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Like.. Summer, Crete - Greece!

 

New Review on Tripadvisor: “5-star experience in quiet corner of the island”

Reviewed 2 days ago..

''Loved the place!

 Modern apartment, few steps from the (kind of) private beach and nice walking distance to the nearby seaside village with restaurants and shops. 

The owner adds a touch of warm welcome and that combined with great local food and perfect weather/sea duo makes me to plan to come back. 

Geocaching opportunities nearby. Also easy rental of a scooter or at least one boat trip are local "must do-s".

• Stayed July 2015, travelled with family'' 

See here: http://bit.ly/20qKDPt

 Plakiassuites: Ranked #1 of 49 Speciality Lodging in Plakias

  

103 Reviews Certificate of Excellence

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Hello Monday...

Have a wonderful week with much love, peace & joy!

SouthWest of Crete: must to do..

The Samaria Gorge

 

Probably the most stunning natural location on any of the islands, the Samaria Gorge in Crete is like a time capsule that takes you back into a time before modern day life. 

Entering the gorge through its upper entrance, you feel as if you are in another world, a fantasy world, dreamt up by writers for some epic quest. Truly awe-inspiring.

However, not only does it feature jaw-dropping views, but exciting hiking trails, walkways, old rope bridges, cut-away cafes and gentle flowing rivers. 

A paradise for any nature lover.

To be continued...

Top 10 beaches — Greece 2015

Trip Advisor once again presents the list with the most beautiful beaches in Greece for 2015.

The travel website put a vote among its community and the readers chose the best beaches according to their own taste.

Elafonissi Beach &
Balos Beach and Lagoon Kissamos, Crete among the first choices!

 

See here:Tripadvisor

Washington Post for Ancient Greece

Washington Post makes a tribute to Ancient Greece and the latest exhibition in the The National Gallery of Art’s with an article entitled “Face-to-face with ancient Greece: The National Gallery of Art’s ‘Power and Pathos’”.

More than 2,000 years ago, Greek artists created bronze sculptures that are as beautiful and expressive as anything made before or since. 

And they were prolific, molding tens of thousands of gleaming likenesses of civic leaders, poets, gods and heroes. Only about 200 remain today, which makes the latest exhibit at the National Gallery of Art all the more odds-defying. 

One quarter of the survivors are on view as part of “Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World,” through March 20.

“We’ve brought together as many large-scale bronze sculptures as have ever been brought together before, and the ones we’ve chosen are of the highest order,” says Jens M. Daehner, an antiquities curator at the J. Paul Getty Museum in LA, who co-curated the exhibit with the Getty’s Kenneth Lapatin. The exhibit arrives in D.C. after stops in Florence, Italy, and Los Angeles.

“Power and Pathos” includes two nearly identical pieces never before seen side by side, the so-called Herms of Dionysos. One of the sculptures was salvaged from the wreckage of an ancient ship near Tunisia in 1907. 

The other appeared in a Swiss art market in 1971 with no indication as to where it had been discovered.

The herms consist of long rectangular columns topped with renderings of the head of Dionysos, the god of wine. Statues of this type — named after the messenger god Hermes — were placed around borders of cities as protection.

“Their similarity to Pez dispensers is, I think, coincidental,” Lapatin says.

A chemical analysis of the two herms concluded that they originate from the same workshop, perhaps even from the same batch of metal. Though few duplicates like these remain today, ancient Greek artisans frequently reused molds and made multiple copies of the same sculpture, Lapatin says. Eagle-eyed visitors can play “spot the difference” with the herms.

“The one from Tunisia has more detail in it, and it’s signed by the artist,” Lapatin says. “Maybe that’s the more expensive version — like when you see two models of the same car, but one is upgraded with leather seats and a sunroof.”

In ancient Greece, a life-size bronze sculpture would have cost about 3,000 drachmas — the equivalent of two years’ salary for a rich citizen. These likenesses were often erected by cities to honor civic leaders and rulers, though poets and athletes were also commonly depicted.

“These images we have are pretty much of the ancient Greek’s 1 percent,” Lapatin says.

