Best Regional Airline in Europe

Aegean AirlinesCongratulations to Aegean Airlines. Aegean has been voted by passengers for the 3rd consecutive year the “Best Regional Airline in Europe”. The Survey operated during a 10-month period, with more than 100 nationalities of customer from over 160 countries around the world participating. The 2013 Awards are based on 18.2 million completed customer surveys, and include over 200 airlines worldwide.

This award, which Aegean wins for the 4th time since 2009, is yet more proof of the high quality of the services provided by the company to its passengers, who continue to put their trust in it and place it at the top of their choices.

Blue Flag Beaches of Lesvos

The Blue Flag beaches for 2013 have been announced by the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature (HSPN).

Lesvos has 10 beaches that will fly the blue flag for the 2013 season.

Blue Flag Beaches 2013 List

Blue Flag Beaches

  • Agios Isidoros
  • Anaxos
  • Eftalou / Ag. Anargyri
  • Kagia
  • Kanoni Thermis
  • Nyfida
  • Petra
  • Skala Eressou
  • Tsamakia
  • Vatera

The Blue Flag works towards sustainable development of beaches and marinas through strict criteria dealing with Water Quality, Environmental Education and Information, Environmental Management, and Safety and Other Services.

The Blue Flag Programme is owned and run by the non-government, non-profit organisation the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).

Many people are not aware that the Blue Flag Programme looks at many things, not just water quality. The more remote beaches around Greece will not get a blue flag because of the lack of organised services. It is this very aspect that makes them so appealing to many people, me included. Sitting on a deserted beach miles from civilization followed by a swim in the crystal clear Aegean Sea is one of life’s joys. The Blue Flag Beaches on Lesvos are worthy of note, but remember that they are by definition going to be ‘organised’ and more popular. Why not be Robinson Crusoe for a day on a beach a little more remote, more private, more ‘special’.

You can read more about some of Lesvos’ less well publicised beaches in our Beautiful Lesvos Beaches section.

The Birds and Bees

Little BitternBird watchers and naturalists travel long distances to view natures wonder. Living on Lesvos has so many joys. Our close neighbours nearly fell over the Little Bittern that was standing to attention on the wall of their rose garden. He stood there for over an hour, pretending to be a reed so that nobody would notice him. Sadly reeds are not common in Pat’s rose garden so he stood out just a little. He was very patient when I arrived to photograph him, posing perfectly as you can see.

Back at our house many of the flowers are at their most striking in the mid-day sun. The Passion Flower in our garden looks and smells wonderful. The Carpenter Bees that arrive in the morning are a brilliant iridescent blue in the sunshine. As the day progresses they pick up pollen on their backs, eventually turning them almost completely yellow.Carpenter Bee

As we admired them a loud humming noise darted past my ear. A Hummingbird Hawk Moth heading to the Passion Flower Café for lunch. This was a little harder to get close to as they are nervous creatures and move very quickly. With a little patience, I eventually snapped him taking nectar from a nearby flower.

Hummingbird Hawk MothNow we have to admit that we don’t know what these flowers are. A special prize (a free coffee at our place) to the first person to come up with the answer.

Every day that we live here there is something that fills us with awe and reminds us how lucky we are to live in such a very magical place.