The village of Kandanos on Crete was burned to the ground, and Nazi troops massacred all 180 residents on June 3, 1941 during the years of the German occupation.

It was one of the worst atrocities committed by the occupiers and has haunted Crete and Greece for decades.

Battle of Crete

The Battle of Crete began on May 20, 1941, with Germany employing 750 glider-borne troops, 10,000 paratroopers, 5,000 airlifted mountain soldiers, and 7,000 seaborne troops. It was the first occasion when German parachutists were used en masse and the first mainly airborne invasion in military history.

It was also the first time German soldiers had encountered mass resistance from a civilian population, and they suffered unexpectedly large numbers of casualties.

The outnumbered Greek soldiers, along with the Allied forces based on Crete, fought bravely but were vastly outnumbered. Cretan civilians joined the battle with whatever weapons were at hand—mostly kitchen knives, but rakes, clubs, and even walking sticks were used in desperate hand-to-hand combat for their homeland.

German parachutists were often knifed or clubbed to death as they landed on fields of Crete. In one recorded incident, an elderly Cretan man clubbed a paratrooper to death with his walking cane before the German could even disentangle himself from his parachute.

In another incident, a local priest and his son broke into a village museum, took two rifles from the Balkan War era, and sniped at German paratroops as they landed. The Cretans also began to use small arms from captured German soldiers as the battle continued.

However, this courage came at a terrible cost, as the Germans retaliated as soon as they managed to gain control of Crete.

The temporary German commander of the island, Kurt Student, ordered a series of brutal reprisals against the local population immediately after the surrender of Crete on May 31, 1941.

Every last resident of Kandanos, amounting to a total of 180 men, women, and children, were brutally massacred, and their ancient village was burned to the ground.

Nazis order for the destruction of Kandanos

Below is the order of the German commander:

“It is certain that the civilian population including women and boys have taken part in the fighting, committed sabotage, mutilated and killed wounded soldiers. It is therefore high time to combat all cases of this kind, to undertake reprisals and punitive expeditions which must be carried through with exemplary terror. The harshest measures must indeed be taken and I order the following: shooting for all cases of proven cruelty, and I wish this to be done by the same units who have suffered such atrocities. The following reprisals will be taken:
1. Shooting
2. Fines
3. Total destruction of villages by burning
4. Extermination of the male population of the territory in question
My authority will be necessary for measures under 3 and 4. All these measures must, however, be taken rapidly and omitting all formalities. In view of the circumstances the troops have a right to this and there is no need for military tribunals to judge beasts and assassins.”

After the surrender of Germany, General Kurt Student was captured by the British. In May 1947, he came before a military tribunal to answer to charges of mistreatment and murder of prisoners of war by his forces on Crete.

Greece’s demand to have Student extradited was declined. Student was found guilty of three out of eight charges and sentenced to five years in prison. However, he was given a medical discharge and was released in 1948. Student was never tried for crimes against civilians.

Today, Kandanos has been rebuilt and is the seat of the eponymous municipality. Reproductions of the somber Wehrmacht signposts commemorating the village’s destruction are displayed on a local war memorial.

Related: Greek Scientists Identify Nazi Victims Executed 83 Years Ago in Crete

Mastic or mastiha from the Greek island of Chios is getting traction on social media as the basic ingredient for summer cocktails.

Many bartenders and amateur connoisseurs are uploading videos of how to use the “white gold” of Chios to make flavorful and refreshing cocktails ideal for the summer.

Until recently, Greece’s mastiha liqueur hasn’t been as popular as other aperitifs. Thanks to new brands’ premiumization of the category and further education on its benefits, however, mastiha is starting to gain a cult following.

The myriad mastiha coctails

Here is a take on a cocktail called “Cleopatra”:

@drinkkleos

KLEOS Mastiha Spirit’s signature cocktail (The Kleo-Patra) is your Greek vacation in a glass This cocktail is super crushable and absolutely refreshing. PLUS there’s only 110 cal. and 4g of sugar in the full cocktail Yia Mas #earnyourkleos #mastiha #kleostakemeaway #chios #mykonos #mixology #mixologist #mixologytiktok #athens #travelgreece #skinnycocktails #lowcal #lowsugar #cocktailrecipes #superfood #luxury #luxlife #cocktailtok #garnishgame #greeksummer #summercocktail

♬ Taste It – TELL YOUR STORY music by Ikson

According to the following video by Nikki’s Modern Mediterranean, apart from one ounce of mastiha, you will need the following ingredients to make a summer cocktail: One ounce of peach vodka, peach nectar juice, grenadine, ice, and orange and cherry for garnish.

