Santorini/Thera, or Knossos/Crete?
Apr 14th 2007, 10:32 pm
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Santorini/Thera, or Knossos/Crete?
Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
Apr 14th 2007, 10:40 pm
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Santorini/Thera, or Knossos/Crete?
Steve G <[email protected]> wrote:
> Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
> dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
> the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
> vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
> there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
> lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
> Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
> thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
There's nothing stopping you doing both! A few years ago, we flew into
Athens, took a connecting flight to Crete (Heraklion), spent a few days
in Matala, visited Phaestos and Knossos, and took a ferry to Santorini.
Took a flight from there to Athens and spent a day and a night there.
You could travel by sea from Santorini to Athens quite easily too.
--
(*) ... of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
(don't email yahoo address) usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
> Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
> dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
> the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
> vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
> there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
> lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
> Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
> thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
There's nothing stopping you doing both! A few years ago, we flew into
Athens, took a connecting flight to Crete (Heraklion), spent a few days
in Matala, visited Phaestos and Knossos, and took a ferry to Santorini.
Took a flight from there to Athens and spent a day and a night there.
You could travel by sea from Santorini to Athens quite easily too.
--
(*) ... of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
(don't email yahoo address) usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
Apr 14th 2007, 11:43 pm
#3
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Posts: n/a
Re: Santorini/Thera, or Knossos/Crete?
On 15 Apr 2007 03:32:36 -0700, in rec.travel.europe, "Steve G" <[email protected]>
arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:
... Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
... dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
... the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
... vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
... there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
... lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
... Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
... thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
Knossos is not a great place; there are many archaeological sites in Crete I would gladly
visit again (particularly Gortys) but, as for Knossos, once was more than enough. IMHO.
arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:
... Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
... dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
... the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
... vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
... there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
... lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
... Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
... thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
Knossos is not a great place; there are many archaeological sites in Crete I would gladly
visit again (particularly Gortys) but, as for Knossos, once was more than enough. IMHO.
Apr 15th 2007, 12:27 am
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Santorini/Thera, or Knossos/Crete?
On Apr 15, 12:32 pm, "Steve G" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
> dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
> the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
> vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
> there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
> lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
> Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
> thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
The ruins of Altantis are not that spectacular, IMO, and the beaches
on Santorini are not it's best feature. That said, the scenery is
fantastic, and the boat ride to the volcano of Nea Kameini (sp?) is
interesting.
> Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
> dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
> the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
> vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
> there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
> lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
> Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
> thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
The ruins of Altantis are not that spectacular, IMO, and the beaches
on Santorini are not it's best feature. That said, the scenery is
fantastic, and the boat ride to the volcano of Nea Kameini (sp?) is
interesting.
Apr 15th 2007, 12:50 am
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Santorini/Thera, or Knossos/Crete?
<[email protected]> wrote:
> On Apr 15, 12:32 pm, "Steve G" <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
> > dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
> > the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
> > vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
> > there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
> > lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
> > Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
> > thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
>
> The ruins of Altantis are not that spectacular, IMO, and the beaches
> on Santorini are not it's best feature. That said, the scenery is
> fantastic, and the boat ride to the volcano of Nea Kameini (sp?) is
> interesting.
Agree with you about the beaches, though I didn't find them as bad as
I'd expected from the guide books and so on. Certainly not as bad as the
rocky ones in Croatia which are crammed full all summer long- ouch!
Personally, I'd consider the time of year for the visit. We were there
in late May and it was already crammed full- most of the hotels and
restaurants full, etc. Meanwhile, a few days before at Matala, it was
quite empty. Phaestos had very few visitors when we were there- Knossos
a bit more. I don't imagine we'd ever consider visiting Santorini in the
peak of summer.
--
(*) ... of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
(don't email yahoo address) usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
> On Apr 15, 12:32 pm, "Steve G" <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
> > dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
> > the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
> > vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
> > there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
> > lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
> > Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
> > thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
>
> The ruins of Altantis are not that spectacular, IMO, and the beaches
> on Santorini are not it's best feature. That said, the scenery is
> fantastic, and the boat ride to the volcano of Nea Kameini (sp?) is
> interesting.
