European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 4, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Medi Tarr amp Naan Diar classical tour of a classical country , by Steve Snyder echoes of Greece still stir. It is impossible to forget the Beauty of the land its turbulent history or the majesty of what its people accomplished. An earlier visit in 1990 proved pleasant enough but lasted Only 10 Days and was. Pretty much limited to the Athens area. This time i had the coins to last three weeks Ideal for conducting a thorough Survey. Arriving at Iraklion Airport in Crete via an air mobility come flight we caught a bus to Iraklion air station. There my buddy and fellow traveler Fred Emmetsberger picked up inexpensive rooms at the temporary lodging facility 1 i Miles off base. We hit the Beach immediately. The water was perfect Crisp but not cold. The Sun was searing but it was a dry heat and not unpleasant. We spent the next three Days swimming and sampling the night life. A Jaunt Down the Road to hero Nisson a Small town geared toward tapping the tourist Trade proved to be an education. Shopkeepers mixed their sales pitches with shots of ouzo the Anise Flavoured liqueur that creeks consider to be the nectar of the gods. The shopkeepers seemed As interested in meeting and talking with people As they were in Selling. At a restaurant near our lodgings the proprietor overwhelmed us with free glasses of ouzo and other liqueurs. He seemed to hate it when a customer left As at acropo8 though the loneliness were unbearable. Just three Miles South of Iraklion lies a Nessus site of King Minos Palace. Excavated and reconstructed remains represent what is left of the fabled minoan civilization one of the world s oldest and Greece s first flowering. We endured a hot afternoon ride on a crowded bus to get there. The site while Worth a trip did not live up to its hype. Aside from red painted columns on several temples and ornately decorated jars there was t a lot. Time constraints prevented us from stopping at the Archa Elogia museum in Iraklion which contains Many Art treasures from the ruins. Still a Nessus bred food for thought. Palace grounds Are Laid out like a labyrinth giving credence to the legend of the minotaur the half Man half Bull who supposedly devoured seven youths and seven Maidens annually on the premises. Some of the reconstructed Wall paintings Toof capture the spirit of an ancient land apparently devoted to Art and play. A a a rested and Tan we took off for the Mainland. After arriving in Piraeus the port of Athens we jumped on a bus for a four Day Quot classical tour Quot of Mainland Greece. The Quot classical tour Quot promised a look at Greece through the centuries with stops at Sites highlighting periods of pre history classical Greece roman domination the byzantine Empire the crusades and the modern Era. Overnight stays in a Folio Olympia and Delphi were included in the cover Price As were daily breakfast and dinner and admission prices to the Sites. We left Athens by taking the coastal Road to the Peloponnesus a hand shaped Section o7 the country that is joined to the Mainland by the Bridge crossing the 6 stripes Nugetine nov Ember 4, 1993