Iraklion-Heraklion; A Big City and Port
We weighed anchor from Spinalogas and headed motoring at 270 degrees M. The forecast was calm. We use windfinder and ZYGrib for our forecasting. Most of the time we've been able to rely on them except for when the gusts are greater than the forecast. It looks as if the winds will hold until Friday evening 8/25. Once again we will find a harbor to hunker down. Iraklion is a major port. It has ferry docks for at least 6 major ferries that come and go every day. Heikel's book "Greek Water Pilot" is correct that there is no room fro transients in the Venetian harbor portion. Also, there is a limited amount of space along the quay. One better tie up well to deal with all the wake from incoming boats and the ferries. The airport is located almost next to the harbor and it is one of the busiest airports I've seen for a small airport. The city center is lined with shops selling their wares. The prices are higher than in the smaller places we've been to. Also, the charm from the small ports is missing here in the restaurants. The food was so, so. We hailed the port on 16, and every other channel we could think of and never got a response. So, we did what any sailor would do and we tied up anyway. We walked around the city and stumbled on the archeological museum. We bought a combination ticket there. 16 euros for entrance to the museum and to Knosses. This turned out to be the best deal! When arriving at Knosses the next day we did not have to wait in the 1 kilometer line and we saved a large amount of money!
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