Despite our plans for Saturday, 13th May to spend it with our family friends and enjoy some seafood by the water, we instead released our mooring lines and set sail for Lesvos. Sailing life! Lesvos may have not been painted with the nicest colors in the last years due to the refugee situation but it is a beautiful place, full of history, the 3rd largest island in Greece, the 8th largest in the Meditterean Sea, and the birthplace of Sappho, the famous archaic Greek poet.

Our sailing trip was quite nice and relaxed for most parts, we even saw dolphins just outside Limnos harbor and we experienced all types of wind! Upwind, half wind, downwind, you name it! Elena did great most of the trip and we spent our first night at an anchorage called “Apothekes”, in Kolpos Kallonis. The next day we continued sailing to the next bay, Kolpos Geras where we threw anchor at “Skala Loutrwn”, a cute little bay where we also tasted the local seafood.

On 15th May we motored our way to Mytilini, the capital of Lesvos. We tied up Libra at the main pier, just opposite the hustle and bustle of the capital life. Mytilini is very colorful, with numerous cafes and taverns on side streets, and a long, narrow road connecting the center full of small shops, a promenade full of bars, and a medieval castle at the top of the hill.

On Thursday, 18th May, we rented our best car so far, a new diesel WV Polo to explore this huge island. We started our road trip going to the other side of the island, to visit the Petrified Forest of Sigri, a UNESCO global geopark. The famous attraction was initially formed 20 million ago by a volcanic eruption covering a vast area with molten lava and ash, causing the forest trees to turn into “stone”, and thus petrified. Some of these fossilized trees are so large they reach 20 meters in length and 3 meters in width! The Museum of the petrified forest was also very interesting, exhibiting petrified trees and fossils from other parts of the world as well.

Our next stop was Molyvos, a medieval seaside village, super cute! Quite touristic, but still picturesque, full of houses made of stone, cobblestone roads, and amazing views of the Aegean sea. We had a great lunch here, overlooking the beach and the blue horizon. We then continued our trip to Skala Kallonis, a tiny village in the bay Kallonis where we stopped for a drink at a beach bar. There was a little dog that Elena fell in love with. After 200+ kilometers, we returned to our beloved Libra tired, but full of nice images and tasty food. As for Elena, the highlight of the road trip was ..the dog.

We enjoyed our time in Lesvos, but it was time for new islands! And that could only mean one thing; Chios. Or not?

Check the next blog to find out!