Telegraph: Crete among the 10 best walking tours for 2016

Walking holidays are the antidote to the pressures of modern life. 
There is no real goal or to-do list other than to wend your way from A to B at your own pace, typically against a scenic backdrop.

 Telegraph selected the 10 best walking holidays for 2016.

France, Italy and Spain, with their varied terrain and enduring appeal, feature heavily on the list.

There are also walks in Switzerland, Portugal, Greece, South Africa and Costa Rica, which offer varying difficulty levels.

2. The way to Crete

"This 13-day Crete’s Coast and Mountains itinerary wends its way around western Crete, passing through Aiolos, homeland of the god of the winds, the pirate country of Gramvoussa, and Elafonisi, land of the Cyclops.
A self-guided trip, it includes stops at a monastery in Chryssoskalitissa, a beach at Elafonisi and the gorges of Paleochora, one of the main attractions of walking in southern Crete. There’s a chance to spot griffin vultures that nest on the slopes of Mount Prophet Ilias and the option to spend a full day relaxing in Souyia, a small seaside village.
Other highlights include the ancient ruins of Lissos, the city of Chania and the Irini Gorge which has only recently been opened up for exploration, and rivals the more famous Samaria Gorge."
 Telegraph

USA Today: Greek islands in world’s 9 top destinations for a solo trip in 2016

 "It's no secret the Greek economy isn't doing great, but that shouldn't stop anyone from traveling there alone — just make sure to take a few extra steps before going solo.

While Athens has rich history to offer and is a good home base, the islands offer a perfect solo beach escape where you'll be able to meet people and island hop when you get bored.

Luckily there are thousands of islands to explore with ferries and flights providing easy access between them.

Don't miss picturesque Santorini, famous party spot Mykonos, beach-riddled Zakynthos, historical Ithaca, under-rated Syros, and of course the biggest island, Crete."

 USA Today

Mediterranean Cooking: Tomato salad with herbs

By: Elias Mamalakis
        Delicious salad, ideal for a light dinner.

Ingredients
6 large tomatoes
1 onion
4 barley rusks
1 cup chopped mint
1 cup chopped basil leave
1 tsp. tablespoon of fresh thyme leave
1 tsp. lemongrass soup leaves, finely-chopped
extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tsp. good soup wine vineger
coarse salt
10 ice cubes
Method
Step 1
Break the crispy bread into a very large bowl. Peel the tomatoes.
Step 2
Grate one of the tomatoes and scatter over the crispy bread. Cut the remaining tomatoes into pieces and add to salad bowl.
Step 3
Cut one onion and stir
Step 4
Add the herbs and plenty of coarse salt and stir again. Scatters the ice cubes in abowl and sprinkle with two tablespoons of vinegar. Pour plenty of oil and serve the tomato.
Tips
Probably such a sensual salad will make your guests to despise the other dishes of the meal, so take care with what would compliment the salad and not what will accompany the salad.
* You can make your salad some time before eating, so the tomato will release its juice and will be able to dip.
* The crispy bread is ideal for this salad because it is hard and then not melt, but soften.

New Review on Tripadvisor: “Relaxing time in a beautiful area with superb hosts”

Reviewed 1 week ago

Eleni and her husband, Giorgos are great hosts. 

The arrival was very warm and we felt directly at home. 

The house and rooms are very comfortable and very close to the sea.

Weather was sunny but a little windy. 

Eleni gave us good tips for excursions as well as great restaurants.
Thank you for this fine holiday.

 

If we are some day back in the area, we would certainly stay again there.
Dirk - Olga - Pascale - Patrik 

Room Tip: All rooms are very comfortable !

See here: TripAdvisor

Plakiassuites: Ranked #1 of 49 Speciality Lodging in Plakias, Retyhymno - Crete!

  

99 Reviews Certificate of Excellence

Photo of the day

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...

Pancratium maritimum - Sea daffodil

New Review on Tripadvisor: “So relaxing!”

Reviewed 3 weeks ago:

A quiet retreat, a beach to die for, a relaxation dream! 

What more can I say about this great little haven. 

Eleni welcomed us at a late hour and did all she could to make this a great holiday for us.

The apartment had everything we needed including a well equipped kitchen and a little balcony with a sea view.

She told us where to find the butcher's and fish shops in the little villages so we were able to cook ourselves great meals. 

She also advised on the best local restaurants for the times when we felt like going out - one of these was just over the fence!

All-in-all, a memorable holiday but don't move in too soon - leave room for us!!

• Stayed May 2016, travelled as a couple.

See here: TripAdvisor

Plakiassuites: Ranked #1 of 49 Speciality Lodging in Plakias, Retyhymno - Crete!

  

103 Reviews Certificate of Excellence

Greece Shines at Rio Olympics Despite Obstacles

Amid the economic crisis and lacking government support, Greece participated in the Rio 2016 Olympics with the smallest delegation in the last two decades and managed through its athletes to shine, securing six medals, 14 participations in Olympic finals, and 12 athletes among the world’s top eight.
The Rio Games mark Greece’s fifth best performance since the first modern Olympics held in Athens in 1896, having thus far collected a total of 122 medals.
The Greek Travel Pages (GTP) congratulates this year’s Olympic medal bearers:

• Anna Korakaki, gold in women’s 25m pistol; bronze in 10m air pistol. Korakaki is also the first woman athlete to bring home two medals from the same Games, achieved 104 years ago by Konstantinos Tsiklitiras in standing long jump and standing high jump.

• Katerina Stefanidi, gold in women’s pole vault

• Lefteris Petrounias, gold in men’s rings

• Spyros Gianniotis, silver men’s 10km marathon swim, the first medal in swimming in Greek history. Gianniotis was the oldest competitor of the event at the Rio Olympics at 36.

• Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis, bronze in men’s 470 (dinghy)