Statue of Europa and the Bull

The Abduction of EuropaAccording to the myth, Zeus, the father of the gods, fell in love with a beautiful princess named Europa. He approached the lady of his heart by being transformed into a white bull while she played with their company. The girls, fascinated by the beauty of the robust and seemingly friendly animal, started to pet and play with the bull and at one point Europa tried to mount him. The bull jumped into the sea and abducted them and despite their tears, he brought the woman he loved to Crete.The sculpture was designed by Cretan director Nikos Koundouros and created by Nikos and Pantelis Sotiriadis.

Europe, a figure of Greek mythology, is the daughter of the Phoenician King Agenor and the Telephassa. Zeus fell in love with her. He turned into a bull because of his suspicious wife, Hera. His messenger Hermes drove a herd of cows near the beach of Sidon, where the Zeus bull was abducted on his back. He swam with her to Matala on the island of Crete, where he changed back. The connection with the god came from three children: Minos, Rhadamanthys and Sarpedon. Due to a promise of Aphrodite, the foreign continent was named after Europe (Wikipedia)

The statue stands in a parking lot directly by the sea.