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A Guide To The World |
According to www.nexferries.com in April 2011 NEX Ferries – a new Maritime Company at Chania – with two new catamaran will connect Chania to Santorini, Ios, Paros, Naxos, Mykonos, Tinos, Folegandros, Sifnos, Kimolos, Milos, Kithyra, Antikythira, Monemvasia.
Maritime Company of Chania
Tel.: 800 11 303030
The British Library has digitised over 100,000 pages of its Greek manuscripts and made them freely available online.
The library was able to digitise, for the first time, over a quarter of its Greek collection (284 volumes) after receiving a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation – the international organisation offering grants in the areas of arts, culture, education, medicine, and social welfare.
The microsite – www.bl.uk/manuscripts – provides researchers with access to high quality digital images of a major part of the library’s Greek manuscripts collection, supported by enhanced metadata which enables users to search using key words.
The digitised materials provide witnesses of the rich culture of the Greek-speaking peoples from the time of the Iliad and Odyssey throughout the Hellenistic, early Christian, Byzantine and Ottoman eras and beyond. They are fundamental to understanding of the Classical and Byzantine world, according to British Library.
Mary Beard, professor of Classics, University of Cambridge, said: “The British Library has one of the world’s great collections of Greek manuscripts. This is exactly what we have all hoped for from new technology, but so rarely get.
“It opens up a precious resource to anyone – from the specialist to the curious – anywhere in the world, for free. I’m looking forward to a new wave of fascinating and important work on this material, made possible by this new electronic open access.”
British Library holds over 1000 Greek manuscripts, over 3000 Greek papyri and a comprehensive collection of early Greek printing, making the organisation one of the crucial centres outside Greece for the study of over 2000 years of Hellenic culture.
The Greek manuscripts contain rare and rich information for researchers working on the literature, history, science, religion, philosophy and art of the whole of the Eastern Mediterranean in the Classical and Byzantine periods.
Among the digitised materials is the Theodore Psalter- the highly illustrated manuscript produced in Constantinople in 1066. it is considered one of the greatest treasures of Byzantine manuscript production and of pivotal importance for the understanding of Byzantine art.
Other highlights in the website include Illuminated Gospels -a late 12th century gospel book which is rare because of its integration of images of Christ’s life into the Gospels; Dialogues of Lucian – the oldest surviving manuscript of the works of second-century author Lucian; Babrius’s fables- the manuscript that contains 123 Aesopic fables and was corrected by the great Byzantine scholar, Demetrius Triclinius; and Breviarium Historicum – a late 9th-century manuscript of the history of the Byzantine Empire from the death of emperor Maurice in 602 to 713.
Scot McKendrick, head of History and Classical Studies, British Library, said: “The website offers everyone, wherever they may be in the world, the opportunity to engage for the first time with over 100,000 pages of digitised manuscripts which provide direct insights into the rich written legacy of the Greeks of classical antiquity, Byzantine times, the Renaissance and beyond.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation, which funded this project, has agreed to fund a second phase and the library will present a further 250 manuscripts in full in 2012.
The program of winter and spring seminars for 2011 is ready. As every year, this winter Labyrinth continues its educational work during the winter and spring months until the beginning of May. The program consists of 11 seminars taught by renowned musicians from Greece and abroad. Of special interest this winter is the seminar of Ömer Erdoğdular which will focus on the musical tradition of the order of Mevlevi dervishes. He will be teaching the Acemaşiran Ayin, a very long composition in this makam, composed by Ηüseyin Fahreddin Dede (1854-1911) which will take place March 31st-April 5th. This seminar can be attended by musicians that are interested in Classical Ottoman music and play any instrument (within the modal tradition). Another seminar of special interest in the program is Zohar Fresco’s “Rhythmic training, composition and improvisation seminar” (February 24th-March 1st) which will be for musicians that do not necessarily play percussion but realize the necessity of rhythmic comprehension. Of course Zohar Fresco will also be teaching another seminar especially directed at percussionists (rhythms and technique, February 17-22).
View the list of seminars displayed below and register for the ones that you are interested in at info@labyrinthmusic.gr or call 0030 2810 741 027
The cost of each seminar is 250 euros (accommodation and breakfast included)
The period from 1.06.2010 to 31.03.2012 at Olympic Air awarded the routes from Athens to Karpathos, Kythira, Ikaria Skiathos and vice versa.
At Sky Express awarded the lines: Athens – Lesvos – Chios – Samos – Rhodes
Alexandroupolis – Sitia
Aktio – Sitia
Athens – Skyros and Thesaloniki – Skyros.
After four centuries of silence, Great Vespers services were held recently at the Dominican church of St. Peter in Irakleio, the biggest city on the island of Crete, to celebrate the Orthodox feast day of the Apostles Sts. Peter and Paul.
The monastery and Church of Saint Peter were built by Dominican monks in the early 13th century, and the church contains the only remaining 15th century frescoes in Irakleio.
Over the past decades, vespers was held on June 25 in the ruins of the church, more as an effort to keep the faith alive rather than a liturgy in the ritual of the Orthodox Church.
