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 Mamma Mia! - Well the time is soon upon us where Skopelos and the Sporades islands will be introduced to the world! The movie trailers are in circulation http://www.mammamiamovie.com/ and the release dates are set! There have been several articles published about the location filming here on Skopelos, the Daily Mail has nothing but impressive things to say about our island paradise. We are not expecting much change here on the island, but be sure to get your reservation in soon to ensure availability of your preferred villa before the secret is out!
Forest fire – One of the most striking features of Skopelos is the abundance of pine forests that cover the island and at the back of everyone’s mind come summer season is that an accidental forest fire will start. We didn’t have to wait for summer this year with the unfortunate incidence of a yard fire which got out of control in the area of the beautiful fishing village of Agnondas. The fire burned a large swathe of pine trees up behind the village. An added danger was that it started in extremely windy conditions and even worse at dusk, which made it impossible for the fire planes to come to drop water on the flames. Reinforcements finally came by Chinook helicopter at midnight and by ferry boat arriving at 4am in order to battle the ever growing fire. Thanks to the huge effort of the Skopelos and mainland Fire Departments and many volunteers, they were able to get it contained by early the next morning. Fortunately no homes were destroyed and only two minor injuries were suffered by fire fighters.
Now that this is fresh and in everyone’s minds, some citizens, along with the cooperation of the Town Hall, are trying to organise a fire awareness programme. By really pushing this to the forefront, we can not only organise an emergency programme for future fires, but educate locals and visitors alike as to how we can prevent forest fires. We all want to do our part to protect our beautiful island and its resources!
 ALONISSOS
There was a happy ending to the story of the orphaned baby seal which was rescued from rough seas near the island of Tinos by tourist Victoria Grouga in late summer 2007.
The baby seal, named ‘Victoria’ after its rescuer, was raised by members of the Society for the Study and Protection of the Mediterranean Monk Seal which is based in Alonissos’ picturesque fishing village, Steni Vala. The National Marine Park of Alonissos, a designated and protected area of sea surrounding the island, is the biggest sanctuary for Monk seals in the world.
After hand rearing the baby with fish paste, teaching her to swim in the pool and to hunt and eat on her own, she was finally released to the open seas in February this year. She was fitted with a transmitter so that the team in Alonissos can track her location and gather other vital information to help learn more about this threatened species.
With only 500 mammals known to exist, roughly half of those live in the protected waters of the Marine Park surrounding Alonissos which contain some of their most important habitats.
 Easter in Greece
It’s still not too late to take a break and be included in the special celebrations that go on in Greece for the entire week leading up to the Orthodox Easter on April 27th. Considered the biggest holiday of the year, Easter on the islands is a moving and beautiful sight to witness with candlelight processions through the narrow streets of the village, and the all important feast at midnight on Easter Saturday. Come be a part of this and experience something truly unique – we have limited properties available for Easter week which begins on Monday the 21st and lasts through to Monday the 28th of April. Although the charter flights into Skiathos haven’t begun by then, there are flights through both Thessaloniki and Athens from most major European cities.
Thalpos Holidays Special Offers
May is one of the most beautiful months in Greece, with luminous, warm days and wildflowers carpeting the countryside. We’ve made a special offer on selected properties for your early summer break. We are happy to offer 20% off for bookings of at least 7 nights during the month of May in the selected properties listed here link
In closing, we would like to thank you for spending these few minutes with us today. Please feel free to contact us with any comments or questions or if you need further information on anything about our islands. Rather than offering the usual recipe, this month we have included a small story below from Greek Mythology about how the seasons of winter and spring came to be.
We are wishing you a ‘Kalo Kalokairi’ (good summer) and hope to welcome you to the Sporades Islands soon. But in case you won’t make it here in person - the next best thing to being here will be to go to the cinema and see the film Mamma Mia!, which was filmed almost exclusively on the island of Skopelos!
The Thalpos Holidays Team
Look forward to our next newsletter with up to the minute island news. If you would like to add a friend to or would like to be removed from our newsletter mailing list, please feel free to contact us at info@holidayislands.com.
Greek Mythology Winter and Spring
Greek Mythology was rich in legends about growth and fertility. At its core is the story of the invention of winter. Hades, the god of the underworld fell in love with Persephone, the beautiful goddess of Vegitation. Once upon a time when she was playing in a flowery meadow with her companions, Persephone was seized by Hades and carried off to the Underworld as his bride. As her mother, Demeter (Goddess of the Harvest) wandered the earth in vain seeking her daughter, the earth grew desolate. All vegetation died and famine devastated the land. When she learned that her husband Zeus (King of the Gods) conspired in her daughter's abduction she was furious, and refused to let the earth fruit until Persephone was returned. Zeus finally consented. But Persephone had eaten a handful of pomegranate seeds and the fruit forever tied her to the Underworld. She was condemned to spend at least four months with her husband, Hades each year. This season became winter, as Demeter allowed plants to wither and die in her grief. Persephone’s return heralded the revival of life in Spring.
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Proof of their enthusiasm and desire to help our island and its surrounding seas in every way, the core members of N.I.K.O.S. made a day of cleaning and clearing many years worth of rubbish and debris from the harbour along the boardwalk in town. In full winter gear, the scuba divers dove into the chilly waters along the front. It was a sight to see - the debris that was retrieved from the harbour waters that had drifted in from storm winds and fallen from boats. There were old tyres and iron parts of boats and various plastics and rubbish. We thank the members and appreciate the fantastic job they have done to clean up the sea and help the surrounding sea life. More ambitious projects are also planned for cleaning the waters in and around all of the beaches of the island. 
