Mytilene: On Foot

Mytilene (aka Mytilini) is the capital of the Greek island of Lésbos (aka Lésvos … since the “b” is pronounced as a “v” in Greek). The second largest of the Greek islands — after Crete — Lésbos is located in the North Aegean Sea. It is separated from Turkey by a channel that ranges in width from 6 to 14 miles. In fact, geologically speaking, the island is part of Asia Minor.

A gloomy, drizzly day greeted Insignia as she approached her anchorage for this tender port. Still tired from all of the activities we did in our Turkish ports of call, we had decided to make this a slow day. A chatty breakfast with Jon & Pat at theTerrace Café helped us to keep that promise to ourselves. It was 10:00a by the time we set foot ashore.

The young man from Mytilene, who came on the ship to answer questions and hand out maps, had told us that the Archaeological Museum would be opening at 11:00a. We still had an hour to kill, so we headed up to the Castle of Mytilene first … following a pedestrian path along the waterfront and then cutting through a forest to get to the top of the hill where the fortifications sit.

Paying the €3pp admission, we followed a roughly circular route inside the fortress, stopping to check out the ruins of the church, the Queen’s Tower, and the Ottoman additions, such as the Kule Mosque, the tekke (Islamic monastery); madrasa, crypts, and more. Once we reached the walls overlooking the Aegean Sea, we climbed up a few steps to enjoy the expansive views of city spread out below us.

By the time we were ready to leave the castle, it was getting on towards noon. Time for lunch. From the locals, we had recommendations for three restaurants on the waterfront near the lower fortress that was an Ottoman-era addition to the castle. Though our path was at times blocked by construction barriers, we followed detours that the locals we encountered along the way were using. In the end, the opening hour of the restaurants foiled our plans to dine at one of the recommended places.

Thus, following backstreets through residential neighborhoods, we made our way to the local shopping district where stores, cafés, and restaurants were just raising their shutters. Eventually, we found ourselves standing in front of Yanni’s Place, a restaurant that obviously caters to the locals … no menu … no English … just hand gestures to communicate.

At first, we were the only ones there. But soon, we were joined by a doctor and his wife, in Mytilene on a weekend getaway, and a local couple. Yanni encouraged Mui to step inside the kitchen … “you pick, you pick,” he kept saying. Turns out that like in many seafood places in Turkey, he wanted Mui to make selections from the fresh catch that he brought out in crates. And that’s how we ended up having a delicious lunch that included calamari, red mullet, shrimp, hearty bread, and a crisp Greek salad.

My choice of drink was a local beer; Mui ordered an ouzo, the anise-flavored drink that both the Greeks and the Turks claim as their own. I don’t recall which brand he originally ordered, but a sip of the locally-brewed label (compliments of the doctor from Athens) was all Mui needed to switch bottles.

After lunch, we debated what to do. The Archaeology Museum was not far, but we had the pressing matter of packing for tomorrow’s disembarkation looming ahead of us. By this time, it was 2:30p and the last tender was just two hours hence. So, we reminded ourselves of our promise to keep today easy and slowly strolled back to the tender pier, enjoying some delicious gelato along the way.

Once back in the cabin, we took care of the packing. By the time we were done, Insignia was preparing to weigh anchor. Since the drizzle had let up, we sat on our veranda to watch Lésbos slowly slide by. Then a bit of R&R … followed by one last dinner at Toscana.

Tomorrow, we return to Turkey for family time before we head home to the US in early May.Read more