Τρίτη 20 Ιουνίου 2017

First sea turtles arrive in Crete for the season

Archelon volunteers move nests to more safe place

 After a long wait, tireless effort and patience researchers from ARCHELON, the sea turtle rescue centre in Rethymnon, the first nest of the sea turtle for 2017 was recorded in the Sfakaki area in Crete.

The volunteers’ daily routine involved waking up at the break of dawn to check the state of the spawning beaches and to identify any sea turtle traces leading to nests.

The first nest was finally located in Rethymnon on the beach of Sfakaki. 

 Due to the erosion of the beach at the area, which led to a diminished space for the turtles’ nests, the volunteers transferred them to more secure places.

Spiegel: 3 million Germans to visit Greece

 Magazine invites Germans to holiday in Greece in lauding article

Three million Germans will visit Greece for summer, according to a report by German magazine Spiegel.

In an article full of praise for Greece, the magazine writes that the number of Germans to the Mediterranean country is expected to be 1 million more than last season.

 “My sea, my sky, my culture, oh Greece! For another year the white and blue colours will enthuse millions of visitors”, writes the magazine lauding the beauties of Greece.

 “This is where the journey to the most beautiful islands, the serene villages and the special locations will start.”

The piece urges even more Germans to choose Greece as their holiday destination, pointing out the love that exists between Greeks and Germans.

Greek Tourism Makes News in the Economist

 Greece may be expecting a record breaking 30 million tourists this year, but the Economist is saying that convincing them to dig deeper into their pockets will be the challenge ahead.

Under the title “Kalo Taxidi! Greek Tourism” (Bon Voyage), the Economist says Greece is set to welcome more travelers from the UK, Russia and Germany,  at top destinations including Mykonos and Santorini.

 The magazine goes on to refer to friendlier prices at “hot” destinations like Corfu and Crete, compared to rival destination Spain, and adds that vacationers are now opting to stay fewer nights and consume less compared to 12 years ago.

The London-based weekly magazine underlines the potential of Greek tourism, attributing in great part even further growth to the Fraport’s  management of 14 regional airports.

Heraklion Archaeological Museum Honored with EMYA Special Commendation

The Archaeological Museum of Heraklion on Crete was recently honored with a Special Commendation at the annual European Museum of the Year Awards (EMYA), held by the European Museum Forum (EMF) in Zagreb, Croatia!

The EMYA Judges praised the museum for presenting a cutting-edge interpretation of the history and civilization of Crete, focused on the rise and decline of the Minoan culture.

“The museum is a huge social and cultural asset for the island, influencing tourism, the economy and the local community”, EMF said in an announcement.

The Heraklion Archaeological Museum was also nominated for the Council of Europe Award, in recognition of the Minoan Civilization’s broad dimension, displayed in a unique way at the Museum’s premises!

Tourism, Promotion of Local Products Top Crete – Russia Talks Agenda

Boosting incoming tourism from Russia to Crete and promoting Cretan products to the Russian market where the focus of talks between Crete regional Governor Stavros Arnaoutakis and the Russian Ambassador to Greece, Andrei Maslov, last week.

The two men met ahead of a joint inter-ministerial committee held in Iraklion, with the participation of Foreign Affairs Minister George Katrougalos and Russian Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov. On the sidelines of the committee, the University of Crete organized a conference on “Transport and Tourism in the Globalized World”.

“We discussed all the issues of interest affecting the region, with particular attention to tourism as well as to promoting Cretan products to the Russian market,” said Arnaoutakis, adding that there is “a very significant flow of tourism to the island”.

“We want to see this relationship with Russia grow even stronger, we share the same faith, we have enjoyed an excellent relationship over time and I think that attracting tourists from Russia can be a significant source of revenue for the island, which can be achieved via synergies,” Arnaoutakis said.

“We have been discussing the prospects for cooperation between Crete and Russia in various fields and in the tourism sector. We are very pleased that arrivals of Russian tourists to Greece have increased significantly and especially to Crete,” said Maslov, adding that “42 percent of Russian tourists visiting Greece come to Crete, a very important destination for Russian tourists”.
(source:gtp)

Sfougato with courgette, feta and herbs

By: Georgia Kofina | | Appetizers, Mediterranean Cooking
Sfougato is a Greek oven omelet with veggies, cheese and beautiful fresh
 herbs!
The feta cheese will make it even yummier! 

Serve it with baked cherry tomatoes, a Greek tomato salad or a green salad with citrus vinaigrette!

Serves: 6 Preparation time: 15′ Cooks in: 30′ Ready in: 45′

Ingredients
8 eggs
2-3 courgettes, grated, salted, squeezed well
1 tsp dill, finely chopped
2 tsp spearmint, finely chopped
2 tsp parsley, finely chopped
1½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tbsp pine nuts
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
chopped dill for serving
12 cherry tomatoes, baked, for serving
coarse sea salt for serving
salt, freshly ground black pepper

Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven at 180C. In a large bowl beat the eggs and stir in the rest of the ingredients except the olive oil and the ingredients for serving.
Step 2
Add olive oil in a medium oven dish (32cm diameter), put in the oven and let heat for 6-8 minutes. Pour in egg mix and bake for 25-30 minutes, until set and nicely browned.
Step 3
Sprinkle the oven omelet with dill and serve with baked cherry tomatoes sprinkled with sea salt and pepper. Serve warm.

 Photo Vangelis Paterakis – Food styling Antonia Kati

Τετάρτη 24 Μαΐου 2017

Another gorgeous Cretan sunset last night...


Plakias, is a small fishing village and produces sunset like this..

https://www.plakiassuites.com/