Elounda day 4

Today it was a better morning and we took the boat to Spinalonga an island made famous by Victoria Hislop's book 'The Island'. It is now an archaeological site originally inhabited by the Venetians and Ottomans but from 1903 until 1957 was used as a leper colony. Seemingly Crete had a high incidence of the disease and these poor individuals were sent there for a life of isolation. However, once on the island they received food, water, medical attention and social security payments. Previously, such amenities had been unavailable to Crete's leprosy patients, as they mostly lived in the area's caves, away from civilization. Today boatloads of tourists tour the fort, walls and village ruins and spend time reading about how life was in these times.
Once again the high winds and cool weather made painting outside difficult and we mostly gave up o our efforts!