Brits in Crete

In December 2012 the School Buildings Organisation [SBO] and the International Union of Architects [UIA] announced the Prize Winners of the international architectural competition "Innovative Bioclimatic European School in Crete, Greece". First prize was awarded to EuZen Architecture Team led by Greek architects Theodora Kyriafini and Fotini Lymperiadou. The Jury Panel, consisting of nine international judges, selected the winner amongst the 134 entries. The Architect Team awarded the first prize will sign a contract with SBO for the next phase of the project in order to implement the detailed design study.

When the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans discovered the 4,000-year-old Palace of Minos on Crete in 1900, he saw the vestiges of a long-lost civilization whose artefacts set it apart from later Bronze-Age Greeks. The Minoans, as Evans named them, were refugees from Northern Egypt who had been expelled by invaders from the South about 5,000 years ago, he claimed.

The UK Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Greece, warning that jellyfish blooms have been reported and for people to heed local advice.

Officials have already issued warnings about jellyfish in Mediterranean coastal waters for France and Italy.

But local marine biologists said this year's increase was "no different" from other years and that the blooms consisted of non-stinging species.

2013 will mark the tenth year of The Casa dei Mezzo Music Festival - described by The Sunday Times Online as 'the most unique and intimate classical music Summer festival in Europe' - and the only exciting classical music festival on Crete offering a dynamic programme to complement the fascinating cultural heritage of this magnificent island. The festival lasts for seven days and features 12 concerts. Apart from the free opening concert next to Makrigialos Harbour, all of the other festival events take place at the Villa Casa dei Mezzo in Makrigialos. They are presenting the most daring programme for what they believe to be the most exciting Casa dei Mezzo Music Festival to date, their 10th anniversary.