Latest news with #Cretan
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Hindustan Times
Work lunches get a veggie upgrade: Make these 5 nutritious salads for your office dabba
Lunch at work doesn't have to mean sabzi-roti, cold sandwiches or ordering in takeout. With a little bit of planning, you can make yourself hearty salads, which can become your go-to option a satisfying office lunch. Whether you prefer fresh greens, nutritous grains, or protein-packed combos, salads offer room for creativity while quick to prep. We explore five flavourful salad recipes that are perfect for weekday lunches— think crunchy textures, bold dressings and ingredients that hold up well through your commute and until lunchtime. A refreshing Greek salad that is similar to the Tuscan Panzanella or a Middle-Eastern fattoush, Dakos salad features loads of tomatoes. However, the star of the salad is the dry bread - Cretan rusks - made of barley, and is twice-baked bread. When mixed into that salad, it softens and soaks up the tomato juices, olive oil or rice red wine vinegar that makes up the dressing. While traditionally myzithra cheese is used, crumbled feta also works. A post shared by Sivan's Kitchen (@sivanskitchen) A trending recipe on social media, this salad can be made in multiple ways, using any veggies, proteins and flavours of your choice. However, the most popular recipe is inspired by Southeast Asian flavours. To your leftover rice, add some soy or oyster sauce and give it a good mix. Spread it on a baking sheet or pop it into the air fryer to crisp up. Chop the veggies of your choice and herbs like mint and cilantro. You can also add some fried onions (barista) and chopped peanuts for added crunch. For the salad, dressing mix lime juice, fish sauce or soy sauce, sugar, and a hint of chilli flakes and toss it all together. Barley salad A post shared by Sanjeev Kapoor (@sanjeevkapoor) Salads are notoriously known to keep you feeling full for a short duration. However, chef Sanjeev Kapoor says his barley salad is hearty and makes the perfect lunch. 'The nutty barley pairs perfectly with the crisp vegetables and tangy dressing, creating a flavour-packed meal that keeps you feeling nourished and energised.' to make the dressing, mix together honey, salt, pepper, lemon juice, chilli flakes, rosemary, oregano and thyme. To the cooked barley and finely chopped vegetables of your choice, add the dressing and give it a good mix. High-protien Pasta salad A post shared by Adhya S (@auraartofhealthyliving) Pasta doesn't need to be only consumed with a calorie-laden sauce. Food content creator Adhya says, 'If you are a pasta lover, this veggie-loaded pasta salad is packed with protein and good fibre as it has a lot of veggies. The creamy dressing is made with low-fat paneer instead of mayonnaise. I blended it with some garlic cloves, apple cider vinegar, mustard sauce, and salt and pepper. You can add some water to thin it out.' Chop up all the veggies you want to eat, like carrots, onions, green pea, capsicum, etc, along with your boiled pasta and give it a good toss. Edamame & Kidney Bean Salad A post shared by Chef Kirti Bhoutika (@kirtibhoutika) One of her favourite salads that she makes on repeat, Chef Kirti Bhoutika says, 'If you think salads are boring, this will change your mind. This one is packed with plant-based protein, lots of fibre, crunchy veggies, fresh herbs, and an irresistible orange-peanut dressing.' Use boiled rajma and chickpeas to make it a dense bean salad, or edamame for some crunch. To make the dressing, blend together roasted peanuts, extra virgin olive oil, orange juice, light soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, chillies, ginger, garlic cloves, and salt and pepper. Pour it over the salads and give it a good mix.
