3...2...1...liftoff! (Let's go!)

We're just about ready to take off now!  We are so excited to see all of you in Greece...and I think we can promise each of you an unforgettable trip.


To hopefully make things just a bit easier, we've assembled this "to-go kit", which includes the following:

• Schedule of events

• Phone numbers 

• Greek phrase list (though there will be plenty of English-speakers, it's always nice to have this handy)

• Maps of Mytilene and Pamfila, with important locations marked

• Directions to the Grammatas house in Pamfila (for the pie-cutting)

• Directions from the Church to the Hotel Loriet (reception venue)

You can download and print the to-go kit here.


See you soon!

Mosquitos in Lesvos

Mosquitos in Lesvos during the summer month is a common thing, however some years are more than others.

An intresting fact, is that mosquitos are born in watery places, so the more water and moisture there is the more mosquitos there are. This year we had a lot of rain to the island and that resulted to have much more mosquitos to other year

For that reason we would highly recomend that you bring repellant, or buy some when you get there!

Basic Travel Greek

Friends,

Very soon will be the time for all of us to be at the beutiful island of Lesvos for our wedding!

We are thrilled to see you there!

80% of the Greeks talks English! So that ensures that you can get buy and have fun just with the use of English.

However as part of traveling the world is experiencing the different cultures, and part of that is trying to talk some basic words in the native languange. For this reason we provide you 3 short videos, one table with basic greek words and more resources for you to spent some fun time to familiarize yourself with tha languange and ideally learn something ;)

One thing is for sure that even if you say one word like "Yassou" which means hi, the greeks will love you 100 times more and get super exited and will enhanse your travel experience!

Enjoy!










Additional words:

Efharisto = Thank you Parakalo = Your Welcome Milate Anglika? = Do you speak English? Milate Yermanika? = Do you speak German? Then katalaveno = I don't understand Pos se lene? = What is your name? Me lene ... = My name is ... Apo pou eisai? = Where are you from? Eimai apo Anglia = I am from England Thelo ena kafe = I want a coffee Thelo ena tsai = I want a tea Thelo mia mpira = I want a beer Thelo ena poto = I want a drink Thelo ena thomatio = I want a room Ehete thomatio? = Do you have a room? ya mia mera = for one day ya thio meres = for two days ya mia vthomatha = for one week ya thio vthomathes = for two weeks

Poso kanei? = How much is it? Poso hrostao = How much do I owe? Logariasmo parakalo = The bill, please. Mporo na bgalo mia fotografia? = May I take a photo? Ela = Come Fiye = Go away! (fi as in fish, ye as in yellow) Ise omorfi = you are beautiful M' areseis = I like you S' agapo = I love you M' agapas? = Do you love me? Agapi mou = My love, Darling Filise me = kiss me Fili = kiss Filos / F ili = friend (male) / (female). Pay attention to the small difference from "kiss". Eho filo = I have a boyfriend Eimai pantremeni = I am married (female)

Other sources:
http://www.greece.org/gr-lessons/gr-english/tourists.html
http://www.agni.gr/learn_greek/learn_greek_online.asp

Athens To See & Do

Okay Athens is Great in all its meaning. It is wonderful to explore it. It is worth it to buy a travel guide or download one for your phone.  Here I will provide you with a small list of things to see within 2 or 3 days:

Parthenon & Museum

That should be priority 1. It is the Parthenon!

I would give 1 full day for this activity, as there are various historical places around Parthenon that you should see as part of the visit. In addition if you really want to know about the history hire a travel guide these are money well spent and they are not expensive.

As part of you ticket to the Parthenon you will gain access to numerous (over 10) other archeological places in Athens, it is a great way to explore Athens by visiting them if time allows.

After you visit the Parthenon make sure you stop to the new Museum of Parthenon, which is in my opinion one of the best Archeological museum world wide. The collection is outstanding, the way they display the collection is amazing and the architecture outstanding. No exaggeration. Make sure you have at least 4 hours to drift.

