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Death...
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In Spinalonga...
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everything was moving towards death.
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There was no creativity, no life...
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We came in Spinalonga
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in order to die...
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with no hope...
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We used in a life
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different from ordinary people
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They had plans
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for the future...
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but we didn't!
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We were preparing to die!
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Our sole became cold...
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Every time we heard somone was dead....
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we were thinking
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"finally he found some rest"
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This is Spinalonga-castle
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builted in 1589
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to protect golf of Mirambello.
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This island has a huge history!
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It was Venetian fortification,
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refuge for Cristians
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during Venetian-Turkish war for Crete,
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under Ottoman rule after 1715...
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Spinalonga named by Venetians
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means "long thorn".
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Before it was called "Kalydon".
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December 1898
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Crete is under European protection.
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Prince George of Greece
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has to deal with "leper"
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the biggest plague of 20th cent.
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In every county of Crete
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there were 30-50 lepers.
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They were beggars...
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travelling around Crete...
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If a member of the family
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the girls could not marry.
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Everybody was thinking the leper
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as already dead.
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Spinalonga Is notable for being one
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of the last active leper colonies in Europe.
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Why Spinalonga?
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Because it was a castle...
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no one could come or leave easiely...
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Lepers was taken from their families...
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It was so sad to see
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young girls in their twenties...
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kept as prisoner...
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I could hear the cries from here!
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I saw a father like crazy
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for taken apart his only daughter...
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The island as you see it form the shore...
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the lepers' entrance...
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Main road...
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the market place...
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the cemetary...
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The hospital...
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On the way to Spinalonga...
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Lepers...
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Epaminontas Remountakis
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the leper lawyer
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who stand for their rights!
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Life in the island was unspeakable...
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Life in death!
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There was a sign
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on top of main entrance:
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"Leave every hope behind"!
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"I first came in 1929
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and stayed for 14 years...
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Life sucks!
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There was 400 lepers...
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We were asking for better conditions.
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In the first place,
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here was no medical attention
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only one doctor for 400 people!
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The pharmacist was illiterate!
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Spinalonga was a rock!
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naked rock!
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We planted lemon trees...
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and every tree around...
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I'll never forget Epaminontas,
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he gave us hope
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and made our voice heard!
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The lepers' revolution...
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they raised black flags...
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Epaminontas was ahead...
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He faced the minister and said:
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"I am a living dead
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just to save the future
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of the society...
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You have the obligation
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to make my short life
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tolerable...
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From his biography...
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September 1935:
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they took my sister Maria to the island...
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7 months later came my turn...
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I was only 21...
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In Agios Nikolaos harbour
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I took a boat to Spinalonga...
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The man who had it was calling out:
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"Anyone to Spinalonga?"
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I gathered my strength
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and answered "yes" ...
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They left them with nothing out there!
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They only had a generator!
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So stupid!
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They had light...
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but no clean water!!
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They gathered the rain water...
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I know...
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You fell sorry for us...
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because of our illness...
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I think we should pitty you!
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We should fell sorry for you...
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Only a wall keep us apart
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from the jungle of life out there...
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But behind that wall, we found the mean of life!
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we saw real life as we faced the death!
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The island was used as leper colony
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from 1903 to 1957.
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The last inhabitant, a priest
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left the island in 1962.
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Other leper colonies that have survived Spinalonga
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include Tichileşti in Eastern Romania,
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Fontilles in Spain and Talsi in Latvia.
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As of 2002, few lazarettos remain in Europe.