Metro
6 days ago
- Metro
This mythical destination is a perfect Mallorca alternative — without the crowds
Every summer, millions of UK travellers descend on the sun-drenched shores of Mallorca to lay their towels on the sands of popular hotspots like Palma and Alcudia. But overtourism in the Balearics has sparked fierce backlash. Locals and environmental groups have called for a reduction in visitor numbers, and Palma city council recently slapped curbs on tour group sizes. In one protest, Mallorcans occupied the Calo des Moro beach; on the streets, activists have chanted 'tourists go home' and 'foreigners out'. Earlier this week, hundreds of holidaymakers were stranded at Palma airport after flights were cancelled due to air traffic restrictions. It's not exactly giving 'rest and relaxation', and the chaotic situation in Spain's top tourist destinations has led many to look elsewhere. Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration. Sign up here. And, according to experts, Lassithi, a mythical region on Crete's eastern coast, is the perfect switch for anyone who loves Mallorca. This Greek island is, of course, iconic. But this part is unlikely to be be on your radar just yet. Laura Evans-Fisk, head of digital and engagement at eurochange, says your money will go further here, too. 'If you're looking to escape the crowds this summer, Lassithi is a fantastic holiday spot,' she tells Metro. ' It's a peaceful, authentic Greek experience, with very reasonable prices. Laura says Lassithi's coastline is less developed and more secluded than Mallorca, so you won't need to scramble for a sunbed or fight your way to the bar. 'This region is a must visit for foodies; some of the best Greek produce is made here including olive oil and honey,' she adds. Sound tempting? Here's everything you need to know. Stretching along Crete's eastern shore, Lassithi – or Lasithi, in Greek – is steeped in history and natural beauty. Home to the only palm tree forest in Europe, the region boasts spectacular white sand beaches and an attractive climate, with temperatures reaching 23.5°C right through to October. Perched 800m above sea level, the Lassithi Plateau has 18 villages embroidered across verdant hills. Folklore museums devoted to Greek myths can be found here, as well as a cave said to be the birthplace of Zeus himself. A day trip to Lassithi offers not only jaw-dropping landscapes, but a rare peek into rural Cretan life. The capital, Agios Nikolaos, and areas such as Elounda, Chrissi, and Myrtos serve as the main bases for tourists. Some five million tourists landed on Crete in 2024, but typically, only a fraction go as far as Lassithi. Lassithi is home to Minoan ruins, from the ancient city of Lato to the Palace of Zakros. Both are worth a visit, as is the former Venetian fortress and leper colony of Spinalonga, which was catapulted into popular culture by Victoria Hislop's 2005 bestselling novel, The Island. Take a boat trip from the nightlife hub of Lerapetra to the idyllic island of Chrissi, or spend the day exploring the charming Kato Zakros village. See how settlers in 1,000 BC lived with a tour of Praisos, or go to one of Lassithi's many olive oil farms to really immerse yourself in some authentic Greek culture. In terms of nature, the Dikti Mountain Range is popular with hikers, while there are a range of caves around the coast to explore. Just make sure to ask a local guide before you go to ensure you stay safe. As of 2024, the average price of a pint is €3, or £2.33. This is around €1.50 less than you'd pay in Palma (according to Numbeo), and a whopping three times cheaper than in London. For a meal out, you're looking at €21 (£16.32). And, depending on when you travel, three-star hotels can be booked for as little as £43 a night. Metro found Airbnbs available in July, starting from £74 per night. However plummet if you push your visit back to shoulder season, from the end of September on. On Tripadvisor, reviewer Erez called the Glika Nera Beach,' a paradise for peace and quiet,' while Soner203 said of Lake Voulismeni in Agios Nikolaos: 'Lovely setting, natural beauty, serene and peaceful yet full of life.' Another, Dave S, described Lassithi's Vai Beach as 'gorgeous,' adding: 'What a place this is. Well worth the visit.' Greeka reviewer agelikoni echoed his sentiments, writing: 'Vai beach is exactly how I was told. So beautiful and so exotic! For the time being there, you almost forget you are in Greece, seems more like a beach in the Caribbean, I guess. Must see!' More Trending On the same site, georgia22 commented: 'Lassithi is the most quiet and relaxing area of Crete. While the rest of the prefectures are too crowded for me, Lassithi has exactly those features to make my holidays special.' Direct return flights to Heraklion in Crete are available from airports around the UK, starting from £232 in July. From Heraklion Airport, it's roughly a 50-minute drive to Agios Nikolaos, or just over an hour to Elounda. This article was originally published on 13 August 2024 and has been updated. Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ MORE: Italy's 'village of villages' contest has revealed its 5 must-visit hidden gems MORE: Your favourite places to eat in Europe that aren't the usual tourist traps MORE: Gorgeous town in Portugal is a foodie paradise with flights from £27
