Elafonissi Beach Crete, Greece

Bright white and pink sand against blue-green waters make Elafonissi Beach one of most gorgeous destinations on any coastline. This small island in western Crete also features black rocks, white lilies, and exotic animals.

At the Top of the island there is a plaque that commemorates a tragic event. On Easter Sunday of 18 April 1824 many Greeks, majority women and children, were killed on Elafonisi by Ottoman soldiers. To avoid advancing Turkish Ottoman troops, forty armed men had taken refuge on the island with women, children and elders were waiting for a ship to take them to the Ionian Islands.

The Ottoman soldiers had decided to camp on the beach opposite the island. One of their horses walked along the shallow water to the island and the people hiding on the island were discovered. According to several sources there were between 640 and 850 people in total, most of whom were killed and the remaining survivors were sold into slavery in Egyp