MYTILENE, LESBOS, GREECE

MYTILENE, LESBOS, GREECE

   Lying on the south-east coast of the island of Lesbos, Myilene is a modern town that also incorporates several elements from the past.  The city occupies seven hills, and features a fortress, one of the largest in the Mediterranean – on a hillock to the east of the town.  Mytilene has seen its share of famous historical figures, the most well-known being the poets Sappho and Alcaeus.  The famous philosopher Aristotle also resided in the city from 337-335 BC.  The present day city is a bustling port that caters to Piraeus, Athens, and Thessaloniki and boasts a thriving export industry. One of the destinations for visitors to the area is the ancient theatre located just to the north of the main town.  Built in Hellenistic times and restored by the Romans, the theatre seats 15,000 spectators and is one of the largest in Greece.

   On a tour we visited an Olive Oil Museum of the Archipelago’s Society.  It gave us an appreciation of the wonderful Grecian Olive Oil. We also visited the Barbayanni Ouzo Distillery. We were given a small sample of the drink. That is something that would take time developing a taste for it and you would have to love licorice as it has anise in it.

Barbayanni Ouzo Distillery

Fortress on the point from 1572

Olive Oil Museum

Greek Orthodox Village Church