Spinalonga island.
Today we will continue our trip to the island of Crete and get acquainted with the island of Spinalonga:
find out how to get to Spinalonga
we will evaluate the scale of the ancient Byzantine fortress
we will learn the dramatic history of the island, which housed the largest Greek leprosarium
quite unexpectedly, we will see a copy of the Sistine Madonna in the local church
let's check how interesting it will be to travel with the Spiridon Tour travel agency
Without any exaggeration, I can say that this is an interesting agency. And it is interesting to us not only with the possibility of providing excursions in Russian. The founder of the agency is a wonderful man named Spyridon, who came to Crete from the island of Corfu, actively participates in the excursion programs created by him. And he has a real talent to amuse and entertain the guests of the island. Therefore, get ready for the fact that you will learn to sing Greek songs and will definitely learn how to properly dance Greek sirtaki. And maybe even try to do it together with Spiridon.
We are heading to the city of Elounda. To get on a small boat there and move towards the island of Spinalonga – the most mysterious and dramatic island in the history of Greece.
We are still in the northern part of Crete, so we feel the summer sea breeze in full force - a fairly strong wind from the sea, which very smartly rocks our boat, showering us with fresh spray.
Our guide – entertainer-Spiridon is assisted by a Russian-speaking guide Tatiana. And here, personally, I was waiting for quite a big disappointment. Because that imaginative and rich language, that incredibly interesting historical palette that I heard in Spiridon's story, was godlessly reduced to short and empty sentences when translated into Russian. Either Tatiana was not in the mood, or she had a desire. But both her stories and her attitude during the whole trip were far from those that I would like to see.
Spinalonga Island was once part of the large and well-fortified city of Olus, which actively cooperated with Knossos and Rhodes. But after a major earthquake in the second century AD, the city almost completely went under water.