Firefighters battle forest fire on Athens outskirts

Firefighters battled a major fire Wednesday on Mount Hymettus on the outskirts of Athens that burned through one of the Greek capital's last forests but posed no threat to homes.

"We are trying to contain the fire, a very difficult blaze which moved with incredible speed," fire department spokesman Yiannis Kapakis told the Mega television channel.

Thirty-seven fire engines, 150 firefighters, 100 soldiers, 13 water bombers and four helicopters were mobilised to fight the blaze that broke out shortly after midday near Glyka Nera, around 30 kilometres (20 miles) east of Athens.

Winds over 50 kilometres (30 miles) an hour pushed the flames to the summit of the mountain, out of reach of ground units, but firefighting aircraft kept the flames from reaching the suburbs of Holargos and Papagou on the other side.

"Homes are not in danger, but a beautiful forest is threatened," Glyka Nera mayor George Siokos told state television NET.

The perfect Greek island

Watermelon or baclava? Morning nap or afternoon siesta? This secret beach or that one? Matt Rudd finds life full of tricky dilemmas on Skopelos.

The man hiring the boat to us wasn’t there when he’d said he would be, so I walked up the stony path, away from the tiny, rickety jetty, until I got one bar on my cellphone . I dialled his number and he answered in Greek. I said: “Hello, it’s Matt. We booked a boat at 10am and it’s 10am now.”

In reply, he spoke for two whole minutes, both of them still in Greek. From what I could gather from his tone, he was neither apologetic nor angry. If I were pressed, I’d say he sounded philosophical. Expansive even. At the very most, judicious.

Enjoy This Greek Resort Island's Peaceful Beauty

Situated in the eastern Aegean Sea near Turkey, the beautiful Greek resort island of Samos has been known for its rich collection of beaches, picturesque towns, stellar scenery and wonderfully warm weather.

My wife May and I had planned to come to this island three years ago, but ran out of time during our first visit to Greece. We visited Athens, Santorini and Crete.

Samos is a bit out of the way. We had to fly first to Athens before taking a 50-minute flight on Aegean Airlines to the island. A ferry from Athens would have taken eight hours.

The best Greek island tavernas

Feasting on, more like. There was a fisherman’s relish - “made with rabbit, because Greek islands always have so many rabbits running wild on them,” he explained to any of us silly enough to suppose that Greek island cooking is all about seafood and salads.

A stifado of aubergines. A chicken terrine, in which the meat all seemed to have that tender, moist quality of those plum bits on the underside of a a bird, known as ‘oysters’. Octopus, wonderfully mauve. Cubes of rare tuna wrapped in vine leaves, and more rabbit, stewed with leeks and peas...

Paleros Village Beach Resort

Located in western Greece the setting for our Paleros resort could hardly be more beautiful. A seemingly land-locked bay is surrounded by mountains and lush gardens. Close to the traditional Greek village of Paleros and the magical Island of Lefkas, it's perfect for action and exploration, as well as simply relaxing.

Like all the Greek resorts, Paleros has generally excellent conditions for most watersports. However the often light breezes and exceptionally calm waters of the bay make it especially suited to waterskiing and wakeboarding. Both are offered free of charge.