11 Weird and Wonderful Reasons to Visit Crete

The largest of the Greek islands, Crete is renowned for its glorious weather, mouth-watering Greek cuisine and paradise beaches. Although you probably don’t need much more convincing than that to visit this beautiful island, we’ve rounded up 11 weird and wonderful reasons to get you craving to visit Crete this summer.
1. It Goes Way Back

Crete’s history actually goes further back than that of the entire European continent, meaning it’s full of ancient stories for you to discover.

2. It’s the Birth Place of Zeus
 
Greek myths say the island is the birth place of Zeus, King of the Gods. Any place fit for a god is certainly good enough for us!

3. Crete Enjoys Two Climates

The majority of Crete has a sunny Mediterranean climate, however the south coast enters into the North African climatic region which enjoys more warmer days than the north of Crete year round… that’s two holidays in one!

4. Ancient Philosophers Loved It

The island’s history was often mentioned by some of the great ancient Greek philosophers, including Aristotle, Plato and Homer.

 5. Knossos is One of the Most Popular Archaeological Sites in Greece
 
The most popular archaeological site in Greece after the Acropolis, Knossos was the dwelling of King Minos and is definitely worth visit!

6. The Air of Crete Has Healing Powers

Hippocrates, a Greek physician, proclaimed that the air in Crete had healing powers, a belief that is still held today.

7. Crete is Practically Equidistant Between Three Continents

Crete’s distance from Europe is almost identical to its distance from Africa and its distance from Asia, making it a mid-point between all three continents.

8. It’s Got Thousands of Caves
 
This Greek Island is home to over 3000 caves, something which is well worth exploring! Although, maybe not all of them…

9. Crete Was Once the Master of the Mediterranean

At one point in history, even Athens honoured Crete and many people travelled to the island to honour King Minos.

10. Crete’s Transparent Waters Can Stretch Back as Far as 40m
 
The shimmering, clear blue sea water off the coast of Crete can sometimes reach up to 40 meters from the shoreline, which is a luxury we all need to experience.

11. The Island is Associated With the Mysterious City of Atlantis

Evidence found on Crete suggests the Minoan civilization could have been destroyed by a giant tsunami, resulting in the underwater lost city of Atlantis.

Since this magnificent island is the birth place of Zeus and even has healing air, we’re struggling to find any reasons why you wouldn’t fancy a trip to Crete!
(source:lowcostholidays, authorOlivia Connelly)

20 Santa Clauses descend a gorgeous canyon in Crete (Photos)

They wanted to welcome the festive season in their own special way.

 

Twenty fans of canyoning descended a beautiful canyon in Crete, as part of an original event that was organized by the Cretan Canyoning Association.
The annual Christmas descent of the association took place in the canyon of Eligas, which is located at Emparos.
20 members of CCA, including men and women, dressed as Santa Clauses and descended the canyon in order to welcome the festive season in their own special way.

The Cretan Canyoning Association started operations ten years ago, with the purpose of mainly educating young people according to the standards of French and Italian canyoning schools.
It also aims to the preservation and repair of secure locks, the exploration, the security and the mapping of new canyons in Crete and in Greece in general.
 (Source:protothema)

German tourists prefer Greece

A 18.6% increase in traffic compared to 2013

The upcoming summer tourist season is on its way and everything shows that it will be successful, based on German statistics evaluating the 2015 summer season.

This year’s winner in the choice of destinations of Germans is Greece. “No other country experienced higher growth in 2014”, said DRV’s director, the biggest German tour operator and travel agencies operation. Based on the German statistical office, 2,060,000 tourists flew from Germany to Greece between April and October 2014. This is an increase of 18.6% compared to 2013 (1,860,000).
(Source:protothema)

Forbes: Britain must return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece

Making specific reference to the recent loan of a Parthenon statue to Hermitage Museum in Russia, she notes that this gesture was a stinging insult to Greece.

 

In an article published by Forbes magazine, Leila Amineddoleh, partner at Galluzzo & Amineddoleh and executive director of Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation, explains why she believes that the British Museum must return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.
Characterizing the Parthenon as one of the most recognized symbols of Western Civilization and the highest architectural achievement of the Ancient Greeks, Ms. Amineddoleh underlines that, for Greece, these amazing sculptures are “a symbol of their culture, heritage and past.”
“In the same vein, art historians and archaeologists argue that the sculptures are integral to the ancient temple structures still standing in Athens,” notes the successful lawyer specializing in art, cultural heritage and intellectual property law.
Making specific reference to the recent loan of a Parthenon statue to Hermitage Museum in Russia, she notes that this gesture was a “stinging insult” to Greece, who has been requesting the marbles return for many years now.
The author believes that it is “disheartening to view the marbles in London after learning that their removal damaged one of mankind’s crowning achievements” and states that the only moral solution would be to return them.
(Source:protothema)

Photo of the Day..

December in Plakias, Crete!!

http://www.plakiassuites.com/

New Greek Christmas stamps!

New stamps by Hellenic Post (ELTA) to celebrate the festive season.
 A festive season of stamps have been issued by Hellenic Post. The series, titled “Children’s Christmas” circulate in 10 items. The QRC-styled stamps can be read by smartphones and are of the latest technology. The Greek Typaldou children’s choir is featured in the series.
(Source:protothema)

Amphipolis, Greece: One of the top 10 Discoveries of 2014. (A publication of the Archaeological Institute of America)

Ever since the discovery of the largest known Greek tomb was announced in August, archaeology buffs around the world have been eagerly awaiting each successive bit of news from the site. The Amphipolis tomb, which dates to the time of Alexander the Great, is a prime example of how archaeology can captivate the public imagination and easily earned a spot on our list of the Top 10 Discoveries of 2014.

Equally impressive was the discovery, after decades upon decades of searching, of a ship that sank in Arctic waters in present-day Canada almost 170 years ago while looking for the Northwest Passage. That find was deemed so momentous that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper took it upon himself to make the official announcement.

Archaeologists were also hard at work in the lab squeezing as much insight as possible out of limited evidence. Analysis of 6,000-year-old funerary wrappings established that ancient Egyptians practiced artificial mummification much earlier than had been thought. Genetic material from a skeleton found in an underwater cave in Mexico helped shed light on the relationship between the first people to arrive in the Americas and modern Native Americans. And a clever approach to interpreting the genome of Neanderthals revealed factors beyond the raw genetic code that explain how they differed from modern humans.

This year’s finds span the globe and tens of thousands of years, but are united in demonstrating archaeology’s ability to uncover hidden truths. What better example than the revelation via remote-sensing technologies that Stonehenge is surrounded by thousands of yet-to-be-interpreted Neolithic archaeological features? The discoveries on our top 10 list stand as a reminder that there is always more to learn about our past.
Greece's Biggest Tomb 
(Source: http://www.archaeology.org/)