Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands Crete rests about 160 km (99 mi) south of the Greek mainland. Iraklion, or Heraklion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of around 177,000. The ancient Minoan palace at Knossos (associated with the Greek myth of the minotaur) is located 5.5 km southeast of the city. It is the second most visited archaeological site in Greece, after the Parthenon.

    
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Finishing breakfast, we boarded a bus for a tour of Iraklion and area attractions which included the Agios Minas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Renaissance Park, the Othomaniki Krini which is an ancient Turkish fountain that still survives and the Saint Peter of Dominicans, one of the oldest monuments of architecture of the Cistercian monks from the 12th century.

      
        
      
      
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Towards the end of the tour it was time for a bit of a break and an opportunity to enjoy a couple of different brands of Greek beer.

  
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Back on to the tour bus and after a short distance we stopped at the Venetian Walls, fortified walls built around the old center by the Venetians in the 16th century. From there we passed by a distant Mount Juktas, a mountain that was an important religious site for the Minoan civilization and the Koules or Castello a Mare ("Fort on the Sea" in Italian) which is a fortress located at the entrance of the old port.

      
      
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Reboarded the ship in the early afternoon and just killed time till we got the call for our final dinner of the cruise.

      
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While we had another very enjoyable dinner, the highlight was the Chef’s Parade throughout the dining room. Dessert was held aloft then presented to each table at the finale.

      
    
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After dinner it was back to the staterooms for a final bit of packing for our morning disembarkment.