Agree with you about the beaches, though I didn't find them as bad as
I'd expected from the guide books and so on. Certainly not as bad as the
rocky ones in Croatia which are crammed full all summer long- ouch!
Personally, I'd consider the time of year for the visit. We were there
in late May and it was already crammed full- most of the hotels and
restaurants full, etc. Meanwhile, a few days before at Matala, it was
quite empty. Phaestos had very few visitors when we were there- Knossos
a bit more. I don't imagine we'd ever consider visiting Santorini in the
peak of summer.
--
(*) ... of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
(don't email yahoo address) usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
Apr 15th 2007, 4:39 am
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Santorini/Thera, or Knossos/Crete?
On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 11:32:36 +0100, Steve G wrote
(in article <[email protected] .com>):
> Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
> dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
> the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
> vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
> there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
> lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
> Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
> thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
>
I was not particularly impressed by the Palace of Knossos when I visited it a
few years ago. As you probably know, the ruins were first excavated around
1900 by Sir Arthur Evans who promptly set about enthusiastically 'restoring'
them to what he imagined they looked like originally. So what is on view is
largely an elaborate fake - not much more than 100 years old.
Far more impressive in my view is the ancient site at Mycenae in the
Peloponnese. Here you really get an overwhelming sense of antiquity. The
surroundings are also much more in keeping. Knossos is on the outskirts of
Iraklion (the capital of Crete) which it seems to me is a particularly dreary
town, looking somewhat as if it is suffering from the results of an explosion
in a cement factory
--
Mike Lane (UK North Yorkshire)
To contact me replace invalid with mike underscore lane
(in article <[email protected] .com>):
> Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
> dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
> the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
> vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
> there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
> lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
> Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
> thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
>
I was not particularly impressed by the Palace of Knossos when I visited it a
few years ago. As you probably know, the ruins were first excavated around
1900 by Sir Arthur Evans who promptly set about enthusiastically 'restoring'
them to what he imagined they looked like originally. So what is on view is
largely an elaborate fake - not much more than 100 years old.
Far more impressive in my view is the ancient site at Mycenae in the
Peloponnese. Here you really get an overwhelming sense of antiquity. The
surroundings are also much more in keeping. Knossos is on the outskirts of
Iraklion (the capital of Crete) which it seems to me is a particularly dreary
town, looking somewhat as if it is suffering from the results of an explosion
in a cement factory
--
Mike Lane (UK North Yorkshire)
To contact me replace invalid with mike underscore lane
Apr 15th 2007, 3:49 pm
#7
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Santorini/Thera, or Knossos/Crete?
On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 16:39:30 GMT, Mike Lane
<[email protected]> wrote:
>On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 11:32:36 +0100, Steve G wrote
>(in article <[email protected] .com>):
>
>> Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
>> dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
>> the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
>> vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
>> there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
>> lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
>> Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
>> thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
>>
>
>I was not particularly impressed by the Palace of Knossos when I visited it a
>few years ago. As you probably know, the ruins were first excavated around
>1900 by Sir Arthur Evans who promptly set about enthusiastically 'restoring'
>them to what he imagined they looked like originally. So what is on view is
>largely an elaborate fake - not much more than 100 years old.
>
>Far more impressive in my view is the ancient site at Mycenae in the
>Peloponnese. Here you really get an overwhelming sense of antiquity. The
>surroundings are also much more in keeping. Knossos is on the outskirts of
>Iraklion (the capital of Crete) which it seems to me is a particularly dreary
>town, looking somewhat as if it is suffering from the results of an explosion
>in a cement factory
Can't comment on Knossos - I still want to see it. I agree
on Mycenae; not as elaborate as the Acropolis but the sense
of antiquity is there. Go at a time when others don't, to be
able to sit and muse.
