Monday, August 10 – This week sees a critical combination prevail: extreme heat and locally strong Meltemi winds, significantly increasing the risk of wildfires occurring and spreading rapidly. At the same time, temperatures this week are expected to reach the high 30s to 40 °C in some regions. However, in the Aegean, the Meltemi will […]
Tourists are warned against hiring quad bikes or scooters, after hundreds of accidents and deaths on the Greek islands. The hiring of quad bikes and similar vehicles is not usually covered by travel insurance, with the cost of repatriating a seriously injured patient to their home country costing up to 36,000€. Island Police Departments have […]
Observers are looking forward to an annual astronomical event on Wednesday night, August 12, into the morning of Thursday, August 13, namely the Perseid meteor shower. The Perseid meteor shower is usually amongst the most amazing astronomical events of the year, second only to the Geminids occurring around mid-December. The Perseid meteors are the cosmic […]
Please note that after a number of incidents in Greece in previous years of swimmers getting into trouble and, sadly, some losing their lives, swimmers should be aware of the danger of rip currents. Rip currents can be found near any beach, anywhere in the world. They are strong, localised, and rather narrow currents of […]
The island of Thassos is believed to be named after a Phoenician prince in Greek mythology called Thasus (or Thasos). According to the historian Herodotus, Thasus led an expedition to find and rescue his sister Europa after Zeus, the god of gods, abducted her. During his quest, he stopped at the island, loved its rich […]
The feast day of Dormition, also known as Assumption Day, is the principal feast day of the Virgin Mother Mary in Greece, when, according to Christian tradition, God assumed the Virgin Mary into heaven following her death, leading to the celebration. It is celebrated annually in Greece on August 15 and is an official public […]
Regarding the recent major wildfires across Greece, especially the infernos in Western Attica, Boeotia, Crete and Kefalonia, although out of danger, firefighters continue their arduous tasks of preventing flare-ups. However, the devastating images from the vast expanses of smoking wasteland only partly illustrate the human and wildlife tragedies that the fires wrought. Lives have been […]
As our prime aim is to offer the most comprehensive and accurate guide book to Thassos, Kos, Santorini and Rhodes. We are constantly accessing and developing the book contents in response to the feedback received from our readers. When we designed the format of the ‘A to Z Guides’, we were careful to address all […]
If you have recently observed an increase in the persistence and aggression of wasps, it is due to the fact that at this time of year, the little critters are getting drunk, and they’re not fun drunks either! As Autumn approaches, wasps become bolder and angrier as they get older and tend to sting more […]
The extreme temperatures, ongoing drought and strong winds in many regions of Europe are creating an unprecedented crisis in countries, including Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey. The prolonged weather conditions Europe has been facing favour the rapid spread of fire, causing serious damage to the natural environment, homes and infrastructure. Lives have […]
