Another full day but not quite as early a start.
Picked up by bus at 0910 for a drive to Agios Nikolaos where we boarded a boat for a cruise to the old Venetian fortress on Spinalonga.
Once on board the schedule altered. Instead of heading straight to the island we went to a secluded cove and swam and had a bbq lunch.
After lunch we headed to the island.
The island is basically just a small rock - no water or food. The fortress side dominating the harbour and mainland only 500 metres away.
Picked up by bus at 0910 for a drive to Agios Nikolaos where we boarded a boat for a cruise to the old Venetian fortress on Spinalonga.
Once on board the schedule altered. Instead of heading straight to the island we went to a secluded cove and swam and had a bbq lunch.
After lunch we headed to the island.
The island is basically just a small rock - no water or food. The fortress side dominating the harbour and mainland only 500 metres away.
The Venetian history was played down a bit during the tour. They were then ones that built on it and from what I read before we came, actually created the island by digging out the trench separating it from the rest of the peninsula.
Its current claim to fame is the site of one of Europe's last leper colonies. This was described in some book called The Island ( Fiona has read it - Google it if you're interested - not my cup of tea)Effectively this transformed the original fortress into a prison for the lepers. They took over what Venetian dwellings there were, restored then to habitable state and lived their lives. They probably did better out of the deal - getting away from the persecution they were receiving when in public and also receiving welfare payments.
Once back in Agios Nikolaos we had ice cream on the shore.
