There are many nice trails in the beautiful natural surroundings around the Golden Garden which are suitable for walks and hikes. On these treks you might be lucky enough to find for instance wild pears and herbs. Some of the trails are more demanding than others, and you have to be able to judge for yourself how much walking you are able to and wish to do. You can walk in the local area or you can walk down into the valley among the many orange groves. We recommend that you explore the area on your own and let your intuition guide you.

The trails in the area are gravel and they are often uneven and therefore not suitable for the walking-impaired.

Heraklion Archaeological Museum has a huge and beautiful exhibition dedicated to the Minoans. This exhibition is definitely worth a visit.

The Minoan era runs from about 3500 - 1600 BC.  They lived on Crete and the surrounding Greek islands. A volcanic eruption and earthquake are believed to have caused the civilization to die out.

A spiritual/clairvoyant view is that the Minorese were originally an alien people who over time mixed more and more with the local population. In this light, the Minorene live on in the Cretan population today. Another clairvoyant view is that the Minorene retreated to the Idislet, over which the etheric 5th ray of the Temple of Truth rests, and in this way the Minorene helped to create the Temple of Truth.

The Minoans built palaces all over Crete and also built smaller summer houses/palaces

The culture was rich in dance, beautiful colours, song and music, many musical instruments have been found. Beautiful jars, paintings and one of the world's first written language/ hieroglyphics which has not yet been deciphered. Nature was highly valued.

Palaces were built along similar lines. Oriented in the same directions towards the corners of the world, for example, all guests were received in a western wing of the palaces

There is the system of labyrinthine shapes in the ground plan.  Large courtyards and large squares for holding ceremonies. Buildings with storehouses with giant jars for storage.

Grapes were grown and wine made. The bull was by all accounts highly prized as a sacred animal.

There was clean water and formed sewage systems.

The Minors were skilled traders and all indications are that the Minors were a highly developed and enlightened civilisation. However, there is also evidence that slaves were kept, and ceremonies involving human sacrifice were held thus it was a class divided society and perhaps more harsh than the aesthetically beautiful finds suggest.

The most famous palace is Knossos near Heraklion, but there are many others e.g. Phaistos which is on the south coast. Phaistos lies as if in a grail of encircling mountain energies that are gentle, delicate and loving. It feels like being close to the divine and the energy is similar in many ways to the energy of the Idislet. The place is definitely worth a visit.

Close to Phaistos are 2 more great palaces Kommos and Ayia Triada so together they form a triangle.