Lomography

Festos (Crete Island)
written by jogintas on May 9th, 2008 (0 votes)

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Again back to Crete Island, where the history of Europe starts… This time something very special for you. Festos is an ancient town or building complex as well as the name of the disc, which is very famous in the whole world.

The secret of the disc, to be precise – the secret of the ornaments on it – are not translated even today. Lots of scientists try to solve that puzzle, but it appears that Festos language or ornament-signs are still a huge secret, which can not be solved. The Festos place is located 62 kilometers south of Iraklion (the capital of Crete Island) and is the second biggest city of the Minoan Crete.

It is built on a hill in the fertile valley of Messara. The valley is surrounded by mountain ranges and in the south extends the Libyan Sea. You can access Phaistos from Iraklion taking the road to Moires-Timbaki, an asphalt road of fairly good condition with a panoramic view to the Messara valley.

The site can be accessed also from the south. Arriving at Phaistos (maybe in the middle of your trip to Matala, where the extremely interesting cages “live”) you will find a large parking area in a few distance from the palace. You have to walk for a while through a paved road until the entrance of the archaeological site where there is a bar and shops with postcards, guidebooks, maps and of course the Festos disc.

I did get one Festos disc collar two years before I did go to Crete, but I lost it, so you can imagine my happiness when I’m wearing that beautiful thing again. Choose again, only ISO 100 films, as the 200 ISO film did get burnt even with my semi-pro Zenith exposures. It is very sunny and hot, so take a big pack full of water and Lomo cameras. Sadly, I did have only a bottle and only one Zenith with me… I could do crazy shots there…

Info:
http://www.greekhotel.com/crete/heraklion/heraklion-sightseeing/festos.htm

http://www.crete.tournet.gr/Minoan_Palace-si-957-en.jsp

The disc (YOU MUST SEE IT): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaistos_Disc