Irish Examiner
01-06-2025
- Science
- Irish Examiner
Sky Matters: a good time to spot Venus in the evening sky — and we've a 'strawberry moon' coming up on June 11
Last week I visited the Skinakas Astronomical Observatory on Mount Ida on the island of Crete. It's a small observatory perched 1,750 metres above sea level, beyond the reach of the cloud layer that would make the site otherwise unusable for astronomical observations. The atmosphere here is unusually 'stable', evidenced by the lack of twinkling of the stars and the remarkable detail that can be captured in images from the Observatory's two telescopes. About 60 kilometres west of Skinakas is the city of Heraklion. Unlike the steady stars above, the lights of Heraklion far below appear to dance about and change colour — a kind of terrestrial twinkling on steroids. As I watched this entrancing spectacle I was reminded of the impact that Greek (and Cretan) culture has had on our world from great minds such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Archimedes and Hippocrates. Their ideas spread across the globe, sometimes taking years to cross country boundaries, sometimes much longer. 1.0m Telescope. Picture: Vangelis Pantoulas / Skinakas Observatory So what has this got to do with Skinakas, the observatory? More than you might think, because Mount Ida is one of the sites around Europe that is taking part in experiments to move ideas around the globe employing technologies that would have seemed magical to those great minds. Using a small telescope with a mirror that is one metre in diameter — and that's small by current day standards — the site will use a laser beam to connect to a satellite above, which will then itself transfer that beam (and the ideas contained in it) to receiving stations across Europe and beyond. In a fraction of a second. And in huge volumes. Indeed volumes which are much greater than we can move with current satellite technologies. Sending a beam from a small telescope to a moving satellite some 500km – 2000km above your head is no mean technological feat, and the state-of-the-art technology is still somewhat in its infancy. But give it a few more years and it's likely that this mode of communication will mature and be widely used. In the future, when you send an email or ask ChatGPT to summarise the differences between a South American Parakeet and a Common Irish Tern there will be a new information superhighway that ticks along unnoticed involving remote mountain tops and orbiting satellites. People watching a the rising strawberry moon — so called because it is the full moon at strawberry harvest time. Picture: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel Meanwhile, June is a curious month for the casual sky observer. The nights start late, they're short, and the sky never gets truly dark, but at least it's (relatively) warm. Despite the astronomy drawbacks, there's still much to see: The planet Venus shines brightly to the west of the setting sun and is an easy spot in the evening sky throughout the month There's a full moon on June 11, called the Strawberry Moon — a North American term which refers to the time of year when berries, including strawberries, started to ripen and become edible. And on June 29, Mars is very close to the top-left of the moon. On June 21 we have the longest day of the year, marking the peak of the summer season for Earth's northern hemisphere. We are familiar with a season lasting three months, but on Saturn a season lasts 7.5 years; on Uranus it's 21 years; and on Neptune it's about 40 years. By contrast, there are no seasons on Mercury, Venus or Jupiter. This is because only planets that have a tilted axis — ours is 23.5° — can experience seasons. For sure the ancient inhabitants of Heraklion were aware of seasons on earth. They had no knowledge of seasons on other planets. Despite their immense achievements in architecture and construction, they had to rely on the slow spread of ideas beyond their immediate locality. I wonder what they would think if they came back today to witness how their ancestors are once again at the leading edge of a transformation in our world. Dr Niall Smith is head of research/ head of Blackrock Castle Observatory, Munster Technological University, Cork
Elle
29-05-2025
- Elle
The Best European Luxury All Inclusive Holidays For Summer 2025