Another version is the rum, mastiha, and coffee cocktail:

Until recently, mastiha was actually considered a peasant spirit or liqueur often sipped after meals in Greece. This reputation is partly due to how it was made and the fact it wasn’t highly consumed outside of Greece.

@jackiesfooddiary

Have you tried Mastiha?! Officially my summer cocktail #mastiha #chios #liqueur #cocktail #cocktailrecipes #greek #drinkideas #summercocktails

♬ gimme gimme gimme – ·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

Now, with society’s growing interest in niche global spirits, mastiha spirit has come into the spotlight, and it’s becoming more common on menus at high-end Greek beach clubs as well as restaurants and global cocktail bars from New York to Los Angeles.

Here is yet another version of mixing mastiha with liquor:

@kforkalliopi

@Cello Liqueur & I made this delicious Mastiha cocktail using their Melon Liqueur (you’ll have to excuse the banter, I gave him a headache for an hour ) #cocktail #drink #mixologist #cocktails #italy #italian #greek #greekgirl #fyp #foryoupage #liqueur

♬ original sound – Kalliopi

Mastiha of Chios, Greece’s ‘White Gold’

Mastiha, often referred to as the “Tears of Chios” or the “White Gold of Greece,” is a product made exclusively on the Greek island of Chios. Since antiquity, this sticky resin, which seeps from the bark of mastic trees, has been harvested not only for its flavor but its therapeutic value.

Although the mastic tree, also called “lentisk,” is native to many areas in the Mediterranean, its bark only “bleeds” mastic on the island of Chios, making it a truly unique and nearly miraculous product.

Mastic is used as flavoring in many sweets and drinks, most famously in Mastiha, a digestive liquor from Chios. The mastic “tears,” or small bits of hardened tree sap, can also be chewed like gum, a practice dating back thousands of years. Its healing properties include prevention and treatment of stomach pains and gastric disorders as well as rejuvenation of the skin.

Its rarity has made mastic highly sought-after throughout history. Even to this day, mastic is considered a precious commodity not to be wasted. The European Union has designated it a “protected designation of origin” product, confirming that only Chios may produce authentic mastic.

In an insightful opinion piece published in The Guardian on June 3, 2026, titled “What the Hellenic! Why is Christopher Nolan’s new Greek epic entirely devoid of Greeks?”, author Chris Cotonou critiques the conspicuous lack of Greek actors in the director’s highly anticipated blockbuster, The Odyssey.

With an all-star ensemble featuring Matt Damon as Odysseus, alongside Zendaya, Charlize Theron, and Tom Holland, the film’s production team has repeatedly championed the cast as being meticulously chosen to “represent the world.” However, Cotonou points out a glaring irony: in the race to achieve universal global representation, the very country from which the story originates has been entirely unrepresented.

Cotonou highlights that while far-right culture warriors, including Elon Musk, have leveled bad-faith attacks against the casting of Black actor Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy on the grounds of “authenticity,” they are focusing on the wrong target.

For the Greek community, both domestically and across the global diaspora, the frustration stems from a deeper cultural erasure. Cotonou notes that dinner-table debates from Patras to London have been flooded with alternative, Greek-inclusive casting ideas, with many left wondering why beloved diaspora stars like Billy Zane were bypassed entirely. To contextualize this frustration, Cotonou references Greece’s leading film critic, Thodoris Koutsogiannopoulos, who laments that Hollywood continues to perpetuate a “lazy cliché” that views Greekness through the simplistic lens of “Zorba rather than Achilles.”

Greeks secondary to their own story of Odyssey

More significantly, Cotonou argues that this complete omission carries a troubling broader implication. It suggests that Ancient Hellenic stories are viewed by Hollywood as part of a generic “shared Western inheritance,” rendering the actual Greek people incidental or secondary to their own history.

Cotonou draws a poignant parallel to the enduring geopolitical battle over the Parthenon Marbles, noting that the erasure feels as though modern Greeks are no longer viewed as worthy custodians of their ancestral mythology. While acknowledging that international audiences might dismiss the controversy under the guise that The Odyssey is merely fiction, Cotonou emphasizes how intimately interwoven these Homeric epics are with the modern Greek subconscious, identity, and sense of self.

