Reverend Bill Armstrong reflects on holiday time at home and abroad, and talks about some memorable visits to locations off the beaten track.

 

July, in the west of Scotland, used to mark the beginning of the holiday season. Nowadays there is little mention of the Glasgow Fair, and if some still speak of it they are probably living on a pension. Glasgow Fair was the time when many of the major companies in the city shut down for the first two weeks, and many of the workers who could afford a holiday would probably go ‘Doon the water fur the Fair’.

Life since has changed markedly. There are very few businesses that close for the ‘Fair’. Working people, if they are holiday minded, will go abroad at a time of their choosing for guaranteed sunshine, visiting places of interest that have a certain appeal.

My wife and I were fortunate in being able to go abroad several times. Italy became our favourite destination, though there were other places that took our interest.

Some years ago we chose to visit Crete. The interest there was Spinalonga, the last leper colony in Europe; not the most inspiring place to visit while on holiday; but we are often drawn to places that are not just wall-to-wall sunshine and ice cream. The colony closed in 1957, only 66 years ago. My wife had read books on the subject by Victoria Hislop, harrowing tales of families separated because of this grievous illness.

Spinalonga has an eerie silence. It was a strange yet moving experience; the sense of unease we felt having read about the people who were isolated there.

Leprosy was a common illness in bible times. Lepers had to carry and ring a bell and shout ‘Unclean'!

There is a touching Bible story in which Jesus embraced and cured ten lepers. A telling point in the story is that only one leper came back to thank him. Do you think it bothered Jesus?

I often wonder what I would have done in similar circumstances.

There is much more to Crete than Spinalonga, but the place tells enough of its history to show that even today there are people who are not made welcome in our society; they might even be called lepers even though they don’t suffer from the illness. Some might be known to you.