--- /dev/null
+---
+postid: 07b
+title: Ηράκλειο
+date: October 17, 2018
+author: Lucian Mogoșanu
+tags: in-the-flesh
+---
+
+So this past two months I've, in some order or another: been sucked into
+heathendom and its tar pits, came out of it, spent little to no time
+touching computers, spent more time away from the place I call home than
+near it (in three other places -- or four, maybe five, since we're still
+counting), saw places, met people, said a "fuck this, I'm gonna take
+this backpack[^1] and fly away" more than once, and a few other very
+important stuff which I shan't recount here. So this is how I, for
+starters, ended up in southern Greece, on this very nice island where
+all the Cretans live[^2]. And while this wasn't my first time in Greece,
+it was my first time going there this decade and the first time I got
+closer to Istanbul, Antalya or Nicosia than [Bucharest][lacul-morii]. I
+guess that has to count for something, so let's see how this first trip
+of mine went!
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-01.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-01-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Above: a bunch of things gathered together, as seen from a vantage point
+somewhere in Heraklion. The buildings at the left of this photo hide the
+town centre, with its taverns and boutiques and all the soulless tourist
+stuff, only this time with an actual soul: the place is quite lively in
+the late afternoons and evenings, when the cafés are full, the children
+are playing around and some guy is sitting at the edge of a fountain,
+pouring some popanglosong out of his guitar and his mouth, only with a
+pronounced Greek accent.
+
+The central piece of the photo above is, as I suppose you have well
+noticed, the Mediterranean. The northern part of the town is separated
+from the sea by a small gulf hosting a bunch of yachts, itself separated
+from the sea by a pier. Below: a photo of the gulf and the pier in
+question.
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-02.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-02-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Smack dab in the middle of the pier, one can see a fortress. And much
+like [that other one][citadel], this one was also part of -- and in fact
+founded by -- a group calling itself a Most Serene Republic. Only from
+the looks of it, this one was much better preserved, which makes it a
+lovely sight.
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-03.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-03-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-04.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-04-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-05.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-05-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-06.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-06-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Above: the town, the sea, the pier. Below: the eastern part of
+Heraklion, as seen from far away. Somewhere in the far plane there's a
+small, white, round object hiding -- very probably a radome, possibly
+from the airport.
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-07.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-07-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-08.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-08-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Above, another shot of the fortress on the pier. Yes, the thing above on
+the wall is the Venetian lion. Pictured below: a shore that is
+definitely not located in Heraklion.
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-09.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-09-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Speaking of which, if you haven't tried Mediterranean foods by now,
+you've no idea what you've been missing. Yes the seafood is great, but
+that aside, even cheapfoods such as the ol' boring tzatziki and gyros
+are a joy to the palate when served in the right venue. Not to mention
+that they're very easy to prepare at home, given the right ingredients.
+
+Further below, some photos of the palace -- though whether it was
+actually a palace or not remains a point of debate -- of
+Knossos. There's more where that came from, and I'm not going to insist
+on this particular photo session. First because most of the cool objects
+from Knossos are now in the archaeological museum in Heraklion, which I
+have indeed visited. However, I didn't take any photos of the cool
+objects, as I was way too charmed by the guide, a woman in her forties
+who gave an excellent account of (pre)historical Crete, as dumbed down
+as that was.
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-10.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-10-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-11.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-11-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-12.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-12-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+The second reason for my lack of interesting archaeological photos is
+that Knossos was full of orcs. I don't know how I'm supposed to imagine
+myself in 2000BC when the place is swarming with people dressed in
+jeans, most of them loud as fuck and standing in the way, both
+physically, and that of actually enjoying the thing. So no, that's not
+an archaeological site, it's a shitshow.
+
+And in more modern shitshows, a snek.
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-13.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-13-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-14.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-14-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Above, the very same view from the vantage point, only this time a storm
+was brewin', yarr! Fortunately, the weather got better later that day,
+and I took off and, well:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-15.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-15-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-16.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/10/heraklion-16-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Above, another shore that was definitely not located in Heraklion. All
+in all, that's all that I (unfortunately!) managed to get through the
+lens this time. Τα λέμε!
+
+[^1]: And this is how I once again find out that a 30L backpack can
+ easily fit all the necessaries for travelling, plus some extra
+ junk. My guess is that this volume can be reduced by at least 5L,
+ maybe more, assuming a place to wash clothes and dry them -- which
+ brings us more into the 15-25L range [suggested][bingology] by
+ well-traveled Republicans. Not being much of a nomad myself, I
+ can't say I'm very eager to try out this "life style", but on the
+ other hand it's quite something to get the perspective of how much
+ one *doesn't* really need in order to enjoy their time on this
+ Earth.
+
+ Life, y'know.
+
+[^2]: This is such a horrible, horrible pun, and how long I've waited to
+ make it!
+
+[bingology]: http://bingology.net/2018/09/21/notes-for-republican-pioneers-roughly-9-ish-months-in/
+[lacul-morii]: /posts/y04/077-lacul-morii.html
+[citadel]: /posts/y04/068-the-story-of-the-citadel.html
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