My life in a nutshell!

My name comes from the Greek Mythology, from  "LEDA and THE SWAN". Though I was born in Athens, as well as my parents, our family name can be traced all the way back to the 14th century, to the Ionian island of Zakynthos. From my dad's side, my origins are traced to Zakynthos & Amorgos, and from my mom's side, to Pontos & Asia Minor.

Greece's Blue Flag beaches

The Blue Flag Programme is run by the independent non-profit organization Foundation for Environmental Education and is dedicated to labeling beaches and marinas appropriate for swimming. The criteria that a beach must fulfill to get a Blue Flag has to do with its cleanness, the water quality, organization, safety of the swimmers, environmental protection and other services. Usually 3,200 beaches and marinas in 37 countries are tested every year in swimming periods and normally Greece is ranked in the first three positions, among countries from Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Canada and the Caribbean. This eminence is another proof of the high-quality Greek seas that millions of tourists come every year to enjoy. Greece offers thousands of beaches. There are 395 blue flag beaches in Greece. Most Greece Blue Flag beaches are usually found in Halkidiki, on the northern side of Greece, while Dodecanese and Crete (particularly Lassithi) also gets high scores. The Ionian islands, particularly Kefalonia and Lefkada, also distinguish for their clean and organized beaches, proving that the Greek coasts have nothing to jealous out of the other famous beach resorts of the world. In 2015, 395 Greek beaches and 9 marinas have been awarded with the Blue Flag. Greece once again ranked second place on the Blue Flag quality award list among 49 countries. 

Source: www.greeka.com

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Zakynthos (a.k.a. Zante)



Zakynthos (Greek: Ζάκυνθος), or Zante (from Venetian) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. Zakynthos is a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and its only municipality. It covers an area of 410 km² (158 sq mi) and its coastline is roughly 123 km (76 mi) in length. The island is named after Zakynthos, the son of a legendary Arcadian chief Dardanus. The name, like all similar names ending in -nthos, is pre-Mycenaean or Pelasgian in origin. 

Epiphany (January 6)
This day, takes on a special meaning in Greece. Here, there is a special ceremony of blessing the waters and of the vessels that ply them. The modern observance at Piraeus, the ancient port of
Athens, takes the form of a priest hurling a large crucifix into the waters.

Young men brave the cold and compete to retrieve it. These days, the cross is generally attached to a nice, safe long chain, just in case that year's crop of divers is something less than desired.
After the diving, local fishermen bring their boats to be blessed by the priest.
What does all this have to do with Christmas? Orthodox belief says that it was the day of the baptism of Jesus, and that this is where the day's association with water arises.