So in the begining I said 1 day for the Parthenon, and thats true if you see thinks relatively fast and are there for 12 hours. Ideally you would do two visits.

Plaka / Thisio / Psiri / Monastiraki

From the Parthenon in a radius of 1km north there is all the atmosphere of the old and new Greece, enjoy by drifting around the streets.

• Plaka, is the old athens build under the parthenon walk around the streets to have some "retsina" at one of the numerous tavernas.
• Thisio, is the area on the back of the Parthenon, and you can walk there straight from the Parthenon. It is a pretty walk. Thisio is great to see the sunset and see the sun fading away from the Parthenon. Many coffe places and tavernas to eat.
• Psiri, it used to be one of the infamous areas of Athens but now is one of the most vibrant and hype ones. It is quite magnificent how many bars, coffee places and tavernas there are per square meter.
• Monastiraki, is a very touristic assortment of streets with a lot of small retailers and various merchandising. You can find nice small gifts to keep your Athens memory alive. Its a very distinctive place and worths walking.

Kavouri

Few tourists will go there, mostly locals. It is a very picturesque beach with a small castle in the see, sandy beach, bars and wonderful views of the Athenian coastline. It is a great reason to go and have a swim and by doing so see a different aspect of the town and its beauty.

Sounio

Cape Sounio is far from Athens town it is 2 hours drive or 2 to 2:30h with the bus. If you do not rent a car, take the bus or you can arrange a day trip with a travel agent.

So what is there? As you can see above it is a temple, and this is the Poseidon temple! Which in my opinion is the most cool of all the Gods. In addition the view there is magnificent as you can tell.  Another bonus of going there is that you will see all the coastline of Athens, and that is something that you will love, great ride!

The above activities will take you 2 days minimum to do. There are so much more to see in Athens and for that reason is highly recommended that you take a good travel guide.

I highly recomend this TripAdvisor mobile app, it has many walks that are very good, I used it for Barcelona and was awesome!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g189400-d644888-Reviews-Athens_Walking_Tours-Athens_Attica.html

Geia sas!

Mytilini Resources

Here I provide you some good resources / travel guides for Mytilini:

• http://www.lesvos.com/index.html
• http://www.lesvosgreece.gr/
• http://www.lesvosisland.gr/en/
• http://www.lesvosisland.com/Home/483/default.ecms
• http://www.lesvos-travel.com/
• http://www.travel-to-lesvos.com/

And here some of the Islands reach History as seen in Wikepidia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesbos

History

View of the Roman aqueduct.

In the days of Sappho by John William Godward (1904).

According to Classical Greek mythology, Lesbos was the patron god of the island. Macar was reputedly the first king whose many "daughters" bequeathed their names to some of the present larger towns. In Classical myth his "sister", Canace, was killed to have him made king. The place names with female origins are likely to be much earlier settlements named after local goddesses, who were replaced by gods. Homer refers to the island as "Macaros edos", the seat of Macar. Hittite records from the Late Bronze Age name the island Lazpa and must have considered its population significant enough to allow the Hittites to "borrow their gods" (presumably idols) to cure their king when the local gods were not forthcoming. It is believed that emigrants from mainland Greece, mainly from Thessaly, entered the island in theLate Bronze Age and bequeathed it with the Aeolic dialect of the Greek language, whose written form survives in the poems of Sappho, amongst others.

The abundant gray pottery ware found on the island and the worship of Cybele, the great mother-goddess of Anatolia, suggest the cultural continuity of the population from Neolithic times. When the Persian kingCyrus defeated Croesus (546 BC) the Ionic Greek cities of Anatolia and the adjacent islands became Persian subjects and remained such until the Persians were defeated by the Greeks at the Battle of Salamis(480 BC). The island was governed by an oligarchy in archaic times, followed by quasi-democracy in classical times. For a short period it was a member of the Athenian confederacy, its apostasy from which is described in a stirring chapter of Thucydides' history of the Peloponnesian War. In Hellenistic times, the island belonged to various Successor kingdoms until 79 BC when it passed into Roman hands.

