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| Elounda is located in north eastern
Crete in the Lasithi prefecture, just 8 kilometres from Aghios Nikolaos.
It
was once a small fishing village, but a few years ago a number of large,
luxury hotel complexes were built
here, transforming the region into one of the
islands major tourist destinations. |
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Keeping the hotels company are a large
number of taverns, bars and coffee shops. The centre of activities during
the day revolve around the busy harbour, and a good sandy beach offering
excellent water sport facilities. The beach is considered by some to be
the best on Crete, although it can become very crowded during the height
of the season. |
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The
town lies on the shores of a lagoon that contains the sunken remains of
the lost city of Olous, which was built on the neck of land that joins
Crete with the peninsula of Spinalonga. On days when the water is calm, the
few remnants of the walls of this
ancient city can be seen beneath the waves. In summer, there are
opportunities to join organised scuba diving expeditions. |
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| Past the Two windmills and the
causeway to Spinalonga. there is a small, sign for a Byzantine mosaic.
Take the path and just past a small taverna, look over a low wall of rough
stones, and you will find a beautiful, Byzantine mosaic. This is all that
remains of the basilica of Olous which once stood on the site. |
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| At the entrance of the bay is the small
island of Spinalonga. In antiquity it was the location of the fortress of
the Olounites later in 1579 the Venetians built another fortress here. The
island remained under Venetian rule, even after the Ottoman occupation of
Crete in 1669. It acted as a safe refuge of Ottoman families during the
last years of the Ottoman occupation. In 1903, it was appointed as a
colony for the lepers of Crete. The 13th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities
carried out some restoration work to the buildings on the island, and
today Spinalonga is one of the main tourist attractions of the area. |
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