Programme Events for Chania
"Christmas City" takes place at the Old Customs House, Chania Harbour from Wed 23rd December to Wed 6th January.
Open daily except 25th December, 31st December and 1st January.
Hours: 10 am - 2 pm and 5 to 9 pm
The Christmas City programme includes the folowing events:
Wednesday, 23rd December
6.30 pm Construction Figurines Shadow Theater
8 pm Christmas shadow theater show with Nikos Blazakis.
Saturday 26th December
6 pm Theatrical performance
Sunday 27th December 2009
6 pm Puppet Theatre
Monday 28th December
6 pm Theatrical performance
Tuesday 29th December
6 pm Puppet Theatre
Wednesday 30th December
8 pm Christmas Shadow Theatre performance with Niko Blazak
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Other Events
Saturday 19th December and Sunday 20th December
D. Blasidis Theatre, Xrissi Akti, Chania
8 pm Musical "Oliver"
Christmas concert with the Children's Choir of the Dimos Chanion.
NEW YEARS EVE
Thursday 31st December 
CHANIA
New Year's Eve at the Agora (Central Market Place, Hania
22.30 Laiki Orchestra
23.30 Philharmonic Orchestra of Chania
00.00 Midnight - Fireworks
HERAKLION
New Year's Eve at Eleftherias Square, Heraklion
19.30 Cretan music and dancing
21.00 Laika orchestra & songs
23.30 Philharmonic Orchestra of Heraklion
23:55 New Year message from the Mayor
00.01 Fireworks display
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Photo:
Thursday, 17 December 2009
Christmas - New Year 2009 -2010 Events
Christmas - New Year Shopping Hours
The Merchants Association of Chania have announced the following shop opening hours for the Christmas / New Year period 2009/2010 for the town shops.
The major towns in Crete are likely to have the same, or very similar, hours.
Saturday 19th December 9 am to 6 pm
Sunday 20th December 10 am to 8 pm
Monday 21st December 9 am to 2 pm and 5,30 pm to 9 pm
Tuesday 22nd December 9 am to 3 pm and 5.30 pm to 9 pm
Wednesday 23rd December 9 am to 9 pm
Thursday 24th December 9 am to 9 pm
Friday 25th December CLOSED (Christmas Day)
Saturday 26th December CLOSED (Boxing Day)
Sunday 27th December CLOSED
Monday 28th December 9 am to 2pm and 5.30 pm to 9 pm
Tuesday 29th December 9 am to 2pm and 5.30 pm to 9 pm
Wednesday 30th December 9 am to 9 pm
Thursday 31st December 9 am to 6 pm
Friday 1st January CLOSED (New Year's Day)
Saturday 2nd January CLOSED
Sunday 3rd January CLOSED
Monday 4th January 9 am to 2.30 pm
Tuesday 5th January 9 am to 2 pm and 5.30 pm to 9 pm
Wednesday 6th January CLOSED (Epiphany)
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Hania welcomes in the Christmas Season
The switching on of the lights on the Christmas tree in the Market Square and a rich program of dance, music and carols, started the Christmas events in the municipality of Chania on Sunday.
Hania mayor, Mr. Kyriakos Virvidakis, said during his opening speech ‘Citizens, and visitors can enjoy the beauty of the square of the Municipal Market. This year, despite the economic crisis and cuts in Local Government spending, events will be highly upgraded and will include events in the square of the Municipal Market, the Public Garden and the old Customs House from December 23 until January 6. We call upon all citizens, all residents and visitors to enjoy this year's celebrations, happy with their family, with health and peace. I hope that 2010 is happy and productive.”
The Christmas programme includes an ice skating rink and carousels in the market square and a new playground in the Kipos (Municipal Gardens).
The small scating .. sorry skating! ... rink is to the side of the Agora.
Friday, 11 December 2009
2010 Road Tax Greece - Τέλη Κυκλοφορίας
The Finance Ministry has begun sending notices for the 2010 Road Tax, which must be paid by 31st December 2009.
For cars registered in or after the year 2005, owners will pay less than 2009 prices, but cars that are registered before 31/12/2004 will incur increases due to the 'Green Tax'. Vehicles which were registered on 31/12/1995 or before will pay particularly higher rates, in many cases more than, or equivalent to, the value of the old vehicle!
