World Cruise 2017 Day 91 Iraklion, Crete, Greece

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Today the ship arrived at Iraklion, Greece at 8 AM.  At 8:30 AM I left on a tour called "Lassithi Plateau".  We left for a drive thru the countryside of Crete.  We drive thru the area of Mt. Dikti in the easternmost of the three great mountain ranges of Crete to an elevation of 3,000 feet.  The first stop was at 9:40 at the Monastery of Kera, which was built in the 17^th century and was dedicated to the Virgin of Kera.  At 10:10 AM we left for the Lassithi plateau.  It is a flat area of good land between mountains on all sides.  In the village of Tzermiado we stopped at 10:50 AM for a drink and snack.  At 12 noon we left for the drive back to Iraklion where we arrived at 1:10 PM.  Tonight Lorraine Brown a singer was the show after dinner.

Heraklion also Iraklion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete. It is the fourth largest city in Greece. According to the results of the 2011 census, the population of the city proper was 140,730 inhabitants, the municipality's was 173,993 while the Heraklion urban area has a population of 225,574 and it extends over an area of 684.3 km² (264.2 sq mi).

Heraklion is the capital of Heraklion regional unit.

Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, 88th-largest island in the world and the fifth-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsica. Crete and a number of surrounding islands and islets constitute the region of Crete, one of the 13 top-level administrative units of Greece. The capital and the largest city is Heraklion. As of 2011, the region had a population of 623,065.

Crete forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece, while retaining its own local cultural traits (such as its own poetry and music). It was once the centre of the Minoan civilization(c. 2700–1420 BC), which is currently regarded as the earliest recorded civilization in Europe.

The Keras Kardiotissas Monastery or simply Keras Monastery is an Eastern Orthodox monastery dedicated to Virgin Mary that is situated near the village of Kera of the Heraklion regional unit in Crete, Greece. It is built on the north slopes of Mt. Dikti, at an altitude of 650 m and a location that is approximately 50 km east of Heraklion, next to the road to Lasithi Plateau.

The Lasithi Plateau, sometimes spelt Lassithi Plateauis a high endorheic plateau, located in the Lasithi regional unit in eastern Crete, Greece. Since the 1997 Kapodistrias reform, it is a municipality whose seat is its largest village, Tzermiado. The municipality has an area of 129.976 km² (50.184 sq mi).

This picture was taken from the bus in Iraklion, Greece.

This picture was taken from the bus in Iraklion, Greece.

This picture was taken from the bus on the way to the Lassithi Plateau.  These are olive trees.

This picture was taken from the bus on the way to the Lassithi Plateau.

This picture was taken from the bus on the way to the Lassithi Plateau.

This picture was taken from the bus on the way to the Lassithi Plateau.  This shows the winding road that the bus was on.

This picture was taken at the stop at the Monastery of Kera.

This picture was taken at the stop at the Monastery of Kera.

This picture was taken at the stop at the Monastery of Kera.

This picture was taken at the stop at the Monastery of Kera.

This picture was taken at the stop at the Monastery of Kera.

This picture was taken at the stop at the Monastery of Kera.

This picture was taken at the stop at the Monastery of Kera.

This picture was taken at the stop at the Monastery of Kera.

This picture was taken at the stop at the Monastery of Kera.  This is the book store at the Monastery.

This picture was taken from the bus on the way to the Lassithi Plateau.

This picture was taken from the bus on the way to the Lassithi Plateau.

This picture was taken from the bus on the way to the Lassithi Plateau.

This picture was taken at a stop in the village of Tzermiado where we had a snack..

This picture was taken at a stop in the village of Tzermiado.  These are old windmills.

This picture was taken at a stop in the village of Tzermiado where we stopped for a skack.

This picture was taken at a stop in the village of Tzermiado.

This picture was taken on the way back to the ship at the port in Iraklion, Greece. 

This picture was taken on the way back to the ship at the port in Iraklion, Greece. 

This picture was taken on the way back to the ship at the port in Iraklion, Greece. 

This picture was taken from the ship of Iraklion, Greece. 

This picture was taken from the ship of Iraklion, Greece. 

This picture was taken from the ship of Iraklion, Greece.