Day 20: Heraklion & Knossos Palace
Wednesday, August 12th, 2026
Today’s blog is brought to you by Norah F. from Ms. Soleski’s English class!
Yassas!
This morning, a few classmates picked up their laundry before we all went down for breakfast. After we ate, we spent some time in different spots like a cafe, outside, or around the hotel, going over and practicing our presentations. Then we got ready for another day of exploring Crete!
After a long bus ride, our first stop was Heraklion, another beautiful city in Crete. When we got there, we took a short walk to get to know the area and to find our meeting spot. We spent the afternoon eating at one of the many great restaurants, wandering the streets, shopping and enjoying delicious gelato.
Later, we got back together and took a short bus ride to the Palace of Knossos, where we met our tour guide, Maria. She told us about the ancient Minoan civilization and the palace’s history. We also learned about the famous myths and legends connected to Knossos. One fun fact we learned from Maria was that, coming up on August 15th, there is a national public holiday called Summer Easter, celebrated by millions of people named Maria! As we were walking around, we listened to the loudly buzzing cicadas and saw peacocks, which made exploring the palace even more special.
After a busy day of shopping, history, hot weather and lots of walking, we went back to the hotel for dinner. Finally, we had some free time to relax and unwind after another fun and memorable day in Greece!
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Sadly, our time on Crete is nearing its end, as is the of our program. We have one final day of classes in Crete tomorrow before we head to Athens.
More to come!
Bertan
Program Manager
