Greece's 11 least populated islands

There are reasons why we visit the Greek island honeypots of Santorini, Mykonos, and Crete: direct flights, reliable hotels, and buzzing nightlife. But for those willing to make the effort, there are dozens of timewarped islands that offer complete tranquility and a chance to escape the crowds. This is our guide to the least populated of the Greek islands, where transport may well be a donkey rather than a taxi or bus, and the best lesson is learning how to do not very much at all...
By Lizzie Porter (see all the article: Telegraph)
 

New exhibition on Winged Victory of Samothrace at the Louvre

The exhibition traces the history of this masterpiece and its origins linked to the excavations on Samothrace island.

 The Louvre in Paris invites its visitors to rediscover the Winged Victory of Samothrace, opening an exhibition on Thursday that will run until June 2015.
This emblematic statue, amongst the most renowned exhibits at the iconic Louvre, is again on display after a year of restoration.
The exhibition traces the history of the masterpiece and its origins, linked to the excavations on Samothrace island, in the northeast Aegean.
 
Winged Victory of Samothrace
The winged goddess of Victory (Nike, in Greek) standing on the prow of a ship overlooked the Sanctuary of the Great Gods on Samothrace. This monument was probably an ex-voto offered by the people of Rhodes in commemoration of a naval victory in the early second century BC. The theatrical stance, vigorous movement, and billowing drapery of this Hellenistic-era sculpture are combined with references to the Classical period — prefiguring the baroque aestheticism of the Pergamene sculptors.
This exceptional monument was unearthed in 1863 on verdant Samothrace. It was discovered by Charles Champoiseau, French Vice-Consul to Adrianople (modern-day Edirne, in Turkey). The goddess of Victory is shown in the form of a winged woman standing on the prow of a ship, braced against the strong wind blowing through her garments. With her right hand cupped around her mouth, she announced the event she was dedicated to commemorate.
(Source: Louvre museum official site)

Free museum entry on special dates!

Are you entitled to enter Greek museums and archaeological sites around Greece for free? 
 

Days in which museum entry is free

•  March 6 – tribute to the late actress/politician Melina Mercouri
• June 5 – International Environment Day
• April 18 – World Monuments Day
• May 18 – International Museum Day
• August full moon night
• The last weekend of September each year as part of the European Days of Cultural Heritage
• Every first day of the month from November 1 through to March 31
• October 28
  

People entitled reduced and free entry
Reduced entry for Greek and EU citizens and for those over 65 years who show their ID cards as well as students from the EU
Free entry for

• Journalists who show their ID
• Those who have free entry cards
• Members of the International Council of Museums (ICOM or ICOMOS) who show their ID cards
• Those who have culture cards
• Members of the councils of Friends of Museums and Archaeological sites of Greece who have a card
• Children of up to 18 years
• Tour guides who are registered with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism
• Academics and teachers
• Guests of the Greek public sector who have registered cards supporting this from the General Secretariat of Antiquity and Culture
• Teachers accompanying their students on school visits
• The blind and people with disabilities
• Escorts of the blind or people with disabilities
• Archaeology, culture and sports public sector employees who show their employee ID cards
• (source: protothema)

ITB Berlin Opens, Greece Optimistic for 2015 Tourism Season

Greece will aim this year to win more visitors from Western Europe, the Unites States and Germany, Alternate Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura told the press on Wednesday, the opening day for ITB Berlin.
The minister visited the Greek stand and wished all tourism professionals and regional bodies a successful tourism season.
 
While in Berlin, the tourism minister’s agenda includes meetings with the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization Taleb Rifai, Berlin Mayor Michael Muller, major tour operators and travel journalists.
Greece is enjoying its tourism recovery at ITB Berlin 2015. According to market research institute GfK, year-to-date bookings for 2015 to Greece from Germany, by end of January 2015, were up by 12.8 percent compared to the same period last year.
 Meanwhile, TUI revealed that it was experiencing good sales for Greece and German tour operator Schauinsland-Reisen also said that Greece was selling particularly well this year.
Greece hit record arrivals last year — a 23 percent increase in tourism arrivals over 2013 — and even better is expected for this season, tourism professionals underline.
“Early bookings and the increase in scheduled flights to Greece indicate that the 24.5 million visitors that Greece welcomed in 2014 –- including 2.5 million cruise ships arrivals –- will be surpassed this year,” said Andreas Andreadis, president of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) during a press conference.
 
Some 70 Greek enterprises are participating as co-exhibitors at the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) stand.
ITB Berlin will run until March 8.
More than 10,000 exhibitors from around 190 countries and regions are presenting their innovative products and services in the 26 display halls on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds. Over 100,000 trade visitors are expected to attend the world’s largest travel trade show in order find out about all the tourism industry’s products and services at this year’s event.
(source:gtp)

The Fortezza of Rethymno, Crete

Fortezza is Rethymno’s landmark and its most important monument, built in the late 16th century in order to reinforce the city’s defense..

 
The Venetian Fortrezza of Rethymno is almost at the center of the picturesque old town, offering panoramic views of the Cretan harbour-city.
One theory suggests that the hill on which it is built was once, possibly millennia ago, an island linked to the mainland by a narrow strip of land. The hill of Paleokastro (Old Castle) was probably the site of the acropolis of ancient Rithymna with its Temple of Apollo and a sanctuary of Artemis, though this hasn’t been proven.
(source:ptotothema)

Traditional Greek recipe: Octopus stewed in red wine.

This traditional Greek recipe produces a delicious octopus stew with a piquant red wine sauce.
 
This traditional Greek recipe produces a delicious octopus stew with a piquant red wine sauce.
Ingredients
1 octopus (about 1 ½ kilo)
4 cloves garlic
3 bay leaves
1 wine glass of olive oil
1 wine glass of sweet wine from Lemnos
1 wine glass of vinegar
1 wine glass of dry red wine
Coarse ground pepper
Preparation method
Step 1
Make sure the octopus is thoroughly cleaned. Place the whole octopus in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Cover with the lid and put a weight on top to prevent the evaporation of the fluids. Cook for half an hour.
Step 2
Add the garlic, the bay leaves and the olive oil. Then, add the vinegar, the dry wine and, finally, the sweet wine. Bring the ingredients to a good boil.
Step 3
Cover again the lid, lower the heat and simmer the octopus for about 1 hour, until tender and until the sauce thickens. Before serving, sprinkle with plenty of pepper.

Source: Olive magazine
Chef: Ilias Mamalakis
Photo: George Drakopoulos 
Food Styling: Tina Webb

Russians Place Greece Among Top 3 Favorite Destinations

Greece was ranked third in the leading destinations selected by Russian tourists for their trips abroad in 2014, recording a 17 percent drop compared to 2013, according to the Russian Federation’s Federal Agency for Tourism (Rosturizm).
 The almost 50 percent plunge in the rate of the ruble is seen as leading to the decline in travel as Russian spending power dropped by 28 percent last year.
(Read more:gtp)