Herring Gulls - the true seagulls

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To many people all the birds seen near the sea are "seagulls". Actually there are many different kind of birds who make their living from the sea. There are shags, eagles, sea doves, and a host of others. 

This, however, is a true seagull, a Herring Gull (Larus argentatus), one of the most familiar seaside bird on both Skopelos coasts and inland areas. For the so-called seagull is just as apt to follow a tractor and pick up grasshoppers on a farm as it is to pick up clams and crabs from a beach. 

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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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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 in Greece: On the Shores of Skopelos (book)

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Paperback Get it from Amazon The old and well known book "Gates of the Wind" by Michael Carroll, retitled and with a different cover photo. A great find for Grecophiles  --- review by JB "I enjoyed this book. It's not a page-turner, but it's a lovely quiet read and has some invaluable descriptions of such things as olive-pressing and charcoal-burning; if you love Greece, or boats, you will find this book a great addition to your library. And it makes me want to visit Skopelos and Skiathos and the nearby islands to see how much have changed since this book was published in 1965."
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Neo Klima by Paris Prekas

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Paris Prekas (1926-1999) was a well-known Greek artist, some of his works are exhibited in the National Gallery of Athens. He studied at the School of Fine Arts (1948-1952) under Umvertos Argyros, Dimitrios Biskinis and Andreas Georgiadis while in 1963, on a six month scholarship from the French government, he did post-graduate work in Paris. His artistic activity includes solo presentations and appearances in group and international exhibitions, such as the Youth Biennale of Paris in 1959, and the Sao Paolo and Alexandria Biennales of 1965 and 1968 respectively, at which he repeatedly won distinctions. A multifaceted creator, Prekas has been involved with painting, sculpture, decorative design and architectural ornamentation, making compositions for the interior and exterior spaces of apartment buildings and other public and community buildings. In painting he was originally involved with landscape while later, combining Greek reality with myth and tradition, he created thematic whole...
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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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Herring Gulls - the excellent scavengers

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Gulls are not good fishermen, but they are excellent scavengers and will eat nearly anything. They are important in cleaning up harbours and beaches. They are known to pick up shellfish and drop them from the air into a rock, road, house or car to crack them open. Although they can swim passably well, they cannot dive or swim under water. 
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The Mamma Mia! effect

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Some want weddings. Others want champagne receptions at sunset on their own private beach. Others, still, want to take a leaf straight out of the film script and "dance and kiss on the beach." It's called the Mamma Mia! effect. And nowhere is it felt more keenly than on the Aegean isle of Skopelos, where the capacity for life to imitate art has gone full throttle since the release of the film version of the hit Abba stage show. Tiny Skopelos's spectacular scenery brings in visitors wanting beach weddings Until the arrival of the Hollywood star cast 15 months ago, Skopelos (population 4,696) was best known for its plums, pears and pine trees. Without an airport, reachable only by ferry and devoid of the gaudiness of other Greek resorts, few could have imagined that the 96 sq km isle, set in the northern sporades east of Athens, would become the backdrop of a blockbuster featuring Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan. Even fewer could have foreseen its emergence...
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snapshots, updates & other small things from Skopelos island in Greece