Crete is experiencing these days under an orange-tinted sky due to the arrival of a mass of Saharan dust driven by the wind. The phenomenon has drastically reduced visibility and altered normality throughout the island. The impact is most noticeable in air transport, with affected operations and diverted flights due to the difficulty of operating safely. Isolated incidents have also been recorded in other services.

The beach managers have put up a giant sign and two photographs next to it: Zorba's Beach. The sign is a bit tasteless. And, in fact, the beach's real name is Stavros, but many tourists ignore this. When you travel around Greece, you could make a list of restaurants, bars, businesses, and spots named after Zorba and you'd come up with hundreds.

The latest focus of the massive heat wave affecting Europe is the Greek island of Crete. Working to extinguish the blaze, which is on at least three fronts and is spreading rapidly, driven by gusts of wind that are making it difficult to extinguish, has rekindled the flames, and the evacuation of four more coastal towns has been ordered, adding to the five already evacuated.