Iraklion, Greece

Iraklion, Greece on the Island of Crete          April 6, 2017

Larry and I enjoyed visiting Iraklion back in 2013 going to its number one historical spot, the Palace of Knossos, the cradle of Europe’s first civilizations, the Minoans dating 7000-3000 BC….Now that was a long time ago!

Today we were taking the city tour. Iraklion is Greece’s fifth largest city.  

During breakfast we enjoyed watching the busy harbor’s ferry boats going to outlying islands as well as the huge container ships unloading.

Passing through the Port Authority Building, we spotted a nice display of the birds in this region. 

                            The mountain in the background had some remaining snow from winter.

    

                Our tour took us by the Venetian Fort, Koules that was closed for renovations.

                                                        

 We passed the marina and...

                                                                  .....the fish market.

We enjoyed a short ride to the countryside taking in the green mountainside of olive and citrus groves.

Iraklion’s main sights were wedged between the waterfront and the old city walls.

Mosque

Two gates that enter  and leave the walled part of
the city.

Iraklion is a somewhat hectic place with roaring motorbike and bustling city buses that are taking the citizens to and fro.  

                          We walked into the City Center to the famous Lion Square Fountain.

Morozini Fountain, built by the Venetians in 1629

Narrow side streets, old stone buildings and cobblestone streets were the sites of the day.

The area was definitely a café society…. cafes were everywhere. We settled into one and just kicked back to watch the locals.....

Sometimes you just gotta stop and smell the roses.

We enjoyed our day in Iraklion. What a bustling city!