Gortyn is the Roman site. I say Roman but the Roman ruins here are very new, even newer is the Basilica of St. Titus (the really big church with only the apse remaining). St. Titus brought Christianity to Crete under the direction of St. Paul. An older part of Gortyn is from the Greek Dorians. The Romans preserved part of that city inside a Roman covered walk way, (because it was so old and important) called the Law Code of Gortyn. The picture of the Greek writing on the stones is the law code. The Dorians were none other than Spartan conquerers from Sparta, this was around 800 to 300 BC. The Dorians were a grim bunch, not as lively as the Minoans, the really old guys that lived in Gortyn from about 2900-1150 BC. So the Minoans were about as far back in time from the Romans as we are from the Romans. Then in 900 AD the Saracens came and destroyed the whole thing. Too bad.
Festos and Agia Triadha are Minoan sites. Except that Agia Triadha is somewhat covered by some Greek Mycenaean construction projects. Festos is a palace rumored to be the home of King Minos' brother. King Minos being the ruler at Knossos. Festos and Agia Triadha have spectacular stairways that you can actually walk on.
We stopped in a lovely mountain town called Spilli on our way home. There are many hiking trails that lead into the mountains from there and springs that feed a refreshing fountain. Also, what looked like a seminary or Greek Orthodox school of some sort.
We've been going swimming after I get home from work each day. It's great exercise and very refreshing except when you get out of the salt water, are sticky with salt and get some sand stuck to you. But nothing that a nice shower won't take care of and a nice meal with a glass of wine.
So those are our travels from last weekend. You might ask what challenges? TECHNOLOGY! First there was our malfunctioning remote keyboard with the annoying flashing blue light that stopped working. So we were crippled by having to used a dreaded touch screen keyboard. I am reduced to hunting and pecking on those types of keyboards. Come to find out it had some thing to do with a blue tooth setting. I for one have white teeth. From whence came this blue tooth thing? Then there was the challenge of getting pictures from my incredibly complicated smart phone (that becomes dumb in my hands and came with no instructions I might add) to the iPad. Figured that out a couple days ago, only to find out that something mysterious happened to my smart phone (likely exacerbated by the dumb operator I admit) that caused my phone to be locked out of our WiFi. After much staring at my phone and trying many things, I finally decided to try the Password listed on the sticker on the Wireless transmitter, after all one message I got asked for the password. Smart you might think. But not so. I then go in search of the box that the Wireless came in to get the phone number so that I can call for help. This number gets you to a Greek language menu, and if you push "9" and are not calling from a land line you might get someone that can hear you and can speak English. After three calls, you ask your question and are told to use the set of numbers and letters beside the "WPA" and not the set of numbers and letters beside the word "Password" even though the phone asked for a "PASSWORD". Well any way, I did get the pictures off my phone and my camera into the iPad so that I could attach them to this Blog!
The last picture is an example of someone taking the law into their own hands. This sign is at the end of our block. I have notice that some people sometimes stop at it! So there is hope.
Wait, so you did get the keyboard working? Beautiful pictures by the way!
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