He argues that excluding Greeks from The Odyssey is culturally equivalent to shutting out Hindus from an adaptation of the Mahabharata or stripping Polynesians from a film like Moana.

Ultimately, Cotonou connects the casting dispute back to the timeless, central theme of Homer’s poem: nostos, the deeply human yearning for homecoming after surviving grueling trials. In a Hollywood landscape that increasingly values diversity, Cotonou elegantly concludes that the Greek people are simply asking not to be written out of the journey.

Following a controversial crackdown in Greece last year that effectively barred motorhomes from public spaces, a new legislative intervention is welcoming them across the country once again.

The shift marks a major turning point for nomadic travelers. In May 2025, Greece introduced a strict law that banned caravan and motorhome parking in all public spaces outside of officially designated campsites. Aimed at curbing illegal wild camping and protecting local coastal environments, the blanket ban sparked immense backlash. Travelers and tourism boards argued it was overly punitive, treating responsible motorhome owners, who contribute significantly to local economies, the same as illegal campers.

Recognizing the strain the 2025 law placed on road tourism, the Greek government has introduced a balanced intervention. The new framework finally distinguishes between “overnight parking” and “active camping.” Under the updated 2026 rules, motorhomes are permitted to park in public spaces just like standard passenger vehicles, provided they do not deploy awnings, tables, or outdoor gear.

To support this re-entry, Greece is greenlighting the development of municipal “Camper Stops”—dedicated, short-stay parking zones equipped with waste disposal and water refills, an infrastructure standard common throughout Western Europe. By pivoting from a total ban to regulated integration, Greece aims to protect its natural landscapes while tapping back into Europe’s lucrative, year-round road tourism market.

Understanding the regulatory shift on motorhomes in Greece

The transition from the 2025 crackdown to the 2026 resolution highlights a major evolution in how Greece views road tourism. Under the previous year’s restrictions, any public overnight stay in a motorhome was met with high fines and a total prohibition, forcing travelers exclusively into traditional, often crowded campsites.

The new framework resolves this friction by legally treating motorhomes as regular vehicles for standard parking purposes. Wild camping is now strictly defined and is forbidden only if outdoor gear is deployed, allowing travelers to rest peacefully overnight without fear of fines. Furthermore, instead of relying solely on traditional campsites, Greece is rolling out automated, short-stay municipal “Camper Stops” to seamlessly accommodate modern nomads.

Related: Greece Sets New Multibillion Record in Tourism Revenue

Legendary Greek vocalist Maria Farantouri has teased a groundbreaking upcoming performance, revealing that she will be singing passages from Plato’s Republic set to techno music.

Speaking to the camera on the morning show Buongiorno, Farantouri shared details about her highly anticipated concert alongside electronic music pioneer Lena Platonos, scheduled for June 19 at the historic Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

The ambitious program will feature three major works that bridge ancient text, contemporary composition, and electronic soundscapes. Farantouri noted that the performance will seamlessly blend modern musical elements guaranteed to thrill younger audiences.

“Lena Platonos and I are preparing a truly historic concert,” Farantouri said. “It connects the past with the present using very modern, electronic rhythms. I will also be singing Plato’s Republic. Lena has taken the myth of the Three Fates and set it to music—and it’s going to be techno! Young people will literally be dancing to it. It’s absolutely thrilling.”

Plato’s Republic: Cornerstone of philosophy and politics

Written around 375 BC, Plato’s Republic is arguably the most influential work of philosophy and political theory in Western history. Structured as a Socratic dialogue, it explores the definition of justice, the character of the just city-state, and the nature of the human soul. It is the very text that gave the world the famous “Allegory of the Cave”—Plato’s metaphor for how humanity mistakes the shadows of illusion for reality and how the pursuit of truth requires breaking free from those chains.

What makes Platonos and Farantouri’s techno adaptation so brilliantly ironic is Plato’s own complicated relationship with music. In the Republic, Plato devoted significant time to discussing the role of the arts in society, famously arguing that certain musical scales and rhythms should be banned because they could corrupt the soul or incite chaotic emotion.

One of the most fascinating aspects of island architecture in Greece is the “Chora” (Χώρα), which literally means “main town” or “capital.” On almost every Aegean island, you will find it perched precariously on a jagged mountain peak, cliffside, or steep hilltop, miles away from the main port.

