Ionian Sea

The Infrastructure, Transport and Networks Ministry and the Shipping and Island Policy Ministry in cooperation with the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) are planning to grant immediately licences for the construction of waterways on the islands of Paxoi, Zakynthos, Cephalonia and Lefkada as well as in Patras aiming to create the first network of waterways in Greece.

Kefalonia, in the Ionian sea, was the venue for a wedding between a 33-year-old and his 85-year-old bride. Kefaloniapress.gr reports that both the bride and groom came from well-known families on the island and that the groom had chased the woman for six months until she finally succumbed to his charms and said, “I do!”

A strong earthquake struck the island of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea with its epicenter 23 km southwest of the main town of Lefkada.

The Athens Geodynamic Institute says the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 and occurred at 9:10 a.m. (0710 GMT) Tuesday off Greece’s western mainland, some 300 kilometers (186 miles) west of Athens.

For others it’s the “Caribbean of Greece”, while one description that comes to mind is “Monte Carlo of Thesprotia”, the prefecture in extreme northwest Greece. What’s beyond doubt is that the coastal town of Sivota features incredible azure waters and tiny verdant islets across from stunning coves along the Ionian Sea.

By Stathis Kousounis

A civil war of sorts appears to have broken out among Greek hoteliers as seven Ionian Sea associations of owners of hotels, rooms and food service enterprises have sent a letter of strong protest to the ministers of economy and finance regarding the favorable value-added tax status that their counterparts on the Aegean islands enjoy.

Albania delayed by a month to mid-July the bidding for companies keen to explore for oil and gas on five onshore blocks and indefinitely for two offshore blocks, officials said on Monday.

A week before offers for the onshore bids were due on June 15, Energy Minister Damian Gjiknuri ordered the bidding date be postponed for another month to give companies more time.

Sazan Island is a half-hour boat ride from mainland Albania and is shrouded in a ghostly legacy. The island, where the Adriatic and Ionian seas meet between Italy and Albania was once home to a Soviet military base and chemical weapons facility.

Huffington post blogger Meagan Drillinger made an inclusive list of the 6 best beaches in Europe. Amongst them was a Greek beach in the Ionian sea…

The list is as follows:

Platja de Ses Illetes – Spain

Porthcurno – UK

Merchant Marine Minister Miltiades Varvitsiotis and Deputy Infrastructure and Transport Minister Michalis Papadopoulos have signed a decision paving the way for the country’s first hydroplane strip at the Ionian island of Corfu.

Rain and possible storms are expected in many parts of Greece on Tuesday, and particularly in the islands of the Ionian and on mainland Greece, where hailstorms are also likely, the Hellenic National Meteorological Service reported.