View from the yarn closet

Festos (or Phaistos) is a Minoan city or palace. It is the second largest in Crete, after Knossos. We didn't go to Knossos, and we really just went to Festos when we realized we were driving by it on the way to the conference that we were really in Crete for the husband to attend. The funny thing is that once we arrived, the husband started spouting loads of information about the archaeological digs. There is just no telling what is in that brain of his... It's always such a surprise!

We didn't do any formal tour. We didn't even read the brochure carefully. Instead, we admired the layout and remains of what was obviously a luxurious place to live, a long time ago. Between the husband's archaeological information and my Near Eastern studies degree (heck, I remembered something from all those required courses as an undergraduate) we had a very lighthearted self-guided tour.

The view, above, is probably very close to what it used to be, and it is amazing.


Also, there are these huge storage rooms, filled with Amphorae. These are not the best looking ones, the best Minoan small finds ended up in the museum in Iraklion, a city in Crete. Even so, they were impressive.


This is the only photo of the two of us on this trip...and if you look carefully, you can see the husband pointing and saying to me: "Look Honey! It's the yarn storage closet!" (Yes, I'm currently a bit overstocked in the yarn department, but no worries, I obviously have him well-trained...)

We hopped back into the car and drove across Crete towards the conference, held at the Orthodox Academy of Crete. On the way, I did happen to pick up some more yarn in Rethimnon, along with some very yummy gyros for only 2 Euro each! More on that another time...now, on to the big butterfly genetics conference. Here is part of the view from our room at the Academy.

I could see this (and more) from our balcony. During this week long conference, I slept, read, knit, sunbathed on a rocky beach, and talked to bright and interesting scientists from all over the world. France, Scotland, New Zealand, Iran, India, Japan, China...those butterfly people come from all over, and they were fascinating. Oh, and I ate. The food was very good. More tomorrow!