Cheers, Alan, Australia
--
http://loraltravel.blogspot.com/
latest: Athens and The Adriatic
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/
<[email protected]> wrote:
>On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 11:32:36 +0100, Steve G wrote
>(in article <[email protected] .com>):
>
>> Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
>> dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
>> the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
>> vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
>> there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
>> lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
>> Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
>> thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
>>
>
>I was not particularly impressed by the Palace of Knossos when I visited it a
>few years ago. As you probably know, the ruins were first excavated around
>1900 by Sir Arthur Evans who promptly set about enthusiastically 'restoring'
>them to what he imagined they looked like originally. So what is on view is
>largely an elaborate fake - not much more than 100 years old.
>
>Far more impressive in my view is the ancient site at Mycenae in the
>Peloponnese. Here you really get an overwhelming sense of antiquity. The
>surroundings are also much more in keeping. Knossos is on the outskirts of
>Iraklion (the capital of Crete) which it seems to me is a particularly dreary
>town, looking somewhat as if it is suffering from the results of an explosion
>in a cement factory
Can't comment on Knossos - I still want to see it. I agree
on Mycenae; not as elaborate as the Acropolis but the sense
of antiquity is there. Go at a time when others don't, to be
able to sit and muse.
Cheers, Alan, Australia
--
http://loraltravel.blogspot.com/
latest: Athens and The Adriatic
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/
Apr 15th 2007, 8:48 pm
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Santorini/Thera, or Knossos/Crete?
On 15 Apr 2007 05:27:25 -0700, [email protected] wrote:
>On Apr 15, 12:32 pm, "Steve G" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
>> dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
>> the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
>> vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
>> there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
>> lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
>> Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
>> thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
>
>The ruins of Altantis are not that spectacular, IMO, and the beaches
>on Santorini are not it's best feature. That said, the scenery is
>fantastic, and the boat ride to the volcano of Nea Kameini (sp?) is
>interesting.
Snorkeling is spectacular in Santorini. Atlantis is the Akroteri ruins?
http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_i...santorini.html
We were impressed by them.
--
Martin
>On Apr 15, 12:32 pm, "Steve G" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
>> dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
>> the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
>> vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
>> there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
>> lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
>> Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
>> thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
>
>The ruins of Altantis are not that spectacular, IMO, and the beaches
>on Santorini are not it's best feature. That said, the scenery is
>fantastic, and the boat ride to the volcano of Nea Kameini (sp?) is
>interesting.
Snorkeling is spectacular in Santorini. Atlantis is the Akroteri ruins?
http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_i...santorini.html
We were impressed by them.
--
Martin
Apr 15th 2007, 9:07 pm
#9
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Santorini/Thera, or Knossos/Crete?
On 16 apr, 10:48, Martin <[email protected]> wrote:
> Atlantis is the Akroteri ruins?
Yes - but "Atlantis" sounds better !
> http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_i...asia/santorini....
>
> We were impressed by them.
You'd have been less impressed if you'd been there when the excavation
roof collapsed !!
B;
> Atlantis is the Akroteri ruins?
Yes - but "Atlantis" sounds better !
> http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_i...asia/santorini....
>
> We were impressed by them.
You'd have been less impressed if you'd been there when the excavation
roof collapsed !!
B;
Apr 15th 2007, 9:34 pm
#10
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Santorini/Thera, or Knossos/Crete?
On 16 Apr 2007 02:07:47 -0700, [email protected] wrote:
>On 16 apr, 10:48, Martin <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Atlantis is the Akroteri ruins?
>
>Yes - but "Atlantis" sounds better !
Why not call it Rijswijk? :-)
>> http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_i...asia/santorini....
>>
>> We were impressed by them.
>
>You'd have been less impressed if you'd been there when the excavation
>roof collapsed !!
Did it really collapse?
and more pressed than impressed when the excavation collapsed and flattened the
first archeologist in charge of the excavations.
We visited in 1980 when the roof was still new and shiny. We got a very good
guide provided by a cruise ship. We tagged on behind the tour, by the end we
were the only ones left.
