Herring Gulls - creatures of shorelines

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Although generally thought of as marine creatures, gulls are really creatures of shorelines. Omnivorous, opportunistic scavengers, the proliferation of open garbage dumps has provided more than ample feeding grounds for such familiar species as the herring gull. This has led to a great increase in their numbers. 

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the Skopelitian American chef Cat Cora

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Both of her families - her family in Jackson, Mississippi, and her family on the island of Skopelos in Greece - share a love of good food, a passion for gathering around a table for long conversations with family and friends, and a generosity of spirit that reaches from the Aegean Sea to the American South. Her dad, Spiros, born in the Missisipi Delta two months after his parents left Skopelos, has the warmth and fun-loving appetite of a Greek and the humor and charm of a Southern gentleman. In 2005, Cat Cora made television history on Food Network’s Iron Chef America as the first and only female Iron Chef, and in November 2006 Bon Appetit Magazine bestowed her with their Teacher of the Year Award, an award she calls, “the greatest recognition she could achieve as a chef”.  Cat Cora's Kitchen Favourite Meals for Family and Friends The dinners of her childhood inspired her to write this book, to pass along the idea that good cooking can spring from modest budgets. Greek home cooking...
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A Paradise for Children

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Welcome to a Paradise for Children! Skopelos is a small world of enchantment, where children learn through play and exploration. In this safe and secure environment, kids are led through an exciting and a stimulating round of activities every single day. 
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Skopelos beaches

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Skopelos is an unspoiled jewel in the Aegean Sea, with mountain slopes bedecked in dense greenery carpeting down to fine beaches and limpid waters. Despite being small, Skopelos beaches are varied and aplenty: find olive trees and plum orchards and clumps of pines by the sea’s edge, composed of slender pebbled shores or white bays, caves and coves, plus curious rock formations. (tip) Make sure to pack snorkeling goggles for swimming with curious marine life, especially around the cragged rocks. Spot the occasional turtle and fish of all stripes! The most popular of Skopelos beaches lie on the more wind-sheltered west coast, home to stretches of white shingle and pebbles backed by bars and taverns. On the flip side, the eastern shoreline is peppered with smaller and more peaceful beaches, almost always deserted. Likewise, those in the north are wilder with no facilities. Keep in mind that as a Greek island, strong Meltemi (dry and seasonal) winds can affect some of Skopelos’s beaches in...
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The lighthouse on the island of Psathoura

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A 19th century Monument, first operated in 1895. It is located on the northern side of the uninhabited island of Psathoura, which belongs to the Marine Park of Alonissos Northern Sporades. This impressive circular tower was built from 1893 to 1895 by Skopelian stonemasons who used the island's local dark volcanic stones for its construction and is one of the tallest lighthouses in the Aegean Sea.  Type of construction : Circular Year of construction : 1895 Height : 28.90 metres - Focus : 40 Coordinates : 39°N30, 24°E11 Signal : a white flash of 1 sec / 10 sec Illumination Range : 17 nautical miles In 2001 it was characterized as a monument for historic preservation by the Ministry of Culture.  The Psathoura lighthouse belongs to the Lighthouse Network of Magnesia consisting of five stone lighthouses; the lighthouse on Trikeri, the lighthouse of “Gourouni” on Skopelos, the lighthouse on Psathoura, the lighthouse "Argyronisiou" and the lighthouse of “Repi” on Skiathos.  Psa...
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Marc Held - the architect

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Marc Held is both architect and designer. The full range of this creative work is remarkable - everything from small spoons to entire factories, with houses, cars, ski outfits, porcelain and furniture in between. Although Marc’s studio was based in Paris for a long time, his work has been commissioned and sold all over the world. A number of his creations are exhibited in museums of contemporary art, and some of the rarer pieces - always supposing one is lucky enough to find them - feature in major public auctions. Today, one of Marc Held’s main preoccupations is the relationship between traditional and modern architecture. Marc Held’s principal residence is now in Skopelos island, which has become his second homeland. Marc Held's book "SKOPELOS, the landscapes and the vernacular architecture of an Aegean island" was published in 3 languages. English, French and Greek. It is a 211 page hardcover book (size: 25cm x 25cm) and is available for sale in local stores of Skopelo...
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The ship "Paschalis"

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​ Many Skopelos boatbuilders worked together to build large traditional hulls, with a capacity of 130 to 200 tons. One such hull was the boat "Paschalis", ordered by the Skiathos shipowner Nikolaos Paschalis, which transported goods and passengers from Volos to the three Sporades islands (Skiathos, Skopelos, Alonissos) and vice versa.
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How to get to Skopelos

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from Skiathos  The quickest way to reach Skopelos is to take a return flight to Skiathos, our nearest island. It’s a five-minute taxi ride from Skiathos airport to the harbour, where there are regular crossings by ferry to local port of Glossa or main port of Skopelos town. From mainland Greece you can reach Skopelos by ferry from 3 ports:  Mandoudi  Volos  Thessaloniki   ⚓️ The port of Mantoudi in Evia is the closest one to Athens, approximately 2 hours by car.  ⚓️   If you’re in Northern Greece, Thessaloniki and Volos are the most convenient ports to Skopelos. 
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An Island Sanctuary: A House in Greece (book)

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By John Stefanidis (Author), Susanna Moore (Author), Fritz Von Der Schulenburg (Photographer) [Hardcover] The photographs in this book give me a proper idea of colour and space in this lovely house. Go to page 100 when you have bought the book and just look at the brilliance of the blue striped cushions against the whitewashed walls, the mass of flowers and beyond a plain stone table. Indeed every page is a delight; views of the country surrounding the house and the garden are breathtaking. I particularly like the juxtaposition of Millington-Drake paintings with the photographs. I can recommend this book to anyone interested in the art of perfection.  --- review by V. Mcdonaugh
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An Island Without the Excesses of Overtourism

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"Le Figaro" columnist Isabelle Cervellin-Chevalier visited Skopelos at the invitation of the Municipality this summer (2023). Titled "Skopelos, when Mamma Mia! imagines reality", the author focuses on the phenomenon of how the dream island of the Sporades has not lost its authenticity, despite the fact that it received great recognition due to the filming of the timeless famous musical. The French "Le Figaro" presents its own perspective on the current international issue of hypertourism in an article about Skopelos. As Isabelle Cervellin-Chevalier states in her article: “Skopelos is above all the 'green and blue island' that it has always been an oasis of freshness, traditions and celebration, without the excesses of overtourism.  There are films that win the bet with time for something other than their screenplay. In bulk: their soundtrack, the energy of their staging or the beauty of the filming location, and sometimes all three.  The refreshing...
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snapshots, updates & other small things from Skopelos island in Greece