage.

Back on the boat to Mykonos. It is a very warm day so that calls for a beer! Mythos!

We arrive back in Mykonos.  Nicole, Lindsey, Alex and I are going to find a taverna for a beverage and a bite to eat.

Michael and Adam are exploring a little more. Through the maze of well maintained little alley ways.

Looking for the windmills. Lost!! I guess these narrow alleys are disrupting Michael’s internal GPS! 🤪🤣

Found them and the “Little Venice” area.

Time to head back to the Sun Princess. Our very lovely day here in Mykonos is done!

Tomorrow Athens…

Well this was quite a day. We arrived in Istanbul early this morning.  We have an early start to our day again.  The tour begins at 7:30 and is scheduled to end at 4:00.  Quite a full day.

Our bus passes a noisy demonstration on the street.  Our guide doesn’t know what it is about, but says that they are common in Istanbul.  I have googled some of the phrases on some of the signs and they appear to be song lyrics.  They do not seem particularly upset, more of a party atmosphere 😁

We have also seen people fishing quite often on this trip. Here we see more. Very long fishing rods!

We arrive Hippodrome of Constantinople. In the very olden days this area was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople which was the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square called Sultanahmet Square. It is marked by the ancient Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosius. It was erected here in the 4th century. It is holding up pretty well, I’d say.

At the north end of the Hippodrome we pass what is called the “German Fountain”. It was constructed to commemorate the second anniversary of German Emperor Wilhelm II’s visit to Istanbul in 1898. It was built in Germany, then transported piece by piece and assembled in its current site in 1900. This is an ablution fountain. This is where worshipers perform the ritual of washing before prayer.

We were to go to the Blue Mosque first, but we are early and it was not open yet. No problem, we walk 5 minutes through some beautifully landscape grounds of Sultan Ahment Square to the Hagia Sophia.

Many people may not be able to tell the difference between these 2 beautiful mosques. Hagia Sophia has been around for 1600 years. It has 4 minarets, It began as a Christian church in the 6th century. It then became a mosque, a museum and a mosque again. It is incredibly beautiful inside!

These images of the Virgin Mary and child and of Jesus are remnants of it’s Christian church past.

We walk back to the Blue Mosque as it is now open to the public. The mosque has 6 minarets and 4 semi-domes over the prayer hall. This was built 1200 years after and facing the Hagia Sophia.

To enter these 2 buildings women need to cover their hair and all people must have clothing that covers their shoulders and knees, also remove your shoes. It is interesting how many people didn’t do any research on this prior to coming. If you are not prepared, it is not a problem. Here at the Blue Mosque they will lend you coverings. The man below is sporting the skirt type garment that either men or women can use to cover their knees. The woman a head and shoulder covering. They both have printing that says “Belongs to the Blue Mosque“. Just in case you decide to take these stylish pieces home with you.

The interior here is also stunning. The domes are beautifully decorated with mosaic tiles.

There is a large compound with more beautiful gardens and buildings surrounding the Blue Mosque.

We have take the opportunity to get a family selfie at this historic site. Behind us is the Asian side of Istanbul.

After strolling around some of us head back to the meeting point for our tour. The gift shop sells coffee. Lindsey decides to have a Turkish Coffee! This is how it is served, a small strong coffee, a small cup of water and a Turkish delight candy. Our guide is also in the gift shop and explains how to drink this. You drink the coffee and when you are done you drink the water to cleanse your mouth of the fine coffee grounds that is inevitably in the coffee. Glad we had some guidance.

The rest of our tour arrives and we walk to a nearby restaurant for lunch. We have tables on the patio of the restaurantas our group is smaller than most. We are grateful as there is a breeze here. Inside there is much larger seating area, but no breeze. This photo is of the Asian side of Istanbul. There is a ferry to take you across, but have a look at the skyline. Above the tall buildings, there are dozens of cranes. Definitely a building boom!

Our next stop is the famous Grand Bazaar. We are back on the bus. The traffic is horrendous. We, the passengers of the very large Sun Princess are partly to blame for the grid lock. We finally arrive and walk towards the Grand Bazaar with our guide. She gives us a few instructions, points us to Gate 1 and we are off. This place is a maze. Michael has a built in GPS. We wander deeper and deeper into the maze. It is very warm in here and Nicole would like to go back outside and sit in the shade. We dare not separate or we’re done for. So we all follow Michael and next thing you know Gate 1 is ahead of us. We find a nice spot for Nicole to sit and we return for more browsing.

The Travellling Fish check out the shops too!

Time to head back to the bus for the ride back to the ship. As previously mentioned traffic is a nightmare. Our bus is having a very difficult time making it’s way to pick us up. Lots of standing on the corner…. Check out the fancy steering wheel of this bus.

Finally back on the bus. We were supposed to be back on board by 4:00 We are certainly much later than that!! There are 2 very large ships in port. The lines to go back through security are enormous! We are moving up the line and buses are still arriving with more and more passengers. These ships are going to be late disembarking Istanbul for sure.

