page_title: Leon (Souda Bay)
hierarchical_section_title: Leon (Souda Bay)
caption_attribution_description: English: Souda Bay, Crete. This photo was taken from the ruined walls of the old Venetian fortress at Souda Island. Souda Bay is a bay and natural harbour on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide, and a deep natural harbour. Souda is an important port for freight ships with a regular ferry service to Pireaus. It is also a strategic Hellenic Navy and NATO naval base. The strategic importance is enchanced by the Souda Air Base on Akrotiri Peninsula, serving Hellenic Air Force 115 Combat Wing. The latter may look like an information of no importance for the potential tourists, but believe me, even sleeping in Rethymno you will easily notice that Crete has an excellent fighter cover all night long.
context_page_description: Leon, also known colloquially as Nisi and during Venetian rule as Rabbit Island, is an islet in Souda Bay on the northwest coast of Crete.
  On the southeast side of the islet, a small distance away, there is another larger islet called Souda. In ancient times these two islets were referred to as Leukai and pronounced "Lefkai". Their name came from the ancient Greek myth about a musical contest between the Sirens and the Muses. Out of their anguish from losing the competition, writes Stephanus of Byzantium, the Muses plucked their rivals' feathers from their wings; the Sirens turned white and fell into the sea at Aptera where they formed the islands in the bay that were called Lefkai.
context_section_description: Leon (Greek: Λέων, "lion"), also known colloquially as Nisi ("the island") and during Venetian rule as Rabbit Island, is an islet in Souda Bay on the northwest coast of Crete.
  On the southeast side of the islet, a small distance away, there is another larger islet called Souda. In ancient times these two islets were referred to as Leukai (Greek for "white ones") and pronounced "Lefkai". Their name came from the ancient Greek myth about a musical contest between the Sirens and the Muses.  Out of their anguish from losing the competition, writes Stephanus of Byzantium, the Muses plucked their rivals' feathers from their wings; the Sirens turned white and fell into the sea at Aptera ("featherless") where they formed the islands in the bay that were called Lefkai.
caption: The islet of Leon viewed from the fortifications on the islet of Souda within Souda bay
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