Road Tax - Τέλη Κυκλοφορίας 2010 – Table of Costs
For cars registered after 1/1/2005
• 786 – 1.357 cc : 94 €
• 1.358 – 1.9228 cc: 184 €
• 1.929 – 2.357 cc: 428 €
• 2.358 cc and above: 562 €
For cars registered from 1/1/2000 to 31/12/2004
• 786 – 1.357 cc: 137 €
• 1.358 – 1.928 cc: 252 €
• 1.929 – 2.357 cc: 521 €
• 2.358 cc and above: 680 €
For cars registered from 1/1/1996 to 31/12/1999
• 786 – 1.357 cc: 162 €
• 1.358 – 1.928 cc: 302 €
• 1.929 – 2.357 cc: 596 €
• 2.358 cc and above: 780 €
For cars registered before 1/1/1996
• 786 – 1.357 cc: 187 €
• 1.358 – 1.928 cc: 352 €
• 1.929 – 2.357 cc: 671 €
• 2.358 cc and above: 880 €
Road tax discs are available from any of 19 Greek banks (National Bank, Alpha Bank, Piraeus Bank, Agricultural, Commercial, Eurobank, Postal Savings Bank, Citibank, Marfin Egnatia, Cyprus General, Millenium, Attica, Aspis, Probank, Proton, FBB, Greek bank LTD, Hellenic Bank)and from the Post Office, on production of the notice from the tax office, which should be automatically sent to your registered postal address (note that if you are registered as non resident for tax purposes the notice may go to your accountant).
After 31st December 2009/12/2009 the issuing of tax discs will be made exclusively by the local tax office.
If you do not receive a notice or if the notice is incorrect regarding your registration number, fees etc, then contact your local tax office.
Source:Xblog.gr
Photo:
Monday, 23 November 2009
Crete Wine Tourism
Crete has all the requirements to become an ideal destination for wine tourism, which would be linked with individual culinary delights offered by the Cretan cuisine and quality local products.
So said the wine researcher George Makris, speaking yesterday at a workshop held at the exhibition "Oinokritika" organized by the Prefecture of Chania and the Network winemakers Chania - Rethymno.
Mr. Makris explained that a tourism destination is one aimed at travellers who want to experience the unique beauty of a place, the specific products and the people. Wine tourism is linked to culinary tourism and agro tourism. He added ‘ To my knowledge there are currently 52 wine producers on the island and many of the wineries are already open to visitors. The next thing needed is a basic cooperation amongst the wine makers in Crete to ensure their products become widely known”.
The goal is for tourists to enjoy the scenery, culture, cuisine and wine of Crete and subsequently buy Cretan products off the shelves in their own country.
Source:Haniotika Nea
The Cretan Wine Exhibition ‘Oinokritika’ was held in Chania over the weekend of 21/22 November .
Read more about Cretan wine at Greek Winemakers
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Greece scores worst in corruption ranking
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – Greece is perceived as the most corrupt of EU countries, along with Bulgaria and Romania, an annual corruption perception ranking released on Tuesday (17 November) by Transparency International shows.
Carried out in 180 countries around the world, the 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index measures the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians on a scale where 0 is the most corrupt and 10 is graft-free.
Greece's poor score shows that joining the EU does not automatically translate into a reduction in corruption.
The new Socialist PASOK government has revealed that the public deficit data kept by the previous cabinet were embellished. The EU statistics office Eurostat expresses "reservation" on the Greek data in its report on EU government debt levels for 2008.
Urban planning offices, state hospitals and townhalls were identified as the sectors where corruption is the most acute.
Brussels has a special monitoring mechanism in place for Romania and Bulgaria, but it lacks any real leverage on Greece's poor performance in tackling corruption and speeding up lengthy trials.
A proposal included in a list of EU priorities in the field of justice and home affairs - known as the Stockholm programme - asks the EU commission to set up a similar auditing system for all member states and to develop a "comprehensive anti-corruption policy.
The programme still needs the approval of EU leaders at a summit on 10-11 December. Greece, along with other Mediterranean states, is said to be opposed to the monitoring proposal.
Big EU donors such as Germany and the Netherlands are growing increasingly irritated about the potential mismanagement of EU funds in recipient countries, however.
Greece was the largest recipient of community money in 2008. Athens received roughly €6.3 billion, far ahead of Warsaw, in second place, with €4.4 billion. www.euobserver.com
The newly elected left-wing PASOK government in Athens has promised to clamp down on corruption.