None of the bronze works on display capture a person smiling, unless you count the satyr with a creepy grin. Rather, the sculptures tend to portray people in a moment of quiet reflection. 

One of the most famous Greek sculptures is colloquially known as “Worried Man From Delos” because of the subject’s rather anxious look. The sculptor, however, probably just meant to portray the man’s civic devotion.

“The face is showing what he’s being honored for — the zeal, attention, care and energy he’s expended on behalf of his fellow citizens,” Daehner says.

Even if we don’t interpret the Delos man’s emotions as his fellow citizens would have, the sculpture’s expressive face exemplifies why we find these masterpieces so arresting.

“The vivid way they portrayed emotions collapses time,” Lapatin says. “These are not only exquisite works of art, they are almost alive.”

When you look at an ancient Greek sculpture, remember that it’s probably been through a lot. 

These artifacts were damaged in shipwrecks, buried by volcanic ash or even marred by art lovers from eras past. 

As you imagine what these bronzes might have looked like 2,000 years ago, don’t forget:

They used to be shiny. Centuries of tarnish have given these sculptures a dark, mottled finish. 

When they were first minted, they approximated the color of tan Mediterranean skin. To heighten realism, sculptors used copper inlays to create nipples and lips.

The faces had eyes. Over time, most of the sculptures lost their lifelike eyes, which were made of glass and colored stone and fringed with delicate bronze eyelashes.

The heads had bodies. For ancient Greeks, a portrait wouldn’t have been complete unless it included your torso and toes. (Head-topped columns known as herms were a notable exception.)

 “They didn’t have feel the same kind of mind-body separation we have in the Judeo-Christian tradition,” co-curator Kenneth Lapatin says.

(source:Ellines.com)

Global Travel in 2016: Travelers Keen to Spend More, Hoteliers Plan to Increase Room Rates

Travelers are open to spending more in 2016 than they have in the past while many accommodations plan to raise their room rates in the coming year, according to the results of the TripBarometer study released recently by travel site TripAdvisor.
The TripBarometer study is the world’s largest accommodation and traveler survey, presenting a snapshot of the travel landscape for 2016, revealing domestic and global travel trends.

According to the findings of the TripBarometer study, one in three travelers (33 percent) worldwide are open to spending more in 2016 than they have in the past — and not just because of rising costs. Among those who plan to increase their travel budget, 49 percent said they will do so because “because I or my family deserve it.”

Another 31 percent said they would spend more on travel because “it’s important for my health and well-being.”

Meanwhile, nearly half of hoteliers globally plan to increase room rates in 2016 (47 percent).

Most accommodations are increasing rates to compensate for increased overhead costs (65 percent), although more than a third are increasing rates because of recently completed renovations (37 percent) or because of increased demand (35 percent).
Also, three in four business owners are optimistic about profitability in 2016. The majority of those who are optimistic say it’s because of local events and conferences taking place in their markets next year (65 percent). Also, 91 percent of hoteliers see increasing direct bookings as key for the future of their business.

Hoteliers also believe that their online presence remains important as 93 percent said that traveler reviews on the web are essential for the future of their business. 
Online reputation management is still the biggest area of investment for accommodation owners in 2016, with 59 percent investing more in this area than they did the previous year.

The TripBarometer study also revealed that travelers choose destinations for a number of reasons, including special offers from accommodations.

Globally, 47 percent of travelers say they have visited a destination because of the culture and people of the specific country and one in five travelers (21 percent) have chosen a destination because a hotel had a special offer or package.
Among the amenities that travelers will look for when they book an accommodation in 2016, air conditioning and WiFi stand out. Globally, 63 percent of travelers said air conditioning is a must-have when choosing a place to stay and 46 percent said free in-room WiFi is a must-have amenity — meaning that, if an accommodation did not provide it, they would look elsewhere.

In addition, the study also showed that 69 percent of global travelers plan to try something new in 2016. One in five travelers said they would try a cruise for the first time next year.

Conducted on behalf of TripAdvisor by independent research firm Ipsos, the TripBarometer study is the analysis of more than 44,000 survey responses from travelers and the hotel sector worldwide.
For the TripBarometer study, press here.
(source gtp)