THE
AREAS OF LESVOS or Lesbos, also known as Mytilini
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MYTILINI TOWN
AREA - LESVOS
MYTILINI is in fact one of the most culturally enlightened city
in Greece perhaps due to its proximity to the coast of Asia Minor
where the ancient Greeks flourished until 1922 when they were
forcefully evicted by the Turks. Many of these Greeks had property
in Mytilini and many Mytilinians had businesses in Asia Minor.
For this reason the museums are full of interesting remnants of
the last three thousand years of history and the town itself contains
monuments, houses, churches, schools and other buildings from
the various historical periods. But it is the Mytilini of today
that holds the most interest for many because it is a small and
manageable city full of great restaurants, cafes, nightlife and
friendly, intelligent people. |
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SKALA ERESSOS
AND ERESSOS - LESVOS
On the southwestern end of Lesvos is the village of ERESSOS
and SKALA ERESSOS. The birthplace of the poetess Sapho, the
beach town of Skala Eressos once a Mecca for International lesbians
is also a popular family destination, not to mention a favorite
place for honeymooners. It has one of the most beautiful and
dramatic beaches in all of Greece and a line of cafes and restaurants
on the waterfront that may remind you of an Atlantic seaside
community without the commercialism.
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MOLYVOS -
LESVOS
Mithymna, or MOLYVOS as it was called during the middle ages,
is truly an amazing town. When you pass through Petra and follow
the coastal road you really are unprepared for the dramatic
first view you get when you come around that last bend. Luckily
there is a place to pull off where you can take it all in, rather
then sneak glances and endanger your family and everyone else
on the road. The town is situated on a small mountain topped
by a dramatic medieval castle, built by the Byzantines and renovated
by the Gattelusis, who were from Genoa and were ceded the island
when Francesco Gattelusi married the daughter of the Byzantine
Emperor John Paliologos. The original castle which this one
replaced, was conquered by none other then Achilles during the
Trojan war. There are still ancient ruins scattered around the
town including impressive polygonal walls and a few giant holes
where archaeologists have begun their slow work. The town itself
is built of stone houses and shops which surround the castle
and follow the coast to one of the most beautiful harbors in
Greece.
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PETRA AREA
- LESVOS
Just a few kilometers from Molyvos is the village of PETRA. Petra
is attracting more and more visitors every year. While the front
of the village appears to be a tourist town of the highest degree
or lowest depending upon how you look at it, the back streets
of the village give the visitor the feeling of the more remote
traditional villages of the island and since most of the tourists
tend to cling together like sheep along the shore, those people
who are courageous enough to wander through the back streets can
find themselves in a uniquely Greek setting, maybe finding what
they have come to Lesvos in search of. Stretched along a long
human-filled beach lined with cafe's and restaurants, the interior
of the town surrounds a rock mountain topped with the church of
the Glykofylousa Panagia Our Lady of the Sweet Kiss. You reach
the top of the rock by climbing the 114 steps carved into the
stone. From the church the view of Petra and the surrounding sea
and countryside is spectacular extending all the way to the coast
of Asia Minor.
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KALLONI -
LESVOS
The Bay of KALLONI and in particular the beach town of Skala Kaloni
is the nature capital as well as the sardine capital of the island.
The economy in based upon agriculture, the nature tourism from
visitors who come to see the many birds who stop in the marshes
on their way to and from northern Europe, and from the sardines
and other fish and seafood that comes from the rich and beautiful
bay. The town of Kaloni sits in a lush and enormous valley that
borders the bay of Kaloni. This valley is home to many different
species of birds and wildflowers and in springtime the hotels
are full of bird watchers from all over the world. The bay itself
is a marvel to behold. More like an inland sea then a bay, it
is ringed by mountains on two sides and the fertile valley on
another opposite a small channel that leads to the sea. The town
of Skala Kaloni is both the port, beach and tourist center of
Kaloni. The water is shallow and almost never rough and the beaches
are very sandy.
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VATERA - LESVOS
Located on the coast between the Gulf of Yera and the Gulf
of Kaloni, near the town of Polychnitou and the amazing hot mineral
baths, VATERA is seven kilometers of uninterrupted sandy beach.
This is one beach that seems to extend forever. The town of Vatera
itself stretches a couple kilometers and is made up of some really
nice tavernas, a pizza place or two, several small bars, a few
shops and some terrific family oriented hotels.
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PLOMARI AREA
- LESVOS
Forty-two kilometers from Mytilini on the southern coast of
Lesvos, PLOMARI, the ouzo capital of Greece, is built in an amphitheater
style near the sea and is the second largest town on the island.
This is where the famous Barbayiannis Ouzo comes from as well
as several other smaller labels like the excellent Ouzo Giannatsi
which is distilled in the traditional method. The architecture
of the town is pretty amazing with giant old mansions and decaying
factories, olive presses and tanneries amongst the houses of all
different size shapes and colors. The town itself straddles each
side of a ravine which in the rainy season turns into the Sedountas
river. Some of the houses are built right on the river and their
walls form the banks, keeping the flow contained and moving down
towards the sea. |
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SIGRI - LESVOS
SIGRI is a beautiful
town with a nice beach in a long semi sheltered cove that is perfectly
suited to families with small children and some good restaurants
with plenty of fresh fish, caught locally, and their specialty
which is lobster. To make it even more special there is a big
old Turkish castle that overlooks the whole village. In Sigri
you have a town that is everything a good tourist town should
be. Good food, clean beaches, nice hotels, great family run restaurants
with fresh fish, stuff to do and even a tourist shop or two, and
yet it is not overrun with tourists. Sigri is certainly at the
very least worth a visit for lunch and a swim. |
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YERA
BAY - LESVOS
The Gulf of YERA or Gera has to be one of the most beautiful
area in Greece and therefore in all the world. Like the Gulf of
Kaloni it is a large bay with a small mouth and a breeding ground
for sardines and other fish and sea creatures. Also like Kaloni
it is surrounded by olive groves and forests and some of the most
fertile land on the island. There are large areas of wetlands
and marshes, home for wild birds and animals and there are also
hot-springs in the area of Thermi, a 15 minute drive from the
city of Mytilini. There are a number of small seafood tavernas
that serve the freshest local fish and are inexpensive. The towns
in Yera are mostly agricultural and those on the coast of the
bay were formerly industrial with tanneries and olive-oil factories.
The ruins of these factories create an interesting background
to the natural beauty of the sea and coast. |
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