During the Pasok rule in the 1980's and 1990's they were perceived as the political party under whose rule corruption in Greece reached unprecedented heights.
New Democracy swept to power in 2004 with promises to end decades of Socialist corruption, but the conservative ND soon faced a number of corruption scandals of their own.
Photograph
Monday, 16 November 2009
November 17th 1973 Uprising
Universities and schools across Greece close 17 November to mark the 36th anniversary of the bloody student uprising against the military junta in 1973 at Athens Polytechnic. A protest march will take place from central Athens to the US Embassy. The police have been ordered to maintain a low profile but the rector of the National Technical University of Athens, Constantinos Moutzouris, complained that their presence in front of some buildings was more visible than is necessary.
The Athens Polytechnic uprising in 1973 was a massive demonstration of popular rejection of the Greek military junta of 1967-1974. The uprising began on November 14, 1973, escalated to an open anti-junta revolt and ended in bloodshed in the early morning of November 17 after a series of events starting with a tank crashing through the gates of the Polytechnic.
Read More: Athens Info Guide
Sunday, 15 November 2009
Five Islands to visit off the Crete coast
Crete as a whole has little in common with the much smaller Greek islands, apart from the fantastic beaches and coves; it doesn't generally have the small Greek Island 'feel'. Just off the Crete mainland, however, lie a number of small islets which offer beautiful beaches with just a hint of tourism, and rocky coves steeped in history.
Gavdos, Gramvoussa, Chrissi Island, Spinalonga, Souda Island
Read the article here : Five Islands off Crete
Monday, 9 November 2009
Arkadi Monastery - Remembering the Cretan rebellion
One of the most heroic episodes in recent Greek history took place this day (8-9 November)in 1866 at the Monastery of Arkadi, Rethymnon, Crete.
In 1866 the Arkadi (Arcadi) Monastery had become the center for an insurrection against the Turks, who had been ruling Crete for some 200 years.
The Turkish pasha at Rethymno had threatened to raze the building if the Cretan revolutionaries did not leave it. In answer, 259 armed men, together with 750 women and children who had taken refuge there, prepared themselves for the unequal fight. Unequal because the Turkish troops numbered about 15,000. The defenders fought bravely, but after three days of battle the Turks broke through into the monastery.
Under orders from the Abbot of the monastery, the Cretans retreated to the cellar and blew up barrels of gunpowder, preferring to sacrifice themselves rather than surrender.
The monastery became a national sanctuary in honour of the Cretan Resistance. November 8th is henceforth the day of commemorative parties, to Arkadi and to Rethymnon. The explosion did not end the Cretan insurrection, but attracted the attention of Europe to the struggle for independence.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Easyjet to fly to Chania from 2010?
An interesting report from the Haniotika Nea today regarding the possibility of Easyjet flying into Chania from next March:
Negotiations by the Federal Hotel Accommodation of Chania with Easyjet regarding the opening of a route to Chania are apparently moving in a positive direction.
If, ultimately, an agreement is reached with the company and local bodies Easy Jet, which plans to develop its network to other Greek cities, would transfer 15,000 tourists to Chania in the first year.
The President of the Federation of Hotel Accommodation Principle of Chania Prefecture Manolis Giannoulis stated:
"After numerous and persistent efforts over the last six months, the Federation of Hotel Accommodation Principle has come to the final stage of negotiating the operation of EasyJet into Chania. In a recent meeting, 13 days ago, the airport operations manager of the company confirmed interest in flights to Chania. Easyjet has been active in Heraklion over the last few years with amazing results. The company is very interested in Chania as a destination. “
"Generally the next target, in line with the group of the company who visited Chania a few days ago, is to see how to develop the infrastructure of the Airport of Chania. It is a prerequisite that Handling companies should be able to come to Chania airport. We hope that with the release of Handling at Chania Airport, which should have happened a year ago, there will be a significant boost to tourism in the prefecture."
By the end of November, according to Mr. Giannoulis, Easyjet will announce its decisions on whether to implement flights to and from Chania. " The executives who visited Chania are very positive in this direction" he said.
The company would plan to operate flights from the end of March until the end of October, with two to three flights a week from Gatwick Airport in London.
Haniotika Nea
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