This year, however, after extensive repairs and restoration, a Great Vespers was held on June 28 and, according to Bishop Evgenios of Knossos, people thronged to the two Vespers services and two liturgies.
The church is one of the oldest monuments of its kind, with great importance for the 13th century architecture of not only Aegean Greece but all of Europe.
Restoration began in 1991, and was completed just a few short months ago.
Restored to its original form and open to the public as a museum, the church has been designated by the Central Archaeological Council as a commemorative monument, while discussions are currently taking place for other uses, including a Church of Greece proposal that it be used as a cultural venue open to the citizens and also a venue for inter-Christian, inter-Orthodox and inter-faith conferences.
The church of Sts Peter and Paul was built during the first years of the Venetian rule as the catholicon (chapel) of the Dominican monastery, and was violently converted into the mosque of Sultan Ibrahim under the Ottoman occupation. At some point it was used as a woodshop and even a cinema. Much later it was purchased by the parish of Aghios (St.) Dimitrios to function as a church.
The original church, a single-aisle basilica, collapsed from an earthquake, circa 1303, and was rebuilt, while chapels were added on its southern side between the 14th to 16th centuries.
During those centuries, the church collapsed at least three more times before being converted into a mosque in 1669 under the Ottoman rule, at which time a minaret was added at its south-western corner. In the 19th century, after another collapse, a dome was built and the northern wall was reconstructed. After the end of the Ottoman rule the church was used as a cinema, and later as a wood-shop, before restoration began in 1991 of the church proper and two of the chapels.
Greece is the fourth most popular tourist destination in the European Union for the year 2010, according to the EU Eurobarometer poll. The most popular tourist destination in the EU is Spain, followed by Italy and France. Responding to the question “where do you intend to go for holidays in 2010,” 8.3 percent said Spain, 6.1 Italy, 5.8 France and 3.9 Greece.
According to Eurobarometer, in 2010, 76 percent of Greeks intend to take holidays in stay Greece while 2 percent intend to visit Italy and Germany.
Some 80% of Europeans continue to travel for their holidays according to a new Eurobarometer survey on ‘The attitudes of Europeans towards tourism 2010’. Only 20% of over 30,000 randomly selected citizens were almost certain that they will not travel in 2010, which is significantly below the proportion of non-travellers in 2009 (33%). EU citizens increasingly prefer to spend their holidays in traditional tourist destinations (57%), while 28% would rather go “off the beaten track” to emerging destinations. Tourism is one of Europe’s most important service industries, accounting for 5% of Europe’s GDP and 6% of employment.
(Source: ANA MPA) Invest in Greece; Europa; Balkans.Com
If you are looking for a long or short break to Chania, then book a cheap flight with easyJet. Chania is found on the western coast of the beautiful island of Crete. Although it was heavily bombed during World War II it is still considered to be one of the most beautiful towns on Crete.
A holiday in Chania centres mainly around the old town. The locals tend to inhabit the local back streets, while the harbour is the main hotspot for tourists.
Although there are many beautiful beaches to enjoy in and around Chania, there are also many exciting places to explore. The Samaria Gorge National Park should be top of your list. You can take a walk through the park which starts in the village of Ornalos and winds through 18km of beautiful surroundings and ends at the beach in Agia, where you can take a refreshing dip in the sea to cool off.
An ideal day out is to rent a car and take a drive to see the only lake on Crete (Lake Kournas approx 50km west of Chania). After, relax in one of the local Tavernas and have a spot of lunch. Crete has more than 3,000 caves to explore – including Sfentoni, Ideon and Kamares to name just a few.
After a day at the beach or a day of exploring you can relax and unwind at one of the delightful restaurants or tavernas. The local menus include healthy delicacies such as Ntakos and Kalitsounia. Unsurprisingly, fresh fish features heavily on the restaurant menus down by the seafront.
Greece should focus on promoting gastronomy as an additional tourism attraction in the next five years, by investing around 400,000 in marketing actions, the country’s Federation of Tourism Enterprises (SETE) said on Tuesday.
The plan was presented during a news conference as part of a SETE initiative to upgrade the quality and enriching the country’s portfolio in tourism services and products. SETE said a precondition to promoting Greek gastronomy abroad was including gastronomy in the portfolio of Greek tourism and adopting full employment of a group of professionals in the field.
SETE also called for the transformation of Hellenic Tourism Organisation to a marketing organization for Greek tourism.
Top Ferry Company in Internal – External trips for 2009 became the Anek Lines, with a rate of 85.78% in the audience awards, organized by international travel magazine Conde Nast Traveller.
Anek Lines was voted for the best environment and interior design. Also, being the only ferry company in the world using extra virgin Greek olive oil in dishes, won first position in the category of “Flavor / Restaurants” thanks to the exceptional taste and quality menus.
Indications about an increase this year in tourist traffic to Greece from Austria appear to be encouraging, following Greece’s successful participation in this year’s International Tourism Exhibition in Vienna. After a 4-month duration, the fair closed, having hosted some 147,000 visitors in the Austrian capital.
The large number of visitors is considered very positive, particularly in view of the ongoing repercussions of the global economic crisis and the cautious attitude taken by Austrians towards scheduling and booking their next vacations, as well as the general decline in the tourism market.