The other memorable thing was an English tourist, who got totally pissed on a
beach and decided to swim home. A local had to rescue him. He should have been
allowed to drown. I noticed the drunk's sober wife made no attempt to stop him
or help him when he got into difficulties.
--
Martin
>On 16 apr, 10:48, Martin <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Atlantis is the Akroteri ruins?
>
>Yes - but "Atlantis" sounds better !
Why not call it Rijswijk? :-)
>> http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_i...asia/santorini....
>>
>> We were impressed by them.
>
>You'd have been less impressed if you'd been there when the excavation
>roof collapsed !!
Did it really collapse?
and more pressed than impressed when the excavation collapsed and flattened the
first archeologist in charge of the excavations.
We visited in 1980 when the roof was still new and shiny. We got a very good
guide provided by a cruise ship. We tagged on behind the tour, by the end we
were the only ones left.
The other memorable thing was an English tourist, who got totally pissed on a
beach and decided to swim home. A local had to rescue him. He should have been
allowed to drown. I noticed the drunk's sober wife made no attempt to stop him
or help him when he got into difficulties.
--
Martin
Apr 15th 2007, 9:43 pm
#11
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Santorini/Thera, or Knossos/Crete?
On 16 apr, 11:34, Martin <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 16 Apr 2007 02:07:47 -0700, [email protected] wrote:
>
> >On 16 apr, 10:48, Martin <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >> Atlantis is the Akroteri ruins?
>
> >Yes - but "Atlantis" sounds better !
>
> Why not call it Rijswijk? :-)
>
> >>http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_i...asia/santorini....
>
> >> We were impressed by them.
>
> >You'd have been less impressed if you'd been there when the excavation
> >roof collapsed !!
>
> Did it really collapse?
Yes, but there were only a few tourists there at the time. If it had
collapsed when a cruise ship was visiting there'd have been carnage.
As usual, it was a case of a contractor (allegedly) providing sub-
standard cheaper materials and pocketing the left-over cash.
B;
> On 16 Apr 2007 02:07:47 -0700, [email protected] wrote:
>
> >On 16 apr, 10:48, Martin <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >> Atlantis is the Akroteri ruins?
>
> >Yes - but "Atlantis" sounds better !
>
> Why not call it Rijswijk? :-)
>
> >>http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_i...asia/santorini....
>
> >> We were impressed by them.
>
> >You'd have been less impressed if you'd been there when the excavation
> >roof collapsed !!
>
> Did it really collapse?
Yes, but there were only a few tourists there at the time. If it had
collapsed when a cruise ship was visiting there'd have been carnage.
As usual, it was a case of a contractor (allegedly) providing sub-
standard cheaper materials and pocketing the left-over cash.
B;
Apr 15th 2007, 9:54 pm
#12
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Santorini/Thera, or Knossos/Crete?
On 16 Apr 2007 02:43:03 -0700, [email protected] wrote:
>On 16 apr, 11:34, Martin <[email protected]> wrote:
>> On 16 Apr 2007 02:07:47 -0700, [email protected] wrote:
>>
>> >On 16 apr, 10:48, Martin <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> >> Atlantis is the Akroteri ruins?
>>
>> >Yes - but "Atlantis" sounds better !
>>
>> Why not call it Rijswijk? :-)
>>
>> >>http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_i...asia/santorini....
>>
>> >> We were impressed by them.
>>
>> >You'd have been less impressed if you'd been there when the excavation
>> >roof collapsed !!
>>
>> Did it really collapse?
>
>Yes, but there were only a few tourists there at the time. If it had
>collapsed when a cruise ship was visiting there'd have been carnage.
>As usual, it was a case of a contractor (allegedly) providing sub-
>standard cheaper materials and pocketing the left-over cash.
The same guy who made Greek motorways?
--
Martin
>On 16 apr, 11:34, Martin <[email protected]> wrote:
>> On 16 Apr 2007 02:07:47 -0700, [email protected] wrote:
>>
>> >On 16 apr, 10:48, Martin <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> >> Atlantis is the Akroteri ruins?
>>
>> >Yes - but "Atlantis" sounds better !
