No Justice

... just us.

Iraklion, Crete.

An unusually philosophical piece of street art. A bleak realisation of an indifferent universe and yet also an affirmation of the importance of each other and the things we do in this life. Notice the layers of meaning in doing this vibrant piece on a derelict building?

Seeing this on the way from the hotel to the bus terminal, stopped me in my tracks. What a surprise to find a piece of art like this on a street corner. More art needs to be free like this instead of being locked up in museums.

On the other hand, it could be the local gangstas claiming their turf. Don't look for any police here :-)

Diaspora

Chinese restaurant, Iraklion, Crete.

A happy Chinese New Year to everyone!

Just a few days in Greece, and already LC had a craving for Chinese food. We were lucky enough to find a tiny Chinese restaurant in the old town. Just two small tables and a counter. So small I thought that the stairs at the back led to more tables upstairs. Only seeing the cook's wide eyed little girl padding down the stairs in her socks, clued me in that the cook's family lived up there. LC played with the little girl, and we found out that her dad was from Vietnam. They were the only Asians we had seen on the island so far. A long way from home.

Singapore Fried Rice and curry on the menu!

The Tower

Iraklion, Crete.

Air Assault

Iraklion, Crete.

Our trek along the city walls led us back to the town center at sunset, where masses of birds where wheeling and flocking around the city. Their numbers darkened the sky. One of the largest islands in the Mediterranean, Crete is a favoured stop for birds migrating between Europe and Africa.

Over 60 years ago, during World War II, Crete faced an aerial armada of a different kind when German paratroops launched what was then the largest airborne invasion ever attempted. After a closely fought battle, the Germans took over an airfield which allowed them to resupply their troops and eventually capture the island. Crete is a mountainous, rocky place. A nightmare for an airborne landing. The German losses were so great that for the rest of the war they never again attempted an airborne invasion.

Back in modern Crete, I too was experiencing an aerial assault. One of the myriads of birds circling overhead scored a direct hit with its droppings on my most expensive lens. Oh shit! seemed appropriate.

Model Church

View from the city walls, Iraklion, Crete.

The old town of Irakleon is surrounded by medieval city walls which still tower over most of the more modern buildings in town. This is the view from the western walls looking towards the harbour. LC and I spent an hour looking for an entrance to get up to the top of the wall. After a false start scrambling up a steep slope behind abandoned buildings and beating a hasty retreat from a rowdy group of men gambling in a hidden plateau on the slope, we finally found the wall's terminus next to sea.

We had found our objective for the rest of the afternoon; hiking around the top of the wall to circumnavigate the city. Every kilometer or so there are outflung bastions. These medieval fortifications provide a vantage point where defending archers could sweep the curtain walls with arrow fire. This picture was taken along the wall between the Pantokratoros and Bethlehem Bastions, I think.

These walls weren't just for show, Irakleon withstood a siege by the Turks lasting 21 years before surrendering in 1669. It is hard to imagine how these massive fortifications could have been overcome by force of arms of even the most determined attacker, especially since the defenders could be supplied by sea. In fact, military might alone was not sufficient to defeat the city. A traitor betrayed the weak points of the defence.