Knossos

You'll kick yourself afterwards if you visit Crete and don't get to Knossos.

Genie and I had done a little research before heading off to Crete in August and realised that if we wanted to get any footage of Knossos without lots of other tourists in the way we'd have to stay overnight in Heraklion and get to Knossus first thing in the morning, just as they opened the gates at 8:00 am.

Consequently on 10 September 2013 at 7:15 we found ourselves the only passengers to get on the bus at Heraklion. There's little traffic at that time of day, and the journey took less than 15 minutes. Time for a continental breakfast at Minotavros Cafe with freshly squeezed orange juice – just the thing to spark me up.

A coachload of visitors was already milling around when we arrived at the entrance to the site (a minute's walk from Minotavros Cafe). These poor souls continued to mill around for another 20 minutes, hindered as they were by their official guides who were determined to have their say before leading the way in. Genie and I headed in and split up, determined to get as much footage as we could before the inevitable invasion. For the first 40 minutes in Knossos we felt as if we had the place to ourselves.

I felt like a little kid. I was the first person that day to tread these paths and with a little stretch of the imagination I was the first person to tread these paths in thousands of years. The colours used in the restoration are those that the Minoans are thought to have used – no faded shades here when it comes to columns and wall panels. Replications of colourful murals of mythological beasts, hunting scenes and rituals decorate some of the walls. The originals can be found at the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion, which is well worth a visit.