| #ffffff;" /> | | | | around 1,400 rooms. Staircases with shallow |
| Many people take a holiday on the Greek island of | | | | alabaster steps lead to upper or lower floors and |
| Crete and enjoy the fantastic beaches, charming | | | | lovely frescoes, with scenes from everyday life, |
| villages and endless sunshine. But Crete offers the | | | | decorate the Palace walls. The King's and the |
| visitor much more than this. | | | | Queen's apartments feature blue dolphins, while |
| As if welcoming people, charming mountain | | | | the throne room contains the oldest throne in |
| villages, rocky bays, sandy beaches and one of | | | | Europe, the alabaster throne of King Minos. |
| Europe’s best climates were not enough | | | | If you are feeling more adventurous head for |
| reasons to visit Crete, it is also a historian's and | | | | remote Central Crete’s prehistoric site of |
| an archaeologist's paradise. Its fascinating | | | | Gortys, once the largest city in Crete. Besides |
| archaeological ruins and world-class museums are | | | | being the first city to accept Christianity, and with |
| surely a bonus. And in the far northwest, east | | | | a history as far back as the Minoan period, |
| and south of the island, away from the tourist | | | | Gortys was occupied by the Romans in 68 BC |
| trail, you can expect to see some really excellent | | | | and destroyed by the Arabs 900 years later. This |
| smaller Minoan sites that are hardly visited. | | | | layer on layer of civilization brings history to life as |
| But before heading for the archaeological ruins, | | | | you discover an ancient past that helps explain |
| check out the stunning collection of the Iraklion | | | | the present. |
| Archaeological Museum in Heraklion, the capital of | | | | The great thing about Crete, the largest of the |
| the island. Home to the world’s finest | | | | Greek islands, is that it’s big enough to |
| collection of Minoan art and culture in the world, | | | | get away to places that are not teeming with |
| the twenty rooms and galleries provide the | | | | visitors all the time. As well as resorts and nightlife |
| perfect introduction to 5,000 years of island | | | | you can also enjoy simple pleasures such as |
| history from the Neolithic to the Graeco-Roman | | | | sipping a coffee at a roadside café in a |
| era. | | | | mountain village. But, whatever you do, be sure to |
| The famous Minoan Palace of Knossos, just south | | | | soak up the island’s history through the |
| of Iraklion, was one of Europe’s finest | | | | archaeological remains of the past civilizations. |
| buildings during Bronze Age (2800-1100 BC) with | | | | |