Today, these towns are postcard-perfect labyrinths of whitewashed houses, but their dramatic locations were originally born entirely out of fear, survival, and defensive strategy.

Why was a Chora on the islands of Greece built on a hilltop?

Between the 7th and 18th centuries, the Aegean Sea was a terrifying place to live. It was heavily plagued by piracy, notably by Saracens, Venetians, Genovese, and later Ottomans, who raided coastal villages for loot and slaves. Building on high ground served several genius military purposes:

• Early Warning System: High vantage points allowed islanders to scan the horizon and spot approaching enemy sails hours before they hit the shore, allowing locals time to prepare or hide.
• The “Invisible” Town: Throughout the islands of Greece, many areas that functioned as a Chora were built tucked slightly behind a ridge facing away from the sea. From a pirate ship on the water, the natural stone and tightly packed white houses blended into the landscape, making the island look completely uninhabited.
• Fortress Architecture (Kastro): The houses themselves were built as defense walls. They were tightly packed together with tiny, maze-like alleys, dead ends, and steep steps designed to disorient and trap invaders who managed to break through.
• The Venetian Castle: Often, the very peak of the Chora features a Kastro (castle), built during Venetian rule. If pirates breached the town, the entire population would retreat into this central fortified citadel for a final stand.

Spectacular examples of Greece’s Choras in the Aegean

1. Folegandros: The Sheer Cliffside Drop

Folegandros in the Cyclades boasts a Chora that is absolutely amongst the most jaw-dropping in Greece. Part of the settlement, specifically the oldest medieval quarter, called the Kastro, is built directly on the edge of a vertical cliff that plunges 200 meters (650 feet) straight down into the Aegean. The outer walls of the houses form the defensive perimeter, meaning a window at the back of a house opens directly into an abyss. From the town, a famous, majestic zigzagging stone path leads further up the spine of the mountain to the white Church of Panagia.

2. Astypalaia: The Crowned Amphitheater

Shaped like a butterfly, the island of Astypalaia bridges the Cyclades and the Dodecanese. Its Chora is a brilliant white hill of cubic houses that ascends like an ancient amphitheater. The absolute summit is crowned by the dark, volcanic stone of the Querini Castle, built by the Venetians in the 13th century. The striking contrast between the pitch-black stone castle and the blinding white homes wrapping around it makes it one of the most architecturally dramatic sights in Greece.

3. Amorgos: The Invisible Mountain Hideout

Amorgos’ Chora is the quintessential example of an “invisible” town. It is completely hidden from the sea, nestled in a rocky mountain saddle 350 meters above sea level (about 1,150 ft). Dominated by a massive rock central spire topped with a 13th-century castle, the town is a dense maze of alleys designed to cut the fierce Aegean winds. Just outside the main town cluster, a stark ridge line is punctuated by a row of historic, abandoned stone windmills, highlighting just how exposed and elevated this sanctuary truly is.

4. Kea (Tzia): The Ancient Inland Capital

Unlike most Cycladic islands Choras were established in the Middle Ages, the Chora of Kea, known as Ioulis, has stood in the exact same mountainous mountain saddle since the Archaic period. Because it is built on a lush, spring-fed mountain, Ioulis breaks the “blinding white” stereotype. It features traditional clay tile-roofed houses, steep stairways, and historic stone arches (stegadia) that tunnel underneath the buildings.

5. Skyros: The Secret Village of “Pirate Alleys”

Located in the Sporades group, the Chora of Skyros clings to a massive 179-meter (587-ft) vertical crag. It is a masterful trick of architectural camouflage. Skyros was plagued by Saracen and Ottoman raids, including the notorious pirate Barbarossa. To survive, the locals built the Chora tucked onto the inland-facing northeastern slope of the rock, making the village completely invisible from the open sea. The streets are famously known as “pirate alleys”—cobbolstone paths so narrow, steep, and winding that they acted as a physical maze to trap enemies while residents fled up to the safety of the Byzantine Castle at the peak.

6. Serifos: The Vertiginous Amphitheater

The Chora of Serifos is widely considered one of the most structurally striking in the Cyclades. It is built amphitheatrically down the slopes of a cone-shaped, sheer rock rising 230 meters (755 ft) above the harbor. The village is split into Pano Chora (Upper Town) and Kato Chora (Lower Town). Pano Chora is a classic medieval fortress settlement established in 1434 by the Venetian Mikieli family. Space was so restricted by the vertical terrain that houses are literally glued to each other, leaving only a chaotic web of “labyrinth alleys” where invaders would easily become disoriented.

