Crete and Cyprus Holiday

The last two weeks in Crete and Cyprus were great.  The first stop was Heraklion, Crete.

What's left of the operations station

The last time I was in Crete was during my last assignment in the U.S. Air Force back in 1993.  Iraklion Air Station closed closed in 1994 so it was surreal seeing the remains.  Walking around what was left of the base felt like a scene from home zombie apocalypse movie.

This was the very end of the tourist season so it wasn't too crowded and it felt like we had the island to ourselves.  The weather was still nice which made for some well needed beach time.



When I lived in Greece before, I was able to get by with basic survival Greek.  A couple of times my Czech messed with me here.  In Czech, ne means "no" but in Greek nαί means "yes".  So a few times I told a local "yes" when I wanted to say "no".

After a relaxing time in Crete it was off to Cyprus.  My 55th country in just over 6 years.  Again, a nice relaxing time.  The biggest challenge was striking a balance between sightseeing and just laying out at the beach.  First world problems.

We enjoyed our time in Larnaca and visiting Nicosia, Pafos, Famagusta and the Kykkos Monastery.

The last divided capital in Europe

It was quite interesting visiting Northern Cyprus as well.  It seemed odd crossing between Turkish North Nicosia and the Greek southern side.




Things are so divided by ethnic lines but it seems to me that Greece and Turkey just keep fanning the flames.

At a North Cyprus police station

One thing that bothered me was the display of flags.  I mean it makes perfect sense in Cyprus, in the south, to fly the Cypriot flag.  And it makes sense in the north to fly the northern flag.  But no where on the island did I ever see a flag flown on its own.  In the south, the Cypriot flag is always flown next to a Greek flag.  And in the north, the flag is always flown next to a Turkish flag.

Larnaca Town Hall

For example, the Larnaca town hall displayed the Cypriot and EU flags but also the Greek flag.  What sense does it make for a town hall in one country to fly the flag of another country?  Continual divide along ethnic lines isn't going to bring about a united Cyprus any time soon.

Overall a great two-week holiday.  I wasn't ready to leave the sun and beach but it was time to get back to Czechland.  After visiting Cyprus I've now been to every country in Europe except for Belarus.  Hmmm...perhaps next year.

Hersonissos, Greece

Hersonissos is a small town on Crete about 25 km (15 miles) from Heraklion.  It is home to about 26,000 people and is a popular with tourists for a beach holiday in Greece.

Χερσόνησος, was very popular with the troops who were stationed at Iraklion Air Station.  It is about 10 km (6 miles) from where the base used to be.

We used to call it ¨the Ville.¨

Old Roman fountain

We would go enjoy the beach during the day and go back at night to drink and party in the discos with all of the European tourists.

Iraklion Air Station

Iraklion Air Station was 16 km (10 miles) east of Heraklion near the villages of Gournes and Gouves.  The base was in use during the Cold War from 1954 to 1993.  The facility finally closed and was turned over to the Greek government in 1994.

Iraklion was an Electronic Security Command listening post.  It was home to the 6931st Electronic Security Command and the 7276th Air Base Group.






I remember that lots of people wanted an assignment to Iraklion.  I loved that it was only a 10-minute walk from the dorms to the beach.  I was really lucky to get stationed here as my last base.

The facility is more or less abandoned.  The old base exchange is now the village's city hall and a few buildings are used as part of a school.  The main feature now is the aquarium.

The old base fire station

The rest of the place is a mess.  Lots of vandalism and graffiti with weeds overtaking everything.

Former dorms

Walking around it felt like I was in one of those zombie apocalypse movies.  The whole experience was pretty surreal especially the entry gate with no one there to check your ID.

 

CretAquarium

I found this old newcomer's video produced by the public affairs office out on YouTube. It was made in the late 80s or very early 90s.  I remember receiving a VHS copy of this video when I first received my orders for Iraklion.

Heraklion, Greece

It's been over 20 years since I was last in Heraklion, Crete.  Back when I was stationed at Iraklion Air Station not far from Heraklion.  It's been a nice visit being back and seeing how the city has changed. So here's a bit about Heraklion.



Ηράκλειο is the capital of Crete with a population of about 174,000, with more than 225,500 in the greater metro area.  It is the fifth largest city in Greece. 

The city was founded in 824.  Like the rest of Crete, the city has been ruled by the Byzantines, the Venetians, and the Ottoman Empire.  In 1913 Crete became part of Greece and, in 1971, Heraklion replaced Chania as the island's capital.

The best known landmark in Heraklion is probably the Venetian Fortress.  It was built in 1523 - 1540.  The inside is currently closed due to renovations.

The Basilica of St. Mark was built back in Venetian times.  Today it is home to the Municipal Art Gallery.






At the centre of Eleftherias Square is the Statue of the Unknown Soldier.

The Venetian Loggia was completed in 1628.  It used to be where the nobles of Crete used to meet but today it is city hall.




The Lion Fountain, officially the Morozini Fountain, was built in 1629.




The Agios Minas Cathedral is one of the largest cathedrals in Greece with capacity for 8,000 people.  It was built from 1862 - 1895 and is dedicated to Saint Menas who is the city's patron saint.

The Church of Ayia Aikaterini of Sinaites was probably built in the 16th century.  The church had been converted to a mosque in 1669 when the city was occupied by the Turks until the early 20th century.  The church is open every morning for visitors but a service is only held on the 25th of November for Saint Catherine's name day.




An earthquake destroyed the church of Saint Titus in 1856 and it was rebuilt as the Ottoman Vezir Mosque.  The minaret was taken down in the 1920s and it is now the Basilica of St. Titus.



About 30 minutes from the city is the Minoan Palace of Knossos.  The Bronze Age archaeological site is considered one of Europe's oldest cities.

My old base is now home to the CretAquarium.





It was fun exploring the city again but the main point of going to Crete was for some serious beach time.

Crete, Greece

Crete is the largest Greek island and is home to over 623,000 people.  It sits about 160 km (99 miles) from mainland Greece.

The island is a bit bigger than Delaware.



Κρήτη is the fifth-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and it separates the Aegean Sea and the Libyan Sea.  Heraklion is the capital city.

Minoan civilization is the oldest recorded in Europe and Crete was once the centre of it.  In addition to its numerous beaches there are mountains and gorges worth exploring which makes it a popular tourist destination.

The last base I was stationed at when I was in the U.S. Air Force was Iraklion Air Station back in 1992-1993.  This was the first time I ever lived overseas but believe me it's nothing like being an expat.  I can't believe that it's been 22 years since I was last there.   The base closed in 1994 but I plan to go see the old location next week.