Our World Voyage Continues in the Mediterranean Sea to Crete, Greece

Thank you for joining us again as I continue to remember our World Voyage.  How could I possibly forget this adventure of a lifetime?  After going through the Strait of Gibraltar we merrily sailed along the crystal waters of the Mediterranean.  The sun shining on the water reminds me of what my late sister used to call "diamonds on the sea."

 There were three more sea days to enjoy ourselves before we reached our next port of call.  We love sea days on Queen Mary 2.  Lazily enjoying all that is offered is so relaxing to us.  Our morning walks on the Promenade starts our days off wonderfully as the weather was so nice and warm on our faces.  The Mediterranean is quite deep in places.  The Captain reminds us that we are now sailing in 8,000 feet deep waters.  There are other places as we sail toward the Ionian Sea that is over 16,000 feet deep. 

The Mediterranean sunsets were so lovely and we always tried to view the beauty when the night fell and the sun said goodnight to another glorious day!

 

We eagerly awaited our next port of call when early morning sounds indicated that the harbor pilot had arrived to guide us safely into the port of Heraklion, Greece on the island of Crete.  These harbor pilots board large ships at every port and guide them safely through their channels.  They are highly qualified individuals and are usually former captains of ships themselves.  It is a fascinating process watching them board QM2 so expertly!  

The early dawn showed the promise of a lovely day in Heraklion, Greece.  

Looking out our balcony we eagerly await the all clear to go ashore and explore this lovely island of Crete on a tour we booked.  Being the largest island of Greece, Crete is between the Aegean and the Libyan Sea.   We are docked in the capital city of Heraklion.

  The Koules Fortress that was built by the Republic of Venice still stands in this port city.  Being built in the early 16th century it still stands guard.  A testimony to the skill of early building practices.

We headed out on our tour with a bus load of passengers from the QM2.  The island of Crete is lovely with all the mountains shining against the lovely sky.  Olive trees are everywhere we look as we travel along the highways.  Our tour guide tells us that everyone has olive trees planted on their property.  She says that parents pass down their land to their children and the more olive trees the more value it is to them.

We took a lovely winding road up to Arkadi Monastery.  This Eastern Orthodox monastery sits high upon a plateau in southeastern Crete.  The area of Mt. Ida is renowned as it's the legendary childhood home of Zeus.  Zeus is considered the god of the sky and thunder in the ancient Greek religion. 

 This monastery dates from the 14th century and is dedicated to Saint Constantine.  

We walked into the church, which asked that no photos be taken, and were struck by its simple beauty.  After visiting this house of worship we walked around the monastery.

The ancient buildings that still house a few monks were so interesting.  It was a very chilly afternoon up on this plateau.  The sun made us feel warm against this lovely sky!

There was an ancient olive tree here as well.

The contrast of the colors against the azure skies was stunning.

This monastery had many places that afforded quiet reflection.

I loved these lovely old doors!

The back of the monastery had these lovely pergolas.  I wonder what would be blooming on them in spring.

We walked along the building that housed the rooms that the monks use for educational purposes and sleeping.

These old olive pots look so nice along this cobbled area.  

We saw several kitties lounging in the sunshine in Arkadi monastery before it was time to get back on the bus and continue our tour.

Our tour guide then took us to the harbor town of Rethymnon to experience this charming village by the sea.  The cobbled streets and small alleyways was just lovely.  Before our guide let us explore on our own she took us to the original Rimondi fountain that served the town and built for the population to use in 1626.

The shuttered windows were on many homes and businesses.

We decided to take a walk down to the sea before we left this little village.  

Grayden and I still wore our masks on all of our tours, but when we had the space we took them off to take photos.

I was so thrilled to pass this beautiful lighthouse, though it is no longer operational.  This lighthouse was built during the Egyptian occupation of Crete in 1830 when the Turks handed Crete to the Egyptians.  In 1864 this lighthouse was handed over to the French Lighthouse Company.  

The shoreline was so beautiful, we stopped to drink it all in!

Coming to Crete was a dream come true for Grayden and I.  I hope you enjoyed looking at some of our photos as much as we enjoyed sharing them with you.  Thank you for looking at our adventures on our World Voyage!