Pancratium maritimum - Sea daffodil -Το κρινάκι της θάλασσας!!!

The Sea Daffodil is a stunning flower and is one of the most beautiful of the wild Cretan flowers which appears on beaches in late summer and can be found on a few of the Southwest beaches of Rethymno...

A little further from Plakias, you can come in front of Plakiassuites at the Plakias Suites Beachand there are many hundreds of flowering Pancratium plants. Really a beautiful sight!!!

 

The pancratium maritimum, many times, has been subject 
for study forbotanists and archaeologists.

The Pancratium features in lists of documented prehistoric plants of the Mediterranean and appears in wall paintings in Knossos. It has medicinal uses described by Dioscorides and Theophrastos. (1896). 

It is sadly becoming endangered - one of the victims of beach tourism and construction, pollution and galloping erosion due to rising temperatures and sea level… not to mention enthusiasts who carry them off to plant in their gardens and promptly kill them by planting in rich soil....

Crete: Incredible Beaches

Photo of the day: We waiting you, autumn in Crete!!!

Crete: The Island Inside You.

See the Caryatids of Amphipolis tomb!!

They stand on marble pedestals of 1.33m length and 0.68m width

The Caryatids have now been revealed. They are 2,27m tall and they are wearing a long chiton and buskins, which are decorated with red and yellow color.
They stand on marble pedestals of 1.33m length and 0.68m width. The distance between the two pedestals is 1.68m.
Part of the hands of Caryatids was also revealed when removing the soil near them.
 source:newsroom

The Greek Secret...

The video includes George Stephanopoulos, Arianna Huffington, Bob Costas, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America Demetrios, and more. The footage showcases 29 successful Greeks who state what "Philotimo" means to them.
source:  Washington Oxi Day Foundation

Greece once again ranked second place on the Blue Flag quality award list, this year among 51 countries.

The Greek beaches that have been honored with the 2014 Blue Flag quality award were announced on 7 May by the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature.
According to the announcement, Greece once again ranked second place on the Blue Flag quality award list, this year among 51 countries. Spain was in first place.
In total, 408 beaches and 10 marinas in Greece have been recognized for their excellent seawater quality, litter management, organization of the swimming area, safety procedures for bathers and protection of the environment, among other factors. Last year, 393 beaches and nine marinas were honored with the quality “Blue Flag” award in Greece.
The “Blue Flag” is a voluntary eco-label awarded to the cleanest and best managed beaches across the world and is run by the independent, non-profit organization Foundation for Environmental Education (based in Copenhagen). The Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature is the program’s coordinator for Greece.

Tourists want “Blue Flag” beaches

According to the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature, international travel agencies abroad pay special attention to blue flag beaches when destinations are chosen for their clients.
Last year, the Greek Tourism Ministry signed a cooperation protocol with the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature to increase the number of Greek Blue Flag beaches and improve the level of services offered there.

 For the complete list of all 408 Greek “blue flag” beaches, press here.

Blue Flag beaches around the world

On a worldwide scale the foundation awarded the international eco-label (blue flags) to 3,372 beaches and 650 marinas for 2014.

source :gtp