Heraklion - capital of Crete

The large Greek island of Crete was not supposed to be the second destination on the cruise, in fact it wasn’t listed at all as a stopping off point. The ship was steering a course towards the island of Mykonos, when two days before our scheduled arrival, the captain announced that with no available berth for Queen Victoria, at the island, the ship would need to anchor offshore. In such situations, passengers are normally transferred in small boats, or tenders, to and from the offshore anchorage. Unfortunately, due to adverse weather conditions forecast for Mykonos, the strong winds and choppy seas would prevent the ship’s company from conducting a safe operation, so we would be heading off, elsewhere.

The captain and the Cunard support staff had secured us a spot instead on Crete, at the port of Heraklion, on the same date and at the same time, so instead we would be spending our second day ashore, on what is the largest of the many Greek islands. The situation regarding Mykonos, wasn’t a huge surprise, because the island is regarded as something of a party destination, a fact that was confirmed by the tour guide we had, in Athens, the following day. Spending a day on Crete was something of a bonus for me, if only for the name, as the bungalow I lived in with my parents, between the ages of 14 and 18, was called “Crete,” and it was a destination I always wanted to visit.

So, at around 8am on the morning of 8^th October, the Queen Victoria sailed serenely into the harbour at Heraklion, passing a rather large cruise ship, flying the flag of German tour operator, TUI, Mein Schiff 5, was a bit of a beast, and I imagine from its position in port, that the vessel had arrived a day or so before us – cue the usual sorts of jokes about the Germans getting there early, in order to secure the sunbeds! As well as sentimental, personal reasons for visiting Crete, there is much to see and explore on an island that was home to the ancient Minoan civilisation, which predated that of neighbouring Greece by several centuries. 

Heraklion is the island’s capital, and the entrance to the harbour is guarded by an impressive, and imposing-looking stone port, constructed by the Venetians during the 16^th century.  The Italian city state of Venice was a major power in the Mediterranean, over a period of several centuries, and fortifications such as those at Heraklion, were built to guard the trade routes that the Venetians depended on.

After mooring at the port, and the landing formalities completed, we were free to leave the ship. A fleet of coaches were operating a shuttle service between the ship and the port entrance, but due to an agreement with the local taxi driver’s union, the buses were not allowed to convey passengers into the town centre and back. I appreciate everyone needs to make a living, but the taxis weren’t cheap, charging passengers a €10 fee each way. Had I been on my own, I would have walked it, but Eileen wasn’t up to it, even though it was only an easy, 20–30-minute stroll, each way.

Our driver dropped us at the bottom of the old town, overlooking the aforementioned harbour. The old town of Heraklion is situated on top of a hill that overlooks the harbour, and there were plenty of shops, cafés and bars on either side of the street that leads up from the seafront.  Although some of the shops are devoted to “tourist tat” others do offer other items, such as shoes, or clothing.  On the subject of “tat”, a member of the group Mrs PBT’s and I have been enjoying a few after dinner drinks with, up on Deck 10, has organised a competition to find the tackiest tat going – the winners to be decided on the final night of the cruise.

On our way up, we passed an attractive Greek Orthodox church roughly two thirds of the way up, and at the top of the hill, the street split off into a number of different directions. We noticed the odd high-end shop, including a branch of H&M, but having little interest in such establishments (I am talking about me here), but being Sunday anyway major shops and banks were firmly shut. Of more interest to both of us, was the chance of some liquid refreshment, and here we were spoiled for choice. We opted for a café called Noniteta which in common with the majority of other bars, had plenty of outdoor seating, protected from the fierce Mediterranean sun, by an extensive canvas canopy.  We were directed to a vacant table and ordered ourselves a drink each – iced coffee for Mrs PBT’s, plus a half litre of local beer, brewed elsewhere on the island, for me.

As experienced in Cadiz the other day, it wasn’t long before the café area began to fill up, not just with locals but tourists like us, plus several groups of Germans from the large TUI cruise ship, berthed near us. The food offerings, which were predominantly kebabs looked good, so it was little wonder that the establishment’s slogan was “The Most delicious Gyros in Heraklion.” We were tempted to eat there, especially as this would mean supporting the local economy, but after a large breakfast, and the promise of far more food than we could ever hope to eat, the decision was made to return to the ship.

Before heading back down to the harbour area, we had a good look around at the shops. I was looking for some goodies to take back to my work colleagues and found this in the form of loukoumia, the Greek equivalent of Turkish Delight. One item we couldn’t help but notice, was the rather dangerous looking knives, which were on open sale, on display boards both inside and outside some of the shops. Given the obvious concerns surrounding knife crime, back home in the UK, such a cavalier attitude seemed incredible to us. The hardware store, where Matthew works, keeps all such knives, including kitchen ones, in a locked cabinet, and also operates a “Challenge 25” policy.

The Greeks seem to have a totally different attitude when it comes to safety, and this was further evidenced by the number of people we saw riding on motorbikes and scooters, without wearing crash helmets. This apparent lack of concern was further evident when it came to crossing the road, in order to seek a taxi back to the ship. Fortunately, a kind-hearted local taxi driver came to our rescue. He was waiting for a pre-booked fare, but he gallantly escorted Eileen and I back across the busy, harbour front road, and hailed a taxi for us.

It was another €10 of course, but it transported us safely back to the ship, where a well-stocked buffet was waiting for us. I did feel a trifle guilty, and also felt we were missing out by not having eaten locally, but it was my wife’s decision and as all married men will know, one’s spouse is always right. So, rather like our stop in Spain, our visit to Crete was a rather brief one, but it did give us a taste of the island, and its culture, as well as fulfilling a long-cherished childhood wish. It also represented our first time on Greek soil, for both Mrs PBT’s and me.

Crete is definitely worthy of a much longer visit, and being the largest of the Greek islands offers much of interest to visitors. The partially restored ruins, of the place of Knossos, home to the ancient Minoan civilisation, are just a short drive away from the capital, Heraklion, and there is much else to see and to on the island. Eileen’s niece, and her fiancé have chosen Crete for their honeymoon, when they get married next year, so even after our short visit, we will b able to give them the heads up when we get back.