A short swim to freedom

This island is called Meis in Turkish and Kastellorizo in Greek. It belongs to Greece and is the closest part of Greece to the Turkish mainland. According to the locals here in Kas, last Sunday, about40 Syrians, fleeing their war-torn homeland, dumped the last of their belongs on shore and swam the 3 kilometres across to Kastellorizo on the way to the freedom of Germany. It was general election day in Turkey and the local authorities were too busy with that to pay attention and stop them. The weather was good and they all made it. Hard to imagine the mixture of despair and hope which drives these poor people, often with ageing parents and children in tow, to take such risks. During the last 200 years or so, Kastellorizo, this jewel of a tiny island, has often been the scene of a humanitarian tragedy, sometimes brutally ravaged by European powers at war with each other. The local people, just wanting to lead their ordinary but idyllic way of life, were simply in the way. There's lots on the internet for anyone wanting to follow up on the story of little Kastellorizo. Hugh and I will probably paddle out there tomorrow in the kayak.