If you were
send to the island of Spinalonga there would be no coming back. It would be
your final trip. A trip before your death. From 1903 to 1957 the island was
home to hundreds of people who suffered from Leprosy disease. There was no cure
for the disease and all the people that suffered from it where left on the
island with no hope getting better or of ever seeing their family again. This
was truly their last trip. Leprosy was a contagious disease that slowly
destroys the body of its host. There were no medical treatments available so
the answer of the Greeks in the start of the 20th century was to simply send
them to this abandoned fortress island. Banning them from society.
Today the
island serves as a fortress that you can visit. It is located near the port
village of Elounda and Plakka in the east of the island. You can reach the
island with a small boat that leaves every 30 minutes from Plakka and Elounda.
Make sure to take some good shoes with you as this island has a lot of places
to discover.