• The Minoan civilization, flower of Bronze Age Crete, endures in palaces at Knossos, Phaistos, and Malla.

• Samaria Gorge, 6 hours all the way down, is Europe’s longest.

• At Matala, cliffs full of caves overhang the waves of the Libyan Sea.

• Arab, Venetian, and Ottoman architecture mingle around the harbors of Rethymnon and Chania.

• Remains of Europe’s last leper colony, Spinalonga, linger off the coast of Agios Nikolaos, Crete’s most sophisticated resort town.

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