>>
>> Why not call it Rijswijk? :-)
>>
>> >>http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_i...asia/santorini....
>>
>> >> We were impressed by them.
>>
>> >You'd have been less impressed if you'd been there when the excavation
>> >roof collapsed !!
>>
>> Did it really collapse?
>
>Yes, but there were only a few tourists there at the time. If it had
>collapsed when a cruise ship was visiting there'd have been carnage.
>As usual, it was a case of a contractor (allegedly) providing sub-
>standard cheaper materials and pocketing the left-over cash.
The same guy who made Greek motorways?
--
Martin
May 12th 2007, 6:38 am
#13
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Santorini/Thera, or Knossos/Crete?
On 2007-04-15 05:32:36 -0500, "Steve G" <[email protected]> said:
> Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
> dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
> the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
> vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
> there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
> lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
> Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
> thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
I hear the Akrotiri ruins on Santorini are closed for rennovation.
Crete is awesome, and if you liked Knossos you'll llove the other places.
Two excellent options for ruins + beaches are Zakros on the eastern end
of the island, where the ruins are near the beach itself, and Phaestos,
which while inland on a hilltop, is pretty close to Matala which has a
great westward-looking beach.
Have fun!
--
Dan Stephenson
Photos, movies, panos from the Europe, USA, plus N.Z.:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda
(remove nospam from email address to reply via email)
> Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
> dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
> the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
> vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
> there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
> lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
> Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
> thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
I hear the Akrotiri ruins on Santorini are closed for rennovation.
Crete is awesome, and if you liked Knossos you'll llove the other places.
Two excellent options for ruins + beaches are Zakros on the eastern end
of the island, where the ruins are near the beach itself, and Phaestos,
which while inland on a hilltop, is pretty close to Matala which has a
great westward-looking beach.
Have fun!
--
Dan Stephenson
Photos, movies, panos from the Europe, USA, plus N.Z.:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda
(remove nospam from email address to reply via email)
May 12th 2007, 6:41 am
#14
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Santorini/Thera, or Knossos/Crete?
On 2007-04-15 06:43:01 -0500, Magda <magda@eu> said:
>
> Knossos is not a great place; there are many archaeological sites in
> Crete I would gladly
> visit again (particularly Gortys) but, as for Knossos, once was more
> than enough. IMHO.
Steve, what he means is that it is too reconstructed. You cannot tell
what is authentic and what is reconstruction. All the other Minoan
places in Crete are much better in that regard, like Zakros and
Phaestos.
The Lonely Planet guidebook to Crete will be your friend.
No beach nearby, but: scampering around the Dorian city of Lato was
AWESOME. It is on the saddle between two hills.
Some of these photos might help:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda/Gra...oAlbum127.html
Also, the archeological museum in Heraklion is amazing...
--
Dan Stephenson
Photos, movies, panos from the Europe, USA, plus N.Z.:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda
(remove nospam from email address to reply via email)
>
> Knossos is not a great place; there are many archaeological sites in
> Crete I would gladly
> visit again (particularly Gortys) but, as for Knossos, once was more
> than enough. IMHO.
Steve, what he means is that it is too reconstructed. You cannot tell
what is authentic and what is reconstruction. All the other Minoan
places in Crete are much better in that regard, like Zakros and
Phaestos.
The Lonely Planet guidebook to Crete will be your friend.
No beach nearby, but: scampering around the Dorian city of Lato was
AWESOME. It is on the saddle between two hills.
Some of these photos might help:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda/Gra...oAlbum127.html
Also, the archeological museum in Heraklion is amazing...
--
Dan Stephenson
Photos, movies, panos from the Europe, USA, plus N.Z.:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda
(remove nospam from email address to reply via email)
May 13th 2007, 5:49 pm
#15
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Santorini/Thera, or Knossos/Crete?
