While most of Europe was suffering from freezing weather, and England was digging out from its latest snowstorm, a group of expats celebrated their holidays with a dip in the Mediterranean.

The Christmas event was organized by Mark & Lydia Flynn of Vrahassi and consisted of about 20 enthusiasts from Vrahassi, Limnes, Neapoli and surrounding area, but only six actually went for a swim at Potamos Beach in Malia

"We ventured in shortly after 11 and were very surprised how warm the water was," Mark said. "After 20 minutes or so we were welcomed back ashore to the waiting towels and coffee with a hint of Metaxa. It was a wonderful morning and we are going to turn this into an annual event."

As of this writing, winter temperatures on Crete continued to compete with those of summer, while the 30c registered on New Year's Day was said to be about the highest on the planet.

Has anyone mentioned "Winter Tourism in Crete" lately?