And now finally back on the ship, we take some time to see the views of Istanbul from there. The boat traffic in the harbour is almost as bad as the streets! 🤪 The sun is beginning to set and the changes are amazing.

As we are leaving the dock the horn begins to play a tune.

Too funny!! I think our “horn blower” needs more practice.

This was a very full and interesting day. A long blog post to go with it. 🤪😁😍

As most sea days, we are moving more slowly than a port day. Lazy breakfast before a lovely day of relaxation

It is a beautiful sunny day. We are tasting some of the Maragarita’s offered at the Dome Bar on the ship. The Dome Bar is the area circled in the photo below. It is at the front of the ship and mostly enclosed in glass. The wind can be greatly reduced in this area. I have a traditional Margarita and Lindsey orders a jalapeno Margarita. Too spicy for me. We send a photo to Adam as he loves hot and spicy things. He did not join us however.

We are cruising toward Istanbul. Decide to have a Mom & kids photo. I am a shorty!! Right 🤪🤣

We are seeing land quite close by on both sides of the ship. We are leaving the Aegean Sea and entering the Dardanelles Strait. It is one of the world’s narrowest straits used for international navigation, the Dardanelles at 61 kilometres long, connects the Aegean and Mediterranean seas with the Sea of Marmara. It forms part of the continental boundary between Asia and Europe and separates Asian Turkey from Eurpean Turkey. I am certain that the local pilot is already on board guiding us through.

We are seeing some structures on the shore. I have taken some very bad photos of them, but they give me something to research later to find our more about them. The first one is the Helles Memorial. In antiquity the Dardanelles was known as the Hellespont. The memorial is the main Commonwealth battle memorial for the whole Gallipoli campaign, and also commemorates the 20,956 Commonwealth servicemen with no known grave who died in the campaign. My photo is very bad, so I added a better photo I found online. 🤪🤣

This second one is called Canakkale Martyrs Monument. It is a war memorial commemorating the service of about 253,000 Turkish soldiers who participated at the Battle of Gallipoli, which took place from April 1915 to December 1915 during the First World War.

The other passengers are enjoying a day off from touring as well the pool decks are very busy with people taking advantage amenities the Sun Princess has to offer.

We have another formal night tonight.

We have another amazing meal. We have a big day in Istanbul tomorrow. Looking forward to it. 😁

Yesterday we had a very nice relaxing day. We certainly needed it after going flat our for the last 5 days. No one is up for much at all. I didn’t even take one photo yesterday.

Crete was not originally a port for us. Originally we were scheduled to be in Santorini. However, there were 5 ships scheduled to be in in Santorini today. That was a potential 20,000 passengers that would be spewed out onto the very small island of Santorini. A bit disappointing not to be able to see this beautiful island with my family, however, being here with that many passengers among the other tourists that are already there, would not be fun for anyone!!

Our excursion today is the Bronze Age archaeological site of Knossos. They seem to pronounce the “K” in it’s name. It was the major center of the Minoan civilization. What we didn’t realize at the time we booked this, was it is a 2.5 hour bus ride to the site and quite obviously 2.5 hours to return.

Knossos has the remains of a enormous Minoan palace. The earliest parts of the palace were built around 1900 BC, Th Minoan civilization itself flourished from around 2700 BC to 1450 BC. That is a really, really long time ago. The mythological tales of the Minotaur, Daedalus, and Icarus are closely associated with Knossos Palace.

The image below has been named “Horns of Consecration” by Arthur Evans. They are a religious or ceremonial symbol found extensively in Minoan contexts, probably based on the horns of bulls. There are also many images of bulls painted on the walls. In Cretan culture, the bull is everywhere. It seems that the physical power of the bull and viewed it as a creature of the cosmos.

This is the Throne Room that was unearthed in 1900 by British archaeologist Arthur Evans. He initially felt that this was built for ceremonial purposes. There are other opinions on the purpose of this room. Some feel that it was a sanctuary of a female divinity. Who really knows?? Obviously no blueprints have been discovered!!🤪🤣

We can see that this palace is decorated with a red pigment. It is extremely well preserved considering the advanced age of the site. It is thought that the preservation of the colour was dependent on a few factors. A Mediterranean environment, use of high quality red ochre pigments and protection from the elements. A lot of the columns being indoors or in sheltered areas.

It is a very hot day and this site has very little shade. Thankfully, some of this tour was also indoors.

We re-boarded the bus that took us to a large restaurant where our busload and a few others were served lunch. Shortly after our lunch we were back on the bus for the long ride back to the Sun Princess. I was able to take a few photos through the windows. Thankfully I was on the scenic side of the bus.

We finally arrive back at our home. Very tuckered out by the heat.

We are looking forward to another relaxing Sea Day tomorrow. 🌊⛵