The site also has information on ancient Olympia, including topography with descriptions of the buildings, 3D reconstructions and information on the other athletic contests of Greece.
8:54:48 PM    comment []trackback []

"It's a glorious day, we have swallows in the bathroom, and I've just seen half-a-dozen dolphins swim by in the Ionian," says Andrew Langton from his house on a secluded headland in the north-east of Corfu. He and his wife, Carole, spend much of the year on Corfu when he is not busy in his capacity as managing director of the high-end estate agent Aylesford.

Couched in the hills around Langton's house are some of Corfu's most impressive villas. Most face the clear blue Ionian Sea and distant Albanian mountains and come equipped with swimming pools, personal chefs, tennis courts and boats in private marinas.

"We are an eclectic group of people who have all become passionate about Corfu, and enjoy the wonderful sailing here," says Langton.

The essential accessory in the north-east is a boat, even if it's a dinghy. Most British inhabitants in Corfu know one another and enjoy lengthy, animated lunches together, especially on Sundays at Toula's taverna on the Bay of Agni. The restaurant is nigh on impossible to reach by road, so it's better to arrive by boat, which the staff will moor for you.

Corfu is expensive, but for the less astronomically wealthy, both Crete and the Peloponnese offer ramshackle character at bargain prices. Personally, I have my heart set on retiring in Nauplion--I love those trees that look like giant pineapples.
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With just days to go until the opening of the games, there is both good and bad news for Greece. Currently, the cost of the Olympics is 50% over the original budget, strikes are hurting the hotel industry, and a small bomb blast Wednesday in western Athens has raised new questions about security.

But both Jacques Rogge, president of the IOC, and John Coates, from the Australian Olympic Committee, praised Athens and the preparations.
8:26:13 PM    comment []trackback []

Paramedics demand Olympic bonus

Paramedics are joining other medical personnel and hotel workers in demanding larger bonuses. they are currently on strike, and have threatened to repeat the strike during the Olympic Games.

Greece Starts Probe Into Reporters' Beating

A government official apologized and promised an investigation into the beating of a Mexican television crew attempting to film footage in Piraeus, the port where cruise ships will be anchored during the games.

The two Televisa Mexico crew and one translator say they were pushed into an unmarked car by three security officers as they tried to film outside the port that will host Olympic cruise ships for the Aug. 13-29 Games.

They said they were taken to a police gymnasium and beaten.

"We strongly regret what happened yesterday," Games spokesman Michael Zaharatos told reporters, while not confirming any of the details given by the Mexicans.

"A formal investigation has been launched and should there be a need for disciplinary action against the officers it will be taken immediately."

"This incident will not be repeated," he said.

Four other Mexican journalists were detained on Tuesday afternoon while filming close to a military base housing Patriot missiles in northern Athens.

They were taken to a nearby police station where they had their credentials checked before being released without charge, a police source told Reuters.

The paramedics' union says 2,600 ambulance drivers have been given special training for Olympic duties and deserve extra money.

"We are on strike today and will be on a rolling 24-hour strike daily until they give us what we justly deserve," Christos Barkonikos, president of the union, Ekab, told Reuters news agency.

"As we say in Greece 'we will smack the pig until it squeals'."

During the strike, paramedics will operate at minimum staffing levels and will only handle emergencies.

From Go Greece:
7:40:59 PM    comment []trackback []