Crete Trip Day 1 Monday, Feb 13: Souda Bay cemetery, Venizelos Tombs, Phalasarna, Maleme tholos tomb and German war cemetery, Chania Museum, Etz-Hayyim Synagogue

Our Crete trip really began the night before (Sunday) when we took the bus to Piraeus to catch our overnight ferry. Unfortunately when I woke up on Saturday morning, I had a cough and by Sunday I knew I was sick. There were three other sick women among us and we four shared a cabin on the boat. We arrived at Chania, Crete sometime before 5:30 but after 4:45 am. Luckily we didn't have to get off the boat immediately but the room maids were knocking on our door by 5:45 because they were ready to come clean the rooms and change the sheets.

We were all on the bus and ready to go by 7:00. We stopped at a bakery to get some breakfast on our way to the Suda Bay Cemetary which commemorates fallen foreign (non-Greek) soldiers from various wars but mostly from WWII.

Many of the headstones indicated that the identity of the fallen solider is unknown.

John Pendlebury, famous English archaeologist who was killed by the Germans because he was suspected of being a spy, is buried here.

Our next stop was the Venizelos memorial, where Eleutherios Venizelos and his adult sons are buried and where I gave my report on the renowned politician and statesman.

Venizelos' tomb

Then it was back on the bus to Phalasarna, an ancient harbor town where Stephanie gave her report on ancient piracy.

After exploring the site, we were off to our second cemetery of the day, this time the one commemorating those German soldiers who died in Crete during WWII. Allie gave her report here on the Battle of Crete (1941).

Near the cemetery we stopped to look at a tholos tomb which was discovered when a German bomb blew off its roof.

Inside the tomb

While we in Chania we stopped to have lunch. A few of us wandered around until we found a charming little restaurant serving Cretan food.

After lunch, we met up to have a look at the ongoing Swiss excavations in Chania.

We then walked over to the Etz-Hayyim Synagogue where Nicholas Stavroulakis, who helped rennovate and reopen the Synagogue told us about its history. It's the only Synagogue in Crete today and was partially destroyed by the Nazis in WWII during which time all of the Jews living in Crete were rounded up and put on a boat which was destroyed by allied forces. I took these pictures in the courtyard but didn't take any inside the synagogue.