You're either the planner in the couple/friendship group or the person who asks 'where are we going again and what do I need to pack?' the night before you travel. And, as one of the latter, the idea of having to book and plan a holiday makes me feel so anxious I'm in need of a good holiday - itself of course a vicious travel cycle. One thing that has helped resolve this is expertly making friends and partnerships with planners - the other is all-inclusive holidays. In the late 90s/early noughties a gap year peak coincided with the rise of cheap flight companies like Easyjet and the boom of the city break. Why use a week off work to lie down in the sun when you could hop on £17.99 flights and trains to six little-explored cities where a four-course meal plus wine cost even less? All inclusives seemed to lose popularity. But in 2025, the all inclusive is back - and they're more luxe than ever. Read Next All-inclusive resorts have really upped their game - most now include everything, including luxe drinks and food options, multiple restaurants (taking out the concept of buffet boredom) and loads of recreational activities to keep things interesting. And let's be clear, no-one is locking you inside the hotel, you're still free to explore an area as you please. Though, let's face it, once you get used to all-inclusive life, it can be hard to tear yourself away... The Best European All-Inclusive Hotels Creta Maris, Crete Creta Maris Creta Maris This Cretan resort is celebrating its 50th year in 2025 - and instead of giving old, it's giving experienced and refined and aging like a fine wine. The huge resort is made up of 679 rooms and suites, multiple restaurants, so many swimming pools we lost count and endless entertainment options - from shows to cooking experiences in the kitchen garden to an open-air cinema. The private beach was never crowded, bars and snack spots (not just piles of chips, but salad bars and juice and smoothie pop-ups) were queue-less and you never had to rise early to get the best spot by any of the pools. Unlike other resorts, the hotel boasts multiple buffets with ever-rotating menus, so you genuinely could never get bored of the food. If anything, grab what you see when you can, as a delicacy might not be repeated. The real charm of Creta Maris is its bungalows - set out like a Cretan village, complete with fountains, gardens and winding cobbled pathways, the bungalows set the resort apart from other all-inclusives. The various pockets of accommodation are all nestled around a swimming pool, usually with a separate bar. You can stay close to home, or switch things up throughout the day if you're feeling a bit restless. Often, we spent the day in the incredible water park (which felt like a genuine water park, not just a couple of slides on the side like some places) and wandered back to our 'home pool', just down the steps from our villa, for a final dip as the sun went down - and a cocktail, of course. The fear for all inclusives can for many be the 'family feeling' - understandably for some it's a pro and for others a con. Creta Maris manages to tread that line so well. The hotel and its bars and restaurants feel luxe and upmarket while remaining navigable for children - you'll feel incredibly comfortable as a family. Some pools and food areas are clearly more designed for a child-friendly experience too. But there are some restaurants, bars and pools just for adults only. The wide offering for all is clearly part of its five decades long recipe for success. Rates start from £281 per night for a Family Open Plan Room, based on 2 adults and 2 children under 12, all-inclusive. Sani Resort, Halkidiki, Greece HEINZ TROLL Top of the wishlist for most all-inclusive lovers in the know is Sani Resort. In recent years, the resort has become renowned as a luxury resort where you can enjoy an all-inclusive stay - especially with a family - without any compromise on standards. The resort features five award-winning beachfront hotels: Sani Beach, Sani Club, Porto Sani, Sani Asterias (which has just newly reopened better than ever) and Sani Dunes across a 1,000 acre nature reserve. The resort offers world-class facilities including a private marina with over 40 restaurants and bars, luxury boutique stores, the Rafa Nadal Tennis Center, the football academy in association with Chelsea FCF and the Bear Grylls Survival Academy. Key to many travellers these days the resort manages to balance luxury with sustainability as the the first certified carbon-neutral resort in Greece - it received 'World's Leading Luxury Green Resort' and 'World's Leading Family and Beach Resort' awards at the World Travel Awards for four and five consecutive years respectively and also won the 'World Leading Sustainable Resort' award in 2023 and 2024. If the gorgeous offering of facilities wasn't enough, the resort also hosts the and the There's also Sani's new Teen Special Offer - All kids under 12 stay free + up to one teen stays for free throughout the 2025 season (the offer applies on selected properties, on selected roomtypes). For more information visit Ikos Odisia, Corfu Ikos Another stand-out when it comes to luxury all-inclusives is the Ikos group, which celebrates 10 years in 2025. The Odisia resort opened in May 2023, sitting across a secluded bay from the renowned Ikos Dassia. The resort sits up above the bay boasting incredible views of the Ionian sea and surrounded by lush woodland. The Ikos resorts pride themselves on the idea of 'Unconditional Luxury' - which they say is 'a concept which reinvents the all-inclusive beach holiday with unrivalled five-star personalised service and cordial Greek hospitality, where guests are treated like family from the moment they arrive.' Puts a new (luxury) appealing spin on the idea of visiting family, doesn't it? For more information on Ikos Resorts, go to ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today . Related Story
