'Flame of Hope' torch arrived in Spetses on Thursday 23 June, for its final leg carried for the Special Olympics World Summer Games ATHENS 2011, taking place on June 25th-July 4th. The Mayor and local Spetses council were there to receive it, being carried off the catamaran from Athens by two Olympian athletes. It was escorted by police to Ayios Mamas, where the runners then ran the back route to the Poseidonion Hotel. Everyone honked their horns and cheered as the flame was put on to a special column and then the athletes held it high, as it burned for all to see.

This is not the first time the flame has been brought to Spetses. The last time it arrived was before the Athens Olympics.

By all accounts, everyone was very happy with the success of the Spetses carnival on Sunday 6 March this year. A combination of the help and support from a new Spetses island mayor and committee plus a lot of hard work from various groups of locals. The weather improved and even though it was cold, there were bright blue skies and no rain in sight.

Yiannis Paraskevas died peacefully, early in the morning on 14 January 2011, aged 87. He had spent the last year just pottering round the house and garden, finding it too much of a struggle to get up and down the steps outside. 

Ayios Pnevmatos is the holiday of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost) and is celebrated over a period of three days - Saturday, Sunday and Monday. This is a holiday for the whole of Greece and is a movable feast, which means that it is a different date each year. Once we know when Greek Easter is, then we can work out when Ayios Pnevmatos is! It is the seventh Sunday after Easter. However, it is usually early June with the Monday being the actual feast day. Ayios Pnevmatos is a very busy holiday in Spetses and shops, bars and restaurants fill up with tourists from all over the world. Athenians definitely like this holiday too, and start travelling down on the Friday evening.

Greek Easter is falling on Sunday 24 April. This is the same as the Catholic/Western Easter.

The following is a complete list of Greek Easters, from 2008 - 2023.

Natalia Mela, the famous Greek artist opened her exhibition on 6 August at 21.00 in the Akropropo Gallery in the old harbour. Many locals and visitors flocked to the opening night and Ms Mela was there to greet them.

She had numerous collages on show - very clever works - mainly incorporating caique boats and buildings and views across the old harbour. She had a few of her wonderful sculptures there too - goats, owls and doves (depicted on her exhibition invitation) Ms Mela sculpted the statue of Bouboulina in the recently renovated Poseidonion Square.

CAN YOU NAME THAT LOCAL? Here are some old photographs of various local Spetsiots. A few of them are still living on the island - but some sadly, have passed away.

See if you can name them!  If anyone knows who any of them are - or perhaps all of them, then send us an email and we'll put their names up. We'll put yours up too, plus any memories that you may have of times spent in Spetses. So, have a look and see if you recognise any faces. These photographs were kindly sent in by Glenice Farrar:

(Apologies for the quality of a few, but they are not digital images)

1. Who is this seated in the middle of the taverna?