Today has probably been our most relaxing day in the trip so far. We loaded our bags onto the bus in Ayios Nikolaos and headed North along the Bay of Mirabello to the island of Spinalonga. Fortunately our bus driver Giorgos knew someone with a boat who could transport our group onto Spinalonga for a private tour of the island. The island is usually locked during the winter because it is the off season so we were very lucky to get to go. Originally the island was part of a peninsula but the rock was quarried in the 16th century and it became an island. In 1903 the island became a leper colony for all the lepers in Greece. There were enough inhabitants to warrant their own newspaper, shops, mail carrier, and there were 26 births on the island. The last inhabitant left the island in 1962 who was an orthodox priest.
We traveled back to Ayios Nikolaos for lunch where we ate at a local restaurant. Then we traveled southeast to Gronia which is a Bronze Age civilization excavated by Harriet Boyd Hawes from 1901-1903. Harriet was the first woman to conduct a major excavation in Greece. The city was excavated in the “chasing walls” fashion and while it was the customary method at the time many historically significant artifacts were lost during the excavation. The site is located on the narrowest part of the island and the site is a mix of palace and town characteristics.
After exploring Gronia we had a long and beautiful drive through the Thripti Mountains. These mountains are still alive and changing, which makes geologists nervous while traveling them. We have now arrived in Siteia where we will be staying for two nights. Later tonight we will be gathering again to watch the inauguration and receive free drinks from our wonderful Professors.
-Katie and Hardin
Ahh yes. The town is also home to the Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Sitia…producers of one of the world’s best Extra Virgin Olive Oils, Sitia 0.3! It is an area more than worthy of a two-day stay.
I admit, I have not been on this webpage in a long time… however it was another joy to see It is such an important topic and ignored by so many, even professionals. I thank you to help making people more aware of possible issues.Great stuff as usual
Maybe you could change the page subject title Life as a Leper Cretan Tales to more better for your subject you make. I enjoyed the blog post nevertheless.