One day, thirteen-year-old Stelios and his brother Spiros entered a pet-shop… A colorful beauty, a Californian royal snake, captured Stelios attention; and Spiros decided to donate it to his brother. The beauty turned out to be a handsome one and was called Diamantis. Soon Diamantis had a company: first an iguana, then pythons; and the […]
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Pirate Barbarossa, Apostle Paul and You
Imagine: There are seashore, a dark sky with August stars above your head; at your feet are waves running onto the sand: splash, splash… Behind, there are a tent and a smoldering fire. Nobody is around but cicadas with their serenades. You are alone with yourself and eternity… Or rather, you are on a small […]
Read the articleCrete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Crete and a number of surrounding islands and islets constitute the region of Crete. Crete is a feast for the senses: wild natural beauty and thousands of years […]
Read the article“My large Greek wedding” on Crete
The fast is over; summer is coming, which means that it is the time not only for tourists, but also for weddings. How does a wedding on Crete begin? Well, concerning relationships, marriage proposal, engagement – this is understandable, but before the wedding there is a preamble! So is the meaning of the Greek word […]
Read the article50 shades of April
“April Crete – what is it like?”—We asked some Cretans and heard such responses: “It is green, bright, blue, sunny, warm. It has odor of grass, flowers, warmth and life. Mountains have 50 shades of green, and mach more than this are poppies, chamomiles, cornflowers, clover, many different yellow flowers. The trees and shrubs have […]
Read the articleFebruary on Crete–the Time of Blossoming Almond
What can rival the beauty of orange groves standing in the snow? It can be only the blossoming almond in February on Crete. These trees get blossom the very first, and although the winter is still going on, the most tender (and courageous!) song of these trees is about the nearing spring. By the way, […]
Read the articleLeprosy in Greece: how it was combated
This terrible disease, mentioned in the Bible, mainly affects the skin and then spreads through the body. Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates wrote about it, confusing, probably, with psoriasis. In the 18th century, this disease has practically disappeared in continental Europe, but in Norway and some areas of Scandinavia was still present, began to spread especially […]
Read the articlePiracy and Crete
The history of piracy begins almost simultaneously with the history of shipping and trade. Where exactly man began to systematically use sea means, we know – in the Mediterranean Sea long before 3000 BC, when the first surviving vessels were created. This confirms the emergence of a mature culture of unknown origin in Crete around […]
Read the articlePiracy and Crete
The history of piracy begins almost simultaneously with the history of shipping and trade. Where exactly man began to systematically use sea means, we know – in the Mediterranean Sea long before 3000 BC, when the first surviving vessels were created. This confirms the emergence of a mature culture of unknown origin in Crete around […]
Read the articleVisit the Mirabello Gulf
In the ancient times, on the shore of the Mirabello Gulf was one of the most important copper mining centers in the Late Minoan period around 3000 BC., and the developed civilization here was even at that time. Once upon a time, on the shores of the Mirabello Gulf, there was Olous, an independent city-state […]
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