We made a later start this morning, assembling in the Infamous Muses Lounge (IML) of the Royal Olympian. Gabriele led us on a brief walking tour of Heraklion, the ancient port city of Crete. Evidence abounds of Venetian control of the island during the Rennaisance. We passed beneath one of the long, open-aired arched Arsenali buildings that served as dry docks in the 15th & 16th centuries. Remnants of the city’s fortifications stood as a testimony to the might of the Venetians, who were able to defend the island against the siege of Ottoman invaders for a mind-boggling 21 years. In 1669, the Venetians were defeated, bringing the Cretan War to an end and the island under Ottoman control.

The second stop on our walking tour was the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Titus. Just looking at the architecture of the building, it was clear that it had originally been built as a mosque. As Gabrielle explained, the original structure that stood on the site was, indeed, a church of Saint Titus, built sometime in the 10th century. When the island fell under Ottoman control, the building was converted into a mosque. That structure was destroyed by an earthquake 1856, and the Ottomans rebuilt the mosque in its current form. When the Turks left the island in the 1920’s, the mosque was converted into the Church of Saint Titus. Although the building is relatively modern, the woodwork was exquisite! Jeff recounted for us Paul’s words in Titus, “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you” (1:5-9). Titus is recognized as the first bishop of the church. The English word, “bishop” is a transliteration of the Greek word, “ἐπίσκοπος,” which means, “overseer:” ἐπίσκοπος → episkopos → episcopal → bishop.

Gabriele led us further into the town of Heraklion, pointing out structures that remained from the time of the Venetians. The stately Loggia dates from the 17th Century and somehow survived the centuries of war that have plagued this strategic island since its contruction.

Harry, Cathy and I ended the morning with a delightful bougatsa (custard pastry) and cappuccino at Kirkor cafe. After posting some photos, I made a run for the ship and had to wait in a long line to board. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the charmingly crafty Hartley, cutting his way into the front of the line. His power of flustered persuasion borders on the supernatural — a Jedi mind trick, nurtured within the Bermuda Triangle!

At 4:15 PM, we began to approach the island of Santorini, a volcanic wonder. We were tendered by ferry onto the island, where we caught the cable car to the top of the cliff. Martha, Parks, Jo Anna, Jerry, Grayson and I made our way up the winding walkway that skirts the edge of the cliff to take in the beauty of the city, cliffs and bay. Later on, I joined Maxwell, Amanda, Sarah, and Nancy at a cliffside restaurant for a drink. Sarah treated me to a delicious Greek IPA (which I proceeded to spill while gesticulating during the retelling of a story). My destructive enthusiasm aside, it was a delightful end to the day.