With two visits to Souda Bay, Greece under their belts, many Sailors from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) have come away feeling they have a fair impression of life in Crete.

Those who went on the Spili, Gortyna and Festos tour can say they walked away with knowledge of more than just modern day Crete.

The tour featured a picturesque drive with Cretan mountains standing on one side and the clear, aqua Mediterranean Sea on the other. The road acted as the thread of a necklace with the small Grecian villages serving as beads, each beautiful and unique. After a quick coffee and pastry stop in the sleeping village of Spili, the tour proceeded to the first act of the main event.

The Minoan Palace Ruins at Gortyna differ from the ruins of the Knossos Palace because they were not altered from how they were found.

"This archeological site is completely authentic," said tour guide Constantinos Prevelianakis. "What you are seeing is what was found here when the ruins were first discovered."

The ruins sit in a strategically advantageous area, sporting a 360-degree view of the surrounding area, which today, is covered with patches of olive groves and White Mountains gleaming not too far off.

The next leg of the journey brought the Sailors to a more historically diverse location. While the tour stop at Festos also featured more Minoan ruins, the spot also included Byzantine, Ancient Greek and Roman archeological finds. A Byzantine-era church, Ancient Greek text depicting the structure of their judicial system, and Roman statues all sit within a few hundred yards of each other.

"I love history," said Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Equipment) Airman Joshua Soderlund, one of the tour's attendees. "This was a great tour to go on."

The Spili, Gortyna and Festos tour brought the GHWB Sailors down a timeline showcasing the different civilizations and empires that helped shape the culture of the Cretan people. After ending the day at a local taverna, the Sailors returned to the ship with a greater understanding of the island of Crete.

The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests.

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