We awoke early today to start our journey to Spinalonga and Agios Nikolaos. A quick stop at the petrol station to top off the tank, a dry bag full of ice and sandwiches, and an iphone that substituted as our radio, what more would we possibly need. We traveled down the new road when suddenly the road came to an end with only the choice of left or right. It seems the government decided not to finish the road without any indication on the map. So, after much debate we chose to turn left.
Forty five minutes later and without any help from the Greek street signs, we arrived at the town of Elounda. On days when the water is calm, the walls of the ancient city Olous can be seen beneath the waves.
We quickly jumped on the ferry, which was nothing more than a converted fishing boat with seats around the edge, to continue our adventure to the island of Spinalonga. The fortress on the island was built in the late 16th century by the Venetians. In 1903, the Cretan state established a leper colony on the island until 1957.
From the ferry as you approach the island you see a fortress that looks as though rocks from the earth have moved upward surrounded by beautiful blue water. Walking around I kept thinking how remarkable it was to have so many different people from many different places to live, conquer, and survive here. Climbing to the top of the fortress and looking across the water not so far away lies modern civilization as we walked around a place that has stopped in time.
After a crowded ferry ride back we were on our way to Agios Nikolaos which was built on the site of the ancient town of Lato. In the middle of the city just near the marina, lies a lake called "Voulismeni," which according to legend, the goddess Athena bathed in. Also during their withdrawal from the area during WW2, the German Army disposed parts of their weaponry and vehicles into the 64m deep lake.
We jumped into the car and traveled back to Elounda to see what snorkeling adventure we could come up with. Speed racing down the winding road hoping to gain enough momentum to make it up the hill in our 3 cylinder car and me holding onto the seat yelling at the race car driver we came to a dirt road or dirt path. Thinking this car is not going to have any sort of undercarriage left after rock climbing the road, we came to a hidden beach. We grabbed our snorkels and flippers hoping to see something living in the water. Although it was very clear and refreshing, nothing but sand and rocks inhabit the water. So we packed our bag and started the journey back to the shoebox.