Hislop

“I love to write. It’s how I express myself best… The ascent of Olympus left me somewhat silent; as I descended from the mountain walking through the ‘forest of silence,’ I heard my footsteps, and they were quiet. Even I was quiet.

Immortalized in Victoria Hislop's award-winning novel, "The Island," the uninhabited islet of Spinalonga has a long and tragic past. Known by its grim epithet, the "island of the living dead," and nestled in the picturesque Elounda Bay of northeast Crete, the islet was home to one of Europe's last leper colonies, active from 1903 to 1957.