Christmas Knits

Since the summer, I've been knitting off and on for Christmas gifts. Here they are. Actually, the first photo is cheating, because I made these last year for a friend, but I made them in exactly the same pattern and color this year too (but didn't take a picture).
Long "One-Row Scarf" for a grand-daughter (pattern courtesy of Pat and the Yarn Harlot). I have finished it but don't have a photo of the completed piece.Earwarmer hat for a grandson. Socks with a bit of Fair Isle for a son.A swap party gift. This is the Dudester scarf, for my Dude.I used some of the cashmere yarn that I unraveled from a sweater to make this scarf for a friend.Baby Surprise for a grand-daughter.And lots of tiny socks to put into Christmas cards.
I've started a couple of things for myself now - a pair of ruffled wristies using sock yarn, and a scarf of wonderful Noro colors.

Rethymnon - Dating to the 16th Century and Beyond

Rethymnon is tucked in between the sea and the hills. I took this from the coach as we approached the city from above. Rethymnon has a 12-kilometer sandy beach, and lots of vacationers. The harbor was fortified by the Venetians in the 14th century. The port walls they built have been restored. Here's the modern harbor area, with restaurants, shops and dwellings (with balconies, of course). To the west, we have a view of distant hills. These streets had everything a vacationer or tourist might need or want. One of the oldest streets in the city, leading up to the Fortezza on the hill. The fort was built in 1590 to protect the city from pirates and Turks. It may have formerly been the site of a Venetian fort and an even older acropolis. This view shows only a small portion of the extensive walls. The entrance to an abandoned courtyard. What a wonderful idea for an unused doorway! Another terrific lunch in a restaurant overlooking the harbor.
The chef likes to display the seafood specialties.

Knossos - a Minoan site

Here's a view of the Greek hillside town approaching Knossos. The inevitable tourist shops outside the entrance to the ruins of the Minoan palace of Knossos. Signs in English, of course.I bought the booklet with much better photos than I could possible take, but these are my own, and valuable for that reason. Minoan civilization lasted over 1500 years, from 2600 BC to 1100 BC. Leading to the Labyrinth and the Minotaur, perhaps? The site was certainly labyrinthine, with over 1500 rooms, many interconnected, on several levels. We were only able to see a small portion of the site. The entrance to the Throne Room.And inside the Throne Room, with restored frescoes. The famous fresco of Cretan bull dancing. This is a copy, the original is in a museum.A view from the top. The nearby museum had a collection of antiquities found at Knossos. These are clay figurines. And painted clay pots and pitchers. A sarcophagus with painted scenes depicting funeral rites.
And gold jewelry I would happily wear today.

Gortys, Metala, Phaistos

Gortys, also known as Gortyna, was the chief city of Crete during the Roman period. The site was large and spread out, as the city walls were said to be six miles long. We visited this Odeon area with a small theatre. The building behind was the Court, and contains the Roman Law Code inscribed on the walls. This is what remains of the Basilica of St. Titus, built in the Christian era AD, and marks the site where he was martyred. This is what remains on the other side of the Basilica. It was destroyed by the Arabs in 824.According to Greek legend, Zeus married Europa under a tree in Gortys, but probably not one of these two, although they were huge.Next came lunch, as a restaurant in the touristy and hippie town of Metala.This is the view from the left side of the restaurant. And this is the view from the right side. Those are caves in the rocks, right near the lovely sandy beach.
A little shopping followed lunch. A visit to the site of the ancient Minoan palace of Phaistos was next. It dates to 1990 BC, and was destroyed around 1700 BC.
The roofing protects ongoing archaelogical research.

This is a copy (which I bought) of a large disk found at Phaistos, with writing still undeciphered.This is a view of the Messara plain, from Phaistos. There are wind turbines on the hill.
Not a cloud in the sky all day, and for most of the two weeks as well.