Port 50 Mytilini, Lesbos, Greece
Yasu (hello in Greek),
It was a cool, dreary morning when we arrived at Mytilini on Apr 17th, 2022. There is a fortress, a castle, on the hill overlooking the port. We have a tour, but it does not include this. We know of others who plan to walk there today. I’ll ask them for photos.
We set anchor just outside the harbor. Everyone is asking why we don’t dock – there is clearly enough room on the pier before us. No answers.
So the tenders are sent out and begin operations. We haven’t tendered since the Bahamas! Thankfully, the water is glassy smooth today!
Oh, by the way – Happy Easter! It was an education to learn that today is Palm Sunday for the Greek Orthodox church, and that is dominant on this island! They will celebrate Easter next Sunday.
The waterfront is serene. There is a cathedral buried somewhere back there!
Our tour is the only tour available on this island – “Highlights of Lesbos”. We head south and uphill to the Church of Taxiarches. We have this view of the harbor from there. Turning around…
…we have the entrance to the Church of Taxiarches.
This is a Greek Orthodox church with Byzantine origins.
It has a beautiful clock tower will bells and loudspeakers. Flag staffs extend from two sides.
Inside the stained glass lights bring a wealth of color into the church. This church is filled with chandeliers! The ornamentation is gorgeous!
The iconography on the altar is splendid. We were asked to avoid close-up detailed photos.
I am particularly struck with the artwork at the back of the church, including the Last Supper.
The ceiling has several beautiful decor and portraits!
We learn that when people want to give thanks to the church they provide icons to the church. There are many who provide metal overlays to portraits in the church. One man who survived an aircraft crash provided this handmade model of a Dassault Mirage jet. We can only assume this is what he flew!
Next we headed to the town of Agiasos, farther to the interior of the island. On the way we saw some ruins that have been preserved…
…and an interesting statue that appears to be a military tribute to Victory.
Once in Agiasos we take a walk through town. There are numerous buildings with interesting streets and structures!
The sloping streets and trellises make the buildings more dramatic! This one has a shop – the lady is demonstrating bird whistles!
This one has no trellis, but the curb accentuates the upper street.
The flowering trees made this a beautiful plaza!
We finally arrive at the second church. This is another Greek Orthodox church.
The church front is relatively plain.
The clock tower is interesting with the one, two, three window structure! It feels top heavy in this view!
The front entry is very ornate, unlike the previous church’s plan entry.
This church is dark inside, even though it is filled with light.
The ceiling’s portraits are difficult to see, probably coated with centuries of oil lamp and candle smoke.
On our return we get to see the castle we could see from the ship from the other side. It’s fabulous!
Back at the port these eyes were peering at us! Stunning art in the port!
I catch this photo of Insignia on the tender ride back to the ship. This is my gratuitous shot, even though I snuck one in earlier.
It’s time to go! We spin around…
…and head out!
We bid Avtio (goodbye) to Lesbos! Next port – Piraeus for Athens!