Telegraph
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
What Gove got right: learn a poem by heart and make a friend for life
The Formula One driver Jochen Mass pursued a career of extreme jeopardy. But the detail that caught my eye in his Telegraph obituary was his ability to quote poetry from memory: 'a trick he had acquired to sharpen the mind before races'. To learn a poem by heart is, as Michael Gove put it when he was education secretary, 'To own a great work of art forever'. The young Patrick Leigh Fermor, walking across Europe, recited poetry aloud. His prodigious memory famously enabled him to cap the lines from Horace with which the German general, Heinrich Kreipe, greeted his wartime kidnapping by Leigh Fermor and the Cretan resistance. But on the whole, poetry is easiest to commit to memory when it has a good thumping metre and rhyme scheme. The poems I know by heart are the ones I relished as a child and later read to my son. Repetition meant that we memorised effortlessly the fates of small children described with grim relish in Hilaire Belloc's poetry collection Cautionary Tales for Children ('For every time she shouted 'Fire!'/They only answered, 'Little Liar!' '), and the well deserved end of Robert Southey's poem Sir Ralph the Rover: ('Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair/He curst himself in his despair'). The grim relish was, of course, a large part of the charm: but where sensitivity readers stalk, it is largely off the curriculum. A pity, for there's nothing like it to sharpen the mind (and even, perhaps, to strengthen the spirit against jeopardy). Learning is too good to be reserved for the young If adolescence is the original awkward age, it finds its mirror image in the turbulence of the middle years. Like love (but less welcome) middle age comes without warning. One moment you're congratulating yourself on having negotiated the hurdles of early adulthood without major incident. The next, along come intimations of mortality and a vague sense that you no longer know who you are. 'Faces look familiar, but they don't have names… Everything has changed,' sang Lucinda Williams. And so it has. From college reunions where you wonder, 'Who are all these ancient monuments?' before realising that they are your contemporaries, and they are wondering the same thing about you, to dinner parties where the talk is exclusively of acid reflux and dodgy tickers – everything has changed. Then come the antidotes: more-or-less dramatic lifestyle changes, from fitness regimes and cosmetic interventions to short (or long) rides in fast machines and messy relationship break-ups. Less drastic are the hobbies of self-reinvention. Taking up a new pursuit: golf, gardening, or painting – offers a glimpse of a life that might have been, and occasionally a route into an entirely new career. But last week, Radio 4's Today programme explored a different approach: the midlife return to a childhood hobby. The actor and comedian Alistair McGowan passed Grade 2 piano when he was nine, then gave up and didn't start again until he was 50. The ceramicist Emma Bridgewater was taught to crochet by her grandmother when she was eight, and recently re-learnt the craft with the help of a Ladybird book. Both described the joy of rediscovering something begun in childhood. 'It's changed my life,' said McGowan. Bridgewater found that 'you cannot stress when you're involved in anything creative, and that's a superpower.' For her, crochet was also a way to reconnect with her beloved grandmother. McGowan released an album of piano music in 2017, but they both insisted that going back to a childhood hobby wasn't intended as a side hustle. The de-stressing superpower only works, said Bridgewater, as long as money its not involved. McGowan emphasised the need to understand that you'll never reach the level you would have done if you'd put in the hours when you were young: the delight lies as much in learning how to learn as in the performance. All this sounds like sage advice as I sidle back to the piano after decades of absence. As a teenager I developed a flash line in approximate sight-reading of pieces far too advanced for me. Now, with McGowan's advice about learning how to learn ringing in my ears, I've begun to explore the charm of scales. Sometimes, you really can go back and do things better.
