Nisis Leros - Lakki
OUT AND ABOUT ON LEROS

It's a very quiet winter here for us. Only a few other winter liveaboards in the marina and consequently there is an air of peace and tranquillity around us. Weather wise, this winter has been very different from that of last year on Ikaria. It has been very much colder and very much wetter. When the Northerlies blow we run our onboard heating first thing in the morning and again in the evening and Stiletto warms up very quickly. When the wind changes to Southerlies it is very much warmer and we don't need to run it at all.

Having a car is a real game changer. We have been out and about almost every day. On good weather days, we have a couple of favourite walks that we drive to and if the weather is not so good then we explore around the island taking some very narrow tracks to high points and admire the stunning views.

On the Xerokambos walk we have come across two dogs who we have named Nero and Manic. They both spend their days chained up allegedly guarding their owners property. It is actually illegal to chain up dogs here in Greece but sadly this is ignored in so many cases.. We have yet to see food or clean water in their bowls. So we bought a couple of boxes of treats and now, when they hear us coming they get VERY excited and we get a lovely welcome and they get some much needed attention. After our experience with Buby in Samos, I am determined not to get too attached - but it's difficult.

There are many Italian fortifications in Lakki. The Italians occupied all of the Dodecanese islands from 1911 to 1912. On Leros , a new town , Porto Lago, was created in the 1930s under the watchful eye of Mussolini consisting of the infamous Italian Rationalist Art-Deco architecture and streets wide enough for parading. The Italians remained in Leros for about 35 years. Eventually the Greeks renamed it Lakki.

Some of the buildings are in a very good state of repair and are quite stunning. Others sadly, have been left to crumble.

The fortifications we came across were in a very good condition considering their age and location and they had amazing vantage points.

Muse for this post: You don't need rest; you need peace.