Goodbye Crete - Hello Athens!

For today’s blog, BB gives a recap of our adventures in Crete.  Daniel shares our first full day in Athens.

BB

Today we continue our travels back to Athens. The Cretan experience has certainly been one of a kind. From cute shops to astounding restaurants, there is always something to do here. On the first day in Crete, we partook in a wonderful, traditional Greek dance class. The next morning, we explored a Cretan village and participated in a hands-on Greek cooking activity.

That afternoon, we went into a museum detailing the Cretan and Minoan ancient civilizations, as well as the Palace of Knossos, which we visited immediately afterward. The Palace has been destroyed and renewed, filled with a marveling display of ancient engineering, and is home to what is considered to be the oldest road in all of Europe. The next morning, we traveled to a monastery that was attacked by six-thousand Turkish soldiers in 1866. Soon after, we traveled to Rethymnon and entered the last hand-made filo dough store. Compared to Heraklion, Rethymnon seemed a lot less modern and old school. Tons of little shops dotted the streets of the town and we had a chance to shop on our own. Many students loved their alone time with friends in the shops and are excited to enter a market in Athens later this week.                  Daniel

Early in the morning, we traveled down to the marina to view a fort (Koules Fortress) and the Mediterranean one last time before we left for Athens. At the marina, a few dogs followed us all the way there and back and protected us from oncoming traffic. Then, we hopped on a flight toward Athens. After arriving, we visited the site of the Battle of Marathon. This famous battle occurred in 490 B.C.E. in Marathon, when Persian ships appeared in the Marathon Bay. Because the Greeks had an advantage in mountainous areas and the Persians utilized their speed in flatlands, neither side made a move for a week until the Persian king sent cavalry towards Athens.
Another theory for the stalemate was the Athenians waiting for assistance from the Spartans to arrive. Then, after the Persians mobilized their troops towards Athens, they were forced to make a move. The Athenians surrounded king Darius’ soldiers and won the battle. Although they won, the Athenian soldiers earned no rest, as they were forced to march 26 miles back to Athens to defend the city from oncoming Persians, who ended up not arriving. After this, short break in the hotel commenced, then we traveled by metro to the town square of Athens. There, we saw a protest about the Grecian refuge crisis. We traveled by foot to the location of our dinner, the top floor of a tall building where we could see all of Athens. There, we saw a beautiful view of the Parthenon atop the Acropolis and enjoyed a night of Greek food, singing, and dancing.