Sunday - to the seaside

We got up to cloudy sky and poor visibility, but still warm, so no complaints, and we drove off to Gortyna and Phaistos, which is another Minoan site. We needed cash (everyone wants cash and tells us they can’t take credit cards, I suppose because it’s easier to dodge tax.)  There seems rather a dearth of ATMs , compared with England at any rate, and when we eventually spotted one it wasn’t working. So it was a relief to spot one in a scruffy little town in the mountains, and even more of a relief when it worked. There was also a general store and we needed water, fruit and, ideally, some sticking plasters , as I’ve got a slightly sore patch on my foot. But the only box of plasters was opened. To our amusement, the lady behind the counter made it clear that sticking plasters are sold by the piece not the packet. So we bought four plasters and some local honey, as it seemed that we would be being positively rude if we left without any.

By the time we got to Gortyna it was really getting hot and the clouds had disappeared.  So we slapped on the suncream and saw what there is to see. It was the capital of Roman Crete and obviously covered a very large area, a lot of which is not excavated as it’s under ancient olive groves and a village.

                            A bit of Gortyna, in an olive tree.

What you can see is the odeon, which was pretty complete, though not as complete as the one in Amman. But on the back wall, there is inscribed the code of law. It’s massive, and deals with marriage and inheritance as well as crime. As far as I could make out the punishments seemed to be fines. What happened if you couldn’t pay the fine wasn’t specified, but it must have happened. For example, rape of a slave, male or female, cost you 5 whatever the coinage was. But rape of a free person cost you 100. However, if a slave raped a free person, it cost the slave 200. So then I spent the rest of the day wondering if a slave could conceivably have paid up, and if not, what they did to him.

                    The odeon - the laws are under the brick arches at the rear.

The other main site was a very early Christian basilica, about 250 A.D. founded by Titus, Paul’s disciple, as in the epistles. I got quite excited about that. It wasn’t quite as good as walking along “the street called Straight” in Damascus, but pretty good. A bit along the road was a small chapel over the tombs of ten Christian martyrs, from 250 A.D. That was quite exciting too. 

The graves of the ten martyrs.

  

Phaistos was  only understandable if one had been to Knossos and the museum. But as we had, it was very interesting. It’s very similar to Knossos. They both make me think of Gormenghast; massive efforts put into rituals rather than life itself, and all sorts of people under the same roof, although in Gormenghast  the craftsmen lived outside – here, even they, with their mess and furnaces, are inside the complex.  It is a labyrinth, too, with scores of tiny rooms.

Phaestos North Courtyard with processional way.

By this time it was really hot – I really wouldn’t like to visit in summer – and we still had to visit the third Minoan site, Agia Triada, which is down a hill, so quite a lot of stairs to return to the car. We’ve got the hang of Minoan sites now, but they are still strange. This one had much more obvious water supply and drainage arrangements than Phaistos.

Then to Vori, where there is a really interesting small museum of Cretan everyday life. There were some wonderful photos, including photos of the partisans and S.A.S. men who kidnapped the German commander. Fifty Cretans, who had nothing to do with the kidnap, were shot as a result. There was every sort of everyday living and craft working implement, all very well displayed. It was much better than I’m making it sound. We had a very late lunch, Cretan salad which is Greek salad with extra bits like egg and capers, which really hit the spot.

We drove on over the mountains which are spectacular, but sadly we’ve missed the wild flowers we hoped to see. We must be just a bit too late. All there is, is some broom nearly finished, and lots of oleander.

Finally we arrived at our destination, Aghia Pavlos, and it’s a triumph, a beautiful cove, very quiet as the road ends here, and a lovely hotel/taverna. I’ve already had a super swim, and now we’re off to eat.