European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 12, 1995, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Walking. Anti Rcd from Page 5i 20rh Century a a by a furious Creek Man who stormed up and featured us about plundering his country s ancient monuments. Quot this is my land Quot he roared. Quot you should be a Hametl Quot we were. Theft had t been our intent a pot Hunters Are the scum of the Earth from an archaeologist s Point of View a but nevertheless there we were in a litter of freshly dug potsherds. Red faced and red handed we stared at our feet through our scolding feeling like school kids caught shoplifting Candy. I put the fragments Back but not in the Middle of the path where we found them. I put them off to one Side in a Small water Cut Gully where the next Good rain would cover them with mud. They were grave goods in a Way and ought to be reburied. A if no one else had touched them in 3,500 years i a thought no one else need touch them now. Clay a  a at Phai Stos we could t get in a at least not the first two times we tried it was closed when it was t supposed to be. Exasperated we stood on the Hill above the site and read the Blue guide Over it like a Missal. By the time we finally found the site open we knew its layout by heart \ a ?. / a a. A a a a it had the key features of minoan palaces a a Large courtyard flanked by a shaped Steps that could double As grandstands for religious events a banqueting Hall storage rooms for giant pitched Man size jars that would have held , Grain or wine administrative archives to keep track of the stores and craftsmen s workshops. The Peculiar Phai Stos disk was found Here. A round Clay Tablet covered on both sides with mysterious hieroglyphics it is one of the her Klion museum s prize displays if anyone could crack the code it might be the minoan Rosetta Stone. But what made Phai Stos wonderful was something else a a suite of rooms fronted by a Wall of doorways that could have been opened to a Mountain View or closed tight against a sudden . The location was Lovely a proof that minoan taste in scenery was the same As ours. If it had t been fenced off we d have lounged Back on the Stone veranda and enjoyed the Breeze. At trip s end better educated about the minoans we decided to go Back to Knossos and do it on our own. Impossible. Knowing More details Only made the place More complicated it was late afternoon on our last Day in Crete the Palace was getting ready to close and i was still deep in the Blue guide addicted now trying to follow its directions to the East  a Stone water Channel descends beside the Steps in a series of parabolic curves and Small settling basins to break the flow of storm water and debris Down the Steep slope Quot a a a a a quota i was tired and i was lost i kept retracing my Steps rereading the passage about the parabolic curves. No wonder theseus needed that Ball of string 1 thought. This place really is a labyrinth. Quot and then i stopped. What was i doing spending my last cretan hours looking for a Drain this had gotten out a of hand. \. H. .1 came Back to the present handed the Blue guide to my companion and climbed Back up the pile of masonry to the room of the frescoes. Goodbye my Bull dancers. Time to go . Distributed by Scripps Howard news ser let the beaches of Crete Are a great place to relax and the area around Khania has several Nice ones. For a amps. Joo Clark a a amps Ken George the Sun sets Over the quiet Harbor at Khania on Crete s Northern coast. By Joe Clark if you Are looking for an inexpensive vacation idea using space available travel consider Crete an Island South of Greece in the Mediterranean sea. You can reach Crete by flying into the naval support activity at Souda Bay near the base is the town of Khania a Beautiful seaport Community. The local people Are Friendly and will go out of their Way to be of assistance to tourists a getting started finding a place to stay in Khania is fairly easy. There Are a few options for getting into town. One is to take the scheduled bus that comes through the base. This is a free bus ride but the times and places it services Are limited. You also can Call a taxi or a car rental office from the air terminal. A taxi ride from the base to town will Cost about $8 for the 12-mile ride. Rental car prices vary depending on the Type of rental plan you choose. The prices Are fairly reasonable. A hotels lodging there Are Many Small hotels throughout the town. Hotel rooms Are inexpensive about $12 to $40 per night depending on the size of the room and its location. I found a very Nice but Small hotel across the Street from the Beach for $30. Quot vacationing in Khania is very inexpensive Quot said Tenna Andresen a local hotel manager. She said that the area is becoming a popular vacation spot for europeans. Quot i think that in about five years this place will Boas expensive As All the other major tourist spots in Europe so now is the time to come Quot she said a recreation shopping with its Many shops restaurants and bars Khania caters to English speaking people. If shopping is what you re looking for it offers very inexpensive jewelry and leather goods. The town has numerous markets and shops Selling these items As Well As Many local crafts. Another great attraction is the immaculate beaches. Most of the beaches rent boats sail boards and Jet skis. A transportation getting around Khania is very easy. Most things in the town Are within walking distance but if you want More transportation you can rent cars motorcycles or mopeds. The Cost of renting a Small car for  is approximately $110. Crime is not a major problem for tourists. Quot we Don t see much crime Here Quot said Andresen. Quot in fact when we do hear about a crime it is usually committed by a  Asa Souda Bay is Small and undergoing construction so it does t have some conveniences. There is no Bank or credit Union on base or even an automatic Teller machine so you May want to take All the Money you need with you. Most major credit cards Are accepted by shops in Khania and there Are also arms which h will work with credit cards. Don t plan on staying in lodging on base. There Are no rooms available. Quot. Petty officer Joe Clark formerly with Nas a Gonella Public attain Romiee in Sicily it assigned to the John c. Of Ennis aircraft Carrier based in Newport news a. 6 stripes Magazine january 12, 1995