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New Flights to Crete for 2012

easyJet announce a new route Luton - Heraklion for summer 2012, flights on Tuesdays beginning April 21st, with departure from Luton at 07.00hrs and departure from Heraklion at 13.45hrs. Prices start from £37.99 and bookings are now being taken.

Ryanair have a number of new routes in 2012 to Chania airport in Crete from Leeds/Bradford, East Midlands, Glasgow Prestwick and London Stanstead, starting the end of March 2012. Ryanair will also be operating direct flights in 2012 between Chania and Brussels, Frankfurt, Milan- Bergamo,Oslo, Pisa and Wroclaw.

Avro - Monarch Airlines Flight -only operator- have also expanded their Crete, Greece programme of summer flights for 2012, with flights from East Midlands and Newcastle to Heraklion.

  • East Midlands to Heraklion is priced from £249 per person and will operate each Tuesday from 12 May to 25 September.
  • Newcastle to Heraklion starts from £259, operating from May to November each Tuesday.

 

Ryanair Flights to/from Crete 2012

Ryanair will start to fly between Crete - Chania (IATA-CHQ) from April 4, 2012 on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
To and From Chania Ioannis Daskalogiannis International Airport (IATA Code - CHQ):
  • Chania (CHQ) - Glasgow Prestwick (PIK) - TBA New Route in 2012
  • Chania (CHQ) - Leeds Bradford (LBA) - Start date Sat 31 Mar 2012
  • Chania (CHQ) - Oslo (Rygge - Moss) - (RYG) Start date 31 March 2012
  • Chania (CHQ) - Frankfurt -Hahn (HHN) - TBA
  • Chania (CHQ) - Milan -Bergamo (BGY) - TBA
  • Chania (CHQ) - Wroclaw - Poland (WRO) - TBA
 
 

Ryanair connects Chania with Glasgow (Prestwick)

Chania has been added to budget airline Ryanair's flights from Scotland. The carrier will fly from Glasgow Prestwick Airport to Chania (I. Daskalogiannis Airport) in Crete from early next year.
Seats on the new route are already on sale. Officially flights to Chania will start from 27th of March, 2012.
 
Glasgow Prestwick's chief commercial officer Graeme Sweenie said:
"We're delighted to be part of Ryanair's growth and success in Scotland. This is great news for the airport and our summer flight season. It's especially exciting that for the first time we can offer low-cost scheduled services from Prestwick to Crete, top sunshine destination that is extremely popular with Scots."
 
Flights from Glasgow (Prestwick) to Crete (Chania): £57.99
Booking Period: Friday, 2nd of December 2011 - Thursday, 8th of December 2011
Travel Period: Tuesday, 27th of March 2012 - Wednesday, 27th of Jun 2012
Applicable Days: Monday - Thursday (Subject to availability)
 
Fares don't include optional Fees/Charges. Please visit the Ryanair's official web page for details.
 

Ryanair Announces First Crete (Greece) Routes

ryanairCHANIA - FRANKFURT & MILAN FROM MAY 2011
Ryanair, the world's favourite airline, at 24th March announced its first routes from Chania (second largest city on the Greek island of Crete) to Frankfurt Hahn and Milan Bergamo from May 2011 which will deliver 60,000 passengers p.a. and create up to 60 local jobs in Crete.
Ryanair celebrated its first Crete route by launching a 1 million €7 seat sale for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in late April and early May which are available for booking until midnight Monday (28th Mar). Ryanair's Chania routes go on sale on www.ryanair.com at 25th March.
 

"Gavdos Express 1", new ferry boat to Gavdos

Gavdos Express 1On Sunday 20th of March, if the weather permits it, a new ferry boat will arrive at Gavdos island.
The new boat "Gavdos Express 1" belongs to Gavdos Lines company, a company based on the island.
"Gavdos Express 1" constructed three years ago, develops speed of 25 to 28 knots and can transfer 65 people.

 

NEX Ferries - A New Maritime Company at Chania

nex-ferriesAccording 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
 

Winter-Spring seminars program 2011

poster2011finalEN-smThe 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 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 0030 2810 741 027
The cost of each seminar is 250 euros (accommodation and breakfast included)
 

British Library digitises Greek manuscripts

27/09/2010
The British Library has digitised over 100,000 pages of its Greek manuscripts and made them freely available online.
Digitised Manuscripts
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.
 

Dominican Church in Heraklion holds Great Vespers after four centuries

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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.
 

EasyJet: Cheap flights to Chania, Crete

ejheader2If 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.
 
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