Heraklion，s longlasting history has contributedcontribute v.捐助， 捐献， 贡献， 投稿 to the existence of a significant cultural and intellectual movement. The new quarters do not have anything special to present. They remind us mostly of large cities in other parts of Greece. Yet the part of the city surrounded by the famous Venetian walls has preserved many picturesque spots and monumentsmonument n.纪念碑， standing as reliable witnesses of its history， Once you had to pass through the gates of the wall if you wished to enter the city. Today only two of the four gates are preserved： the Gate of Pantokrator (or the Chania Gate) on the west side and the Gate of lisous (the new gate) along the southern side of the wall. At the southernmost point of the peribolus is the Martinengo bastionbastion n.(可扩大射击范围的)棱堡， 堡垒， 阵地工事， the highest point of the castle and furthermore impregnableimpregnable adj.无法攻取的， 要塞坚固的， 不受影响的， 可以受孕的. Here is also the grave of the famous Nikos Kazantzakis. On a stoneplate you can read the inscription of a phrase stated by the author， “I hope nothing， I fear nothing， I am free.”
At the old town，s centre we meet the Square of Venizelos with the Venetian Morozini Fountain. The basilica of St. Mark， the Venetian Lotzia， beautiful fountains， old churches such as Agios Titos，the fortress， the Venetian shipyardsshipyard n.造船所 and many more scattered monuments make our walk through the city.
A visit to Heraklion，s Archaeological Museum is a must. You can see one of the world，s most important collections with objects from Knossos， Phaistos， Gortyna， Arhanes and of other places on Crete. Nearby is the Historical Ethnographic Museum and ecclesiasticalecclesiastical adj.教会的， 牧师的， 神职的 works of art. The local specialty of Heraklion is Hochli(snails) cooked in different ways. If you taste them without being to Id what it is， you will find them delicious. In Heraklion，s 11 rakadika“you can enjoy the traditional ” mezedes (appetisersappetisers n.（正餐前的）开胃小吃，开胃物 ， baked potatoes 11 oftes patates）， tasty cheeses and olives. The traditional Cretan sweets are “Kaltsounia” which you can find anywhere on the island. Don，t forget to visit the “mahairadika”， workshops where the famous Cretan knives are made by experienced hand crafters.
Near Heraklion you can swim at the organized beaches of Ammoudara， Linoperamata and Kartero. Here we also find the ruins of the Minoan city of Amnisos and a villa with impressive frescosfresco n.在灰泥的墙壁上作的水彩画， 壁画 vt.作壁画于. In the same area the Cave of Eileithias is situated， which was the sanctuarysanctuary n.避难所 of the goddessgoddess n.女神 of fertility， in 1545， at the Picturesque village of Fodele Domenikos Theotokopoulos was born， more famous under the name of El Greco， one of the greatest painters of the Renaissance period. Brilliant palaces and magnificent residences surrounded Heraklion during antiquityantiquity n.古代， 古老， 古代的遗物. The Minoan civilization flourished in Crete from C.3000 to 1200 B.C. and was considered to be one of the most important in Greece. While it lasted， more than one hundred cities prospered and grew into significant centres of civilization. The Most wellknown are Knossos， Phaistos， Malia， Gortys， Zakros and Arhanes. Most of them were repeatedly destroyed by earthquakes and other natural phenomenonphenomenon n.现象 but each time they were rebuilt and were more magnificent than before. In the Minoan Civilization，s Golden Age (1700~1450 B.C.) art evolved in this cities， leaving us a significant cultural inheritanceinheritance n.遗产 and Considerable unique findings. Knossos is Crete，s most significant archaeological site. It was here that Arthur Evans， the English archaeologist， discovered the ruins of the greatest and most luxuriousluxurious adj.奢侈的， 豪华的 Minoan palace. The first palace was built around 2000 B.C. and was destroyed some 300 years later. It was quickly rebuilt， this time more imposing and more magnificent than before， thus marking the Neoanactoric.