Map of Lesbos by Giacomo Franco (1597).

The entrance of Ipsalou Monastery.

During the Middle Ages it belonged to the Byzantine Empire. In 803, the Byzantine Empress Irene was exiled to Lesbos, forced to spin wool to support herself, and died there.

After the Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) the island passed to the Latin Empire, but was reconquered by the Byzantines in 1247. In 1355, it was granted to the Genoese Gattilusi family for economic and political reasons. The island was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1462. It remained under Turkish rule, named Midilli in Turkish, until 1912 when it was taken by Greek forces during the First Balkan War. The cities of Mytilene and Mithymna have been bishoprics since the 5th century.

The oldest artifacts found on the island date to the Paleolithic period.^[3] Important archaeological sites on the island are the Neolithic cave of Kagiani, probably a refuge for shepherds, the Neolithic settlement ofChalakies, and the extensive habitation of Thermi (3000–1000 BC). The largest habitation is found in Lisvori (2800–1900 BC) part of which is submerged in shallow coastal waters. There are also several archaic, classical Greek and Roman remains. Vitruvius called the ancient city of Mytilene "magnificent and of good taste". Remnants of its medieval history are three impressive castles.

Lesbos is the birthplace of several famous persons. In archaic times, Arion developed the type of poem called dithyramb, the progenitor of tragedy, and Terpander invented the seven note musical scale for the lyre. Two of the nine lyric poets in the Ancient Greek canon, Alcaeus and Sappho, were from Lesbos. Phanias wrote history. The seminal artistic creativity of those times brings to mind the myth of Orpheus to whom Apollo gave a lyre and the Muses taught to play and sing. When Orpheus incurred the wrath of the god Dionysus he was dismembered by the Maenads and of his body parts his head and his lyre found their way to Lesbos where they have "remained" ever since. Pittacus was one of the Seven Sages of Greece. In classical times Hellanicus advanced historiography, Theophrastus, the father of botany, succeeded Aristotle as the head of the Lyceum. Aristotle and Epicurus lived there for some time, and it is there that Aristotle began systematic zoological investigations. In later times lived Theophanes, the historian of Pompey's campaigns, Longus wrote the famous novel Daphnis and Chloe, and much later the historian Doukas wrote the history of the early Ottoman Turks. In modern times the poet Odysseus Elytis, descendant of an old family of Lesbos received the Nobel Prize.

Mytilini Museums

Theofilos was a Lesvian painter and one of the most famous Greek Folk painters, in its descriptive art there are many parts of the Greek life is been exhibited in a very lyric way. This is a museum you should visit. Learn more about his life here: http://www.museumteriade.gr/en/greek-artist/Theofilos.asp

Next to the Theofilos Museum there is the Museum Teriade (real name Stratis Eleftheriades) was a native of Mitilene who went to Paris in 1915

at the age of eighteen to study law, Instead he became an art critic, patron, and,

most importantly, publisher. From 1937 to 1975 he commissioned most of the

significant artists of the first half of the century to produce series of works for his quarterly journal 'Verve' or the later 'Grands Livres'. The results are displayed here in sixteen rooms

over two floors of the mansion which he gave to the city in 1979.

These two Museums are 10min from Mytilene and before the Airport, and they are 100% included in all travel guides. Thats the best way to get there see a travel guide.

Another museum that is worth your time is the Archeological Museum of Mytilene where there is a great exhibition on ancient greece. See more Information here: http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/4/eh41.jsp?obj_id=6063

The Museum is in Mytilene so it is very easy access.

For more Museums and instructions to get there see here: http://www.lesvosisland.com/Museums/1666/default.ecms

Mytilini Nightlife

Mytilini nightlife is awesome, if you are into partying until 8 am you can easily have it!

