The Greeks, living in a Mediterranean climate, value their siesta, especially during the long hot summers. In rural Crete, for the farmers and stockbreeders who make up a large part of the population, work in summer starts at sunrise and continues until the heat makes activity outdoors difficult, around 11.00 am to midday. There is then a long pause filled by drinking coffee, carrying out administrative tasks (shopping, going to the bank and post office, etc), and then lunch. This is followed by a siesta, until the heat of the day subsides and a few more hours of work can be done from 6.00 pm onwards.
Continue readingIndependence Day parades cancelled
As announced by the Regional Unit of Chania, as a result of the ongoing bad weather, Independence Day Parades are being cancelled across the Nomos, although in most cases, the associated Services of Remembrance and wreath laying at local war memorials are still taking place.
Continue readingDetectives to probe the cause of fire on the Gerald R. Ford
Guided by four tugs, the USS Gerald R. Ford arrived back at the Souda Naval Base at a little before 10 am on Monday 23rd March, on an unscheduled visit following the outbreak of fire on 12th March, which took over 30 hours to put out and left 600 sailors without beds and 200 suffering from smoke inhalation.
Continue readingSummer shopping hours for Chania announced
With Summer Time starting at 3.00 am next Sunday 29th March, the Chania Trade Association has published its advisory timetable of opening hours for the city’s shops, in force from Monday 30th March.
Continue readingCrete targets the Indian tourist market
The attraction of visitors from India could help to extend the tourist season in Crete, it was suggested at a conference entitled “Chania-India: building bridges of touristic cooperation”, held on Thursday 19th March at the Chania Hotel and organised by the Hellenic-Indian Chamber of Commerce and Economy and the Hoteliers’ Union of the Nomos of Chania.
Continue readingThe aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford is returning to Souda
Having left Crete less than a month ago, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is returning to Souda from deployment in the Red Sea with its three destroyer escorts – the USS Bainbridge, USS Mahan and USS Winston S. Churchill. Apart from the opportunity to resupply after a period of intensive operation, the carrier needs repairs following a major fire which broke out last week in one of its laundry units and burned for 30 hours before being extinguished.
Continue readingNew anti-spying measures at Souda
Under the title “Scorpion of the Desert”, the National Intelligence Service (EYP) has initiated a plan to combat espionage activities and attempted sabotage at the US base at Souda and other American bases and installations in Greece. The plan was put into effect following the escalation in the Middle East and the arrest of the Georgian/Azeri accused of spying after having taken photographs of the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford in Souda Bay.
Continue reading“Let’s listen, eat and drink Cretan”
As data from both road accidents and police checks on motorists show, the excess consumption of alcohol among drivers remains a problem in Crete, and in the nation as a whole. A number of recent incidents reported both locally and elsewhere tell of inebriated drivers losing control of their vehicles and colliding with parked cars – usually and fortunately causing no more than material damage. A brief Google search on such incidents in Greece produced no less than six since the beginning of the year: three in Crete and three on the mainland.
Continue readingA new case of spying uncovered at Souda
During the US-Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June of last year, two cases of spying were discovered, one related to the NATO base at Souda and the other to military bases in Cyprus. In both cases the perpetrators were of Azeri origin and suspected of having links with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Another case of suspected spying at Souda has now come to light, with a 36-year-old Georgian, also of Azeri origin, being found to have photographed the movements of warships at the base in the period before the outbreak of the current war.
Continue readingCrete unemployment below the national average
Unemployment in Crete remains below the national average according to official figures from the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) published on Friday 6th March. The unemployment rate for the Region of Crete for the fourth quarter of 2025 was 6.9% as against the national average of 8.3%.
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