Basketball legend Michael Jordan has returned to Mykonos, once again choosing the “Island of the Winds” for his summer vacation.

The undisputed NBA Greatest of All Time (GOAT) arrived with his private jet and is kicking off his summer in Greece alongside a 25-member entourage, cruising the Aegean aboard his luxury superyacht, M’Brace.

Mykonoslive-tv spotted the basketball icon relaxing on deck, taking in the famous Myconian sunset. In recent years, Jordan has shown a steady preference for Greek destinations, with Mykonos remaining one of his absolute favorite summer stops.

Luxury living aboard the M’Brace

The M’Brace is a striking 65-meter (213-foot) superyacht, built in 2018 by the Dutch shipyard Amels. Designed for both comfort and performance, it features six cabins that accommodate up to twelve guests, expansive interior and exterior lounges, a gym, a jacuzzi, a private club area, and a variety of water sports equipment. The vessel is staffed by a dedicated crew of seventeen.

Registered in the Cayman Islands, M’Brace is considered one of the most discreet yet opulent yachts.  Its value is estimated to be between $115-$150 million, depending on the source.

A global sports icon

Michael Jordan is widely recognized as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York and raised in North Carolina, Jordan rose to global prominence through his incredible athleticism, competitive spirit, and unmatched achievements on the court.

He spent the majority of his career playing for the Chicago Bulls, leading the team to six NBA championships in the 1990s. Renowned for his scoring ability, clutch performance, and leadership, Jordan won five regular-season MVP awards and was a fourteen-time NBA All-Star player. His nickname “Air Jordan” stemmed from his signature leaping ability and gravity-defying dunks.

Beyond basketball, Jordan became a cultural icon, elevating the NBA’s global profile and revolutionizing athlete branding through his long-standing partnership with Nike. The success of the Air Jordan sneaker line helped shape the modern sportswear industry.

After retiring from professional play, Jordan became an influential figure in sports business. In 2010, he made history as the first former NBA player to become the majority owner of an NBA franchise, the Charlotte Hornets.

The EU’s Commission removed Greece from its list of macroeconomic imbalances on Wednesday, marking a turning point in the nation’s post-crisis recovery. The move formally winds down a painful sixteen-year chapter of heightened economic surveillance that led to the era of bailouts.

Among the factors emphasized in the European Commission’s report are: Greece’s resilient growth rate of 2.1% of GDP in 2025 in spite of conditions of global uncertainty, projections for continued strong growth, the continuous high primary surplus, reaching 1.7% of GDP in 2025, and the significant decline in public debt, projected to drop to 123.4% of GDP in 2027, making it one of the fastest rates of debt reduction in Europe. The country’s extensive reforms and speedy progress in the digital transition, especially in tax and public administration, were also taken into consideration.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed the milestone on social media, writing that the decision effectively “closes a negative chapter that began 16 years ago.” He emphasized that the achievement was not merely a technocratic assessment but rather the “foundation for a better life” made possible by the sustained hard work of Greek citizens and the state.

According to Mitsotakis, the structural budget surpluses achieved through recent reforms can now be directly “channeled into higher wages and pensions,” offering tangible domestic relief to a population that endured years of harsh austerity. “This also marks the official end of all surveillance,” he stressed.

The Commission’s assessment highlights a reduction in risks associated with Greece’s public and external debt, alongside solid economic growth, progress on structural reforms, and a stabilized banking sector.

EU says Greece still lags behind

While the removal from the imbalance list signals Brussels’ confidence in Athens’ current trajectory, the Commission also issued a stark reminder: Greece still lags behind its European Union peers in several key economic areas. The country continues to carry a heavy public debt burden, and average disposable income remains well below Western European standards.

Nevertheless, analysts say that the formal easing of surveillance provides a major psychological and financial boost, potentially lowering market borrowing costs and attracting crucial foreign investment. For a nation that spent over a decade as the epicenter of the Eurozone crisis, the validation from Brussels confirms a hard-fought return to economic normalcy.

Related: Italy Set to Overtake Greece as Eurozone’s Most Indebted Country in 2026