As you will notice on your first round across the port there are dozens of coffee/bars along the Mytilini Port. These type of coffee place in Greece have the following schedule:

• 9am to 2pm - Coffee
• 2pm to 6pm - Branch
• 6pm to 10pm - Bar
• 10pm to until there is no one left - Club

So basically you can go there any time :)  Every place there has its own character, but all of them have a a popular vibe.  Another two places a little beat more corky one is "Mousiko kafenio" which I will leave you to fin out yourselves.

Koxilia

This is a more classy place the crowd is from 16 to 65, but mostly mid 20s to mid 30s. The music is most of the times nice and have nice coctlails. I recomend you go for your 11pm drink there.  As mentioned on another post this place is next to the Airport so it is easy to find.

Ziraf

You will find it after the airport to you left, you will not miss the loud music, lights and parked car.  This is a good choice for a late night dring, this bar does not open before 11pm. Recommended time to go is at 1am.  Music wise you will hear everything there.

Fame Fatale

You will find it on you way to Panagiouda, after you pass the super market LIDL on you right, you will need to turn right Where the label is at  This is a more hard core party place, it is in a beach by itself and is mostly attracting people in their 20s. Here you will have Progressive House type of music.  This bar does not open before 11pm. Recommended time to go is at 3am.

If you want to party until the morning do the combo:

Start for Mytilini at 9pm > Koxilia > Ziraf > Famme Fatal > Home at 8am.

Dont be suprized if you end up in something like that

Ofcourse you can alway take the car and go home after a mohito, but still.. there is more :)

Mytilini things to see & do

These are some highlight of things to do within the Mytilini town

Castle

Visits the Mytilini Castle it is really awesome and there is good chance that there will also be festival with Greek music, which would be a fun thing to do.

Lightgouse(s)

There are two lighthouses on the Mytilini port, visit both!  The one that is next to where the ferries are is a great short 30min walk and you can have great views of the town Mytilene and the cost line.  The other small lighthouse, is great to walk there to as there is a small coffee/mezes place. Its a great place to go and chill to have a coffee or ouzo with some mezedes. The view from that light house is really nice.

Tsamakia

This is the small beach under the statue of Liberty. Yes, indeed we have our own statue of Liberty!  This is a rocky beach with very deep waters, its fun for a short swim.

Prokimea / Port

The port of mytilini and the streets around is something that you should explore and just drift around is full of life nice tavernas, bars, shops etc' take your time and enjoy the architecture.  On the one side of the port are the bars and on the other are the tavernes and souvlaki places, try both and have a great walk on this beautiful port.

Agora / The Market

The Mytilini Market has a special character that is very unique and you will enjoy it. Make sure you walk all the agora from the one side to the other. It starts from where is the park on the port and goes straight all the way to the beach on the other side of the town.  When you arrive there at the end of the market you will find two very famous tavernes go to either of them "Ermis" or "To kastro" if you cannot find it ask someone and they will direct you.

Beaches around Mytilini

There are so many beaches around mytilini, that you can just take the car and drive the cost and stop where you like to have a swim. As you will be diving you will be seeing people swimming in various beaches, and you can always ask the natives which beach they recommend around the area and they will provide you with good recommendations.

However I will provide you a run down of some really good beaches to have in mind:

Going North of Mytilini

"Niselia"

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Niselia as you can tell is a beautiful beach and attracts a lot of locals.

"Kanoni"

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Kanoni is actually the extension of Niselia, you can walk from the one beach to the other. It has a wonderful sandy beach and it is the most "in" and "trendy" beach in the area.  It attracts people of all kind, but it has a very early 20s vibe. There are many bar/clubs on the beach and you dont mind the vibrant character of the beach you will really enjoy it and can stay till the sunset.  Drinking and swimming is allowed, but be level headed :)