Day 8, September 29, 2024, Heraklion/ Crete

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En route to Athens this morning we stop to see the Corinth Canal, cutting at sea level through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth to the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean.

This four-mile wide channel separates the Peloponnesian peninsula from the Greek mainland; Emperor Nero attempted (and abandoned) construction of the canal in the first century CE, and it was not completed until 1893. 

We continue on to the Athens airport for the 50-minute flight to Crete, arriving mid-afternoon in Heraklion, the Cretan capital.

After checking in our hotel, we enjoy an afternoon at leisure in this town with a diverse and varied history.

This evening we take a walking tour of the town center, where we can easily distinguish the traces of Heraklion’s Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman conquerors.

Some of the monuments we pass include the Church of St. Titus, an Orthodox Greek church housed in what was originally an Ottoman mosque; the Lion’s Square with its lion-themed fountain designed by Doge of Venice Francesco Morosini.

After this brief but fascinating walk, we enjoy dinner together at a local restaurant.










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