On Apr 16, 5:49 am, Alan S <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 16:39:30 GMT, Mike Lane
>
>
>
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> >On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 11:32:36 +0100, Steve G wrote
> >(in article <[email protected] .com>):
>
> >> Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
> >> dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
> >> the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
> >> vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
> >> there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
> >> lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
> >> Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
> >> thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
>
> >I was not particularly impressed by the Palace of Knossos when I visited it a
> >few years ago. As you probably know, the ruins were first excavated around
> >1900 by Sir Arthur Evans who promptly set about enthusiastically 'restoring'
> >them to what he imagined they looked like originally. So what is on view is
> >largely an elaborate fake - not much more than 100 years old.
>
> >Far more impressive in my view is the ancient site at Mycenae in the
> >Peloponnese. Here you really get an overwhelming sense of antiquity. The
> >surroundings are also much more in keeping. Knossos is on the outskirts of
> >Iraklion (the capital of Crete) which it seems to me is a particularly dreary
> >town, looking somewhat as if it is suffering from the results of an explosion
> >in a cement factory
>
> Can't comment on Knossos - I still want to see it. I agree
> on Mycenae; not as elaborate as the Acropolis but the sense
> of antiquity is there. Go at a time when others don't, to be
> able to sit and muse.
>
> Cheers, Alan, Australia
> --http://loraltravel.blogspot.com/
> latest: Athens and The Adriatichttp://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/
I fondly remember visiting the acropolis in Sparta. Set amidst an
olive grove, in Spring it was wonderful in the evening with the birds
singing and the sun setting over the large snow covered mountains,
just magical even if there were hardly any ruins. The acropolis in
Athens was one of the worst places we visited, jam-packed with hordes
of tourists so that it couldn't be enjoyed at all.
I agree about Mycenae, and Santorini is excllent for the nice views
and houses perched on the cliffsides, but for ruins and beachs you
ought to be able to do much better.
George
> On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 16:39:30 GMT, Mike Lane
>
>
>
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> >On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 11:32:36 +0100, Steve G wrote
> >(in article <[email protected] .com>):
>
> >> Looking for recommendations. Me, I like famous dead guys and famous
> >> dead civilizations. My wife, she likes good dining and relaxing on
> >> the beach. We're thinking after the Greece leg of our future
> >> vacation, we might hop over to Santorini and spend several days
> >> there. I can see the ruins of "Atlantis", and we can eat, drink, and
> >> lay on the beach. But when I see the condition of the ruins at
> >> Knossos, I wonder if Knossos/Crete might be a better stop for us. Any
> >> thoughts plus/minus appreciated. Thanks as always.
>
> >I was not particularly impressed by the Palace of Knossos when I visited it a
> >few years ago. As you probably know, the ruins were first excavated around
> >1900 by Sir Arthur Evans who promptly set about enthusiastically 'restoring'
> >them to what he imagined they looked like originally. So what is on view is
> >largely an elaborate fake - not much more than 100 years old.
>
> >Far more impressive in my view is the ancient site at Mycenae in the
> >Peloponnese. Here you really get an overwhelming sense of antiquity. The
> >surroundings are also much more in keeping. Knossos is on the outskirts of
> >Iraklion (the capital of Crete) which it seems to me is a particularly dreary
> >town, looking somewhat as if it is suffering from the results of an explosion
> >in a cement factory
>
> Can't comment on Knossos - I still want to see it. I agree
> on Mycenae; not as elaborate as the Acropolis but the sense
> of antiquity is there. Go at a time when others don't, to be
> able to sit and muse.
>
> Cheers, Alan, Australia
> --http://loraltravel.blogspot.com/
> latest: Athens and The Adriatichttp://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/
I fondly remember visiting the acropolis in Sparta. Set amidst an
olive grove, in Spring it was wonderful in the evening with the birds
singing and the sun setting over the large snow covered mountains,
just magical even if there were hardly any ruins. The acropolis in
Athens was one of the worst places we visited, jam-packed with hordes
of tourists so that it couldn't be enjoyed at all.
I agree about Mycenae, and Santorini is excllent for the nice views
and houses perched on the cliffsides, but for ruins and beachs you
ought to be able to do much better.
George
