What can I say????

Well all, I’m completely wiped out and I can’t think of what to write about my trip to Heraklion….So instead of writing an original post I decided to let you all in on my private journal entries for the last two evenings…this should just about say it all!!

9-30-06

So, I’m in Greece…not exactly what I imagined it would be, but I’m not in the touristy places like Athens or Santorini…(where I hope to be for my birthday this year…BP…). Well, I wonder how I can classify my day…Is it ok to say that I had a really good time but I’m lonely? Out of three meals today I had two alone. The only real interaction I had was with two other American girls at breakfast. They are staying the in room next to mine….Ok, I’d better start from the beginning….

I arrived in Greece at 1:30AM this morning. I already had a reservation so I got a taxi from the airport to the Hotel Rea. Now, I was very nervous about this taxi ride. You see…I’d told my mom I’d be fine & I thought for sure that I would be…but somewhere between getting in the car (a Mercedes by the way…most all the taxies here are luxury cars) and backing down a dark alley for what seemed like 15 minutes, but was actually more like 2, I thought I might be in trouble….However, the driver was completely nice and he even broke a 50 for me which I’ve heard they are not likely to do. The guy at the reception desk (which I can only describe as the most attractive male I’ve ever seen) helped me to my room I was in for the night. The place is less than adequate I’d say, most people I know wouldn’t stay here! However, I didn’t find it dirty but just old and foreign. Whatever…I’d make do. I was so tired by that point that I could have slept in the street!

Well, I woke up the next morning and gave myself an Italian shower…but I manage to wash my hair & headed downstairs for some breakfast. That is when I met Sarie and Sara. They are studying in Athens and told me about some cool signs here in Heraklion.

I headed first to the water and I’ve since discovered that I am not actually on the Mediterranean but rather on the Sea of Crete. Still it is sparkling and the most beautiful water this girl has ever seen!



Ok…I should stop here…because, I need to preface the rest of this entry with something I’ve long known about myself….I’M A REALLY BIG NERD….most people come to Crete for a piece of the good life…party in the fast lane, but that is something I rarely do w/ friends and I’m certainly not going to a club (or disco as they are called here) by myself. Instead I came to see all the historical stuff and the beauty. I saw the Venetian fortress…(see attached pic)



and the 4 lion fountain. In there somewhere I did some shopping of course, and they headed to the archeological museum. This holds mostly artifacts from the Minoan civilization. Apparently the Minoans had they societies leveled three times (here’s where your history lesson comes in…keep reading…) by an earthquake, a tidal wave formed by the eruption of ancient Santorini, & and invasion. Each time they rebuilt…The Palace at Knossos show layers of all these rebuilds. Most of this now resides in the archeological museum. However, what I found the most interesting about the Minoans was also what saddened me the most…It is interesting to see their way of life and everything but most of what has survived are their idols and pieces used in the worship of those idols. These Minoans lived even thousands of years before Christ. After seeing all today it isn’t any wonder that God chose to send His Son to this earth. And it also made me wonder what part of my life will be seen after I’m gone which shows the worship of modern day idols (money, possessions, etc.) over the Living God!

Ok, so maybe alone isn’t always such a bad thing. Sometimes it’s needed for quiet reflection. As I sat alone at dinner tonight I thought about the beauty of today and I believe that God sent me here this weekend to reflect on what He means in my life and how I can show that to others.

10-01-06

Well, my day is nearly over & I’m on the way home from Greece. I guess it’s a sign that I’ve made Switzerland my home, at least for now, because I found myself longing to hear German instead of Greek. Does this mean I’ve finally given in and decided I’m in this for the long haul?!
Today was interesting! I woke up early to pack, eat breakfast, and check out of the hotel. Things were going rather smoothly, I must admit, to have been on this vacation by myself. While at breakfast I heard the other American girls upstairs checking out as well. I also overhear that they hotel has lost one of their passports. For an American this is a HUGE PROBLEM. I sit there very thankful that it wasn’t me…I finished my meal & went upstairs fro my final look around & to grab my packed bags. I opened my wallet with the information and for some unknown reason I flipped open my passport to find that I had Sarie’s and not my own! At this point I’m in a bit of a panic. I hurried downstairs to the office and explained what happened. Thankfully, they did still have mine at the desk. As BP will attest I’m completely nuts about my passport. If I ever lost it I’d be hysterical. It turns out that she and I were wearing very similar things in the photos, and our hair looked the same…In fact it was very hard to tell the photos apart altogether!

The rest of my day was rather uneventful compared to that excitement. Once again I played the nerd card and visited something old! This time I went to the ruins of the Minoan Palace of Knossos. Completely fascinating! There are no other words. These people lived thousands of years ago but they had invented air conditioning of sorts and even had indoor plumbing, which worked much like today’s systems. We were able to see the remains of some of the old palace (burnt as a result of the earthquake) & even the destruction by the English archeologist about 100 years ago. He had it in his mind to reconstruct using concrete and the delicate, original stone is crushed underneath taking with it pieces of history that can now never be discovered!

On a separate note, I wonder why I never had this passion for knowledge before…could have been useful in high school or college!

So the structure was beautiful, the frescos (even though they are recreations) were beautiful and the island as a whole was beautiful!! The people were extremely accommodating; however, they were also very reserved. They city of Heraklion was not at all what I expected Greece to be. It was dusty and the streets were very dirty. It reminded me of what I picture the Middle East to look like. Perhaps I’ve gotten the wrong impression. Perhaps the place is quite lovely and I just need someone to explore it with me…all I know Is that I think 2 days is enough, I know my next trip to Greece will not be to Crete, & I am ready to be home in Zurich!!



Ok all…that’s what I have for this post…hope you enjoy my randomness and the pictures.

Love and blessings…

LuLu