Daily Updates
Week Three: April 5
5 April: After a night of freezing temperatures in our unheated rooms at the Frangisko Hotel in Matala, we arose at 7am to another great hotel breakfast of bread and tang. Our yellow bus careened down the road to pick us up at eight, and we headed to our first site of the day, Kommos, a Minoan port site on the beach outside of Matala. After seeing the impressive ship-sheds of Kommos, we headed on to Agia Triada, yet another Minoan site. After jumping not one but two fences to get in and out of part of the site and after Evan had truly proved his manhood with his graceful vault over the second fence, we headed back to the bus, in what is becoming a typical order of events. The third site of the day was, by far, the most impressive. Phaistos is a Minoan Palatial site (surprise!) at which we saw an inspiring and enlightening visible juxtaposition of the Old and New Palace layers. After looking around the site, we retreated behind the guard station to eat our lunch. Professor Christesen commented extensively on the benefits of Liz and Leslie’s lunch of Nutella and Pringles, while the rest of us fed a stray cat feta and lunch meat. After lunch, we were graced with a quiz reconstructing part of the palace at Phaistos. We then excitedly hopped back on the bus to cruise the mountain roads back to Herakleion, with a brief stop at the Greek-Roman city of Gortyn. On the boat, we distinctly felt it when we got out of the safe harbors of Herakleion and the ship has been careening drunkenly ever since, including through our third quiz of the day (on The Iliad).
5 April: Our Leaders
5 April: Our Leaders Again
5 April: A View of Kommos
5 April: Columns in the South Stoa at Kommos
5 April: Chris Ponders the Remains at Kommos
5 April: Katie Explores the Remains at Kommos
5 April: In the Late Classical Dining Structure at Kommos
5 April: In the Late Classical Dining Structure at Kommos, Evidently the Sea Food Wasn't as Fresh as Advertised
5 April: Columns in the Stoa at Ayia Triadha
5 April: Sarah in the Minoan Villa at Ayia Triadha
5 April: The Remains at Ayia Triadha
5 April: Hopping the Fence at the Ayia Triadha Cemetery
5 April: Liz Surveys the Scene from Atop the Tholos Tomb in the Ayia Tridaha cemetery
5 April: Leslie Re-Enacts the Ceremonies at the Tomb of the Painted Sarchophagus in the Ayia Triadha Cemetery
5 April: Evan Communes with Nature at the Ayia Triadha Cemetery
5 April: Exiting Ayia Triadha, via Olive Grove
5 April: The Minoan Palace at Phaistos
5 April: Kari in a Lustral Basin at Phaistos
5 April: Group Photo in Lustral Basin at Phaistos
5 April: The Central Court at Phaistos
5 April: Melissa Takes a Lunch Break at Phaistos
5 April: Taking a Lunch Break at Phaistos
5 April: Doing Reconstruction Drawings at Phaistos
5 April: Doing Reconstruction Drawings at Phaistos
5 April: Doing Reconstruction Drawings at Phaistos
5 April: Doing Reconstruction Drawings at Phaistos
5 April: Doing Reconstruction Drawings at Phaistos
5 April: Doing Reconstruction Drawings at Phaistos
5 April: Doing Reconstruction Drawings at Phaistos
5 April: Professor Christesen Takes a Break at Phaistos
5 April: Ani at Phaistos
5 April: Looking North from Phaistos
5 April: Looking North from Phaistos
5 April: Mike Completes the Column Trilogy at Gortyn
5 April: Rebecca Explores the Church of St. Titus at Gortyn
5 April: Leslie Explores the Church of St. Titus at Gortyn
5 April: Evan Shooting for the True Grunge Catalog at Gortyn
5 April: Evan Doubles Up on Orange Fanta at Gortyn
5 April: Evan, Sarah, and Mike at Gortyn
5 April: Greenery at Gortyn
5 April: Greenery at Gortyn
5 April: Greenery at Gortyn
5 April: Greenery at Gortyn
5 April: Greenery at Gortyn
5 April: Time to Return to Herakleion and Catch the Boat to Athens
5 April: Taking a Quiz on the Iliad, on the Boat to Athens
5 April: Liz on the Boat to Athens
5 April: Chris Samples One of Crete's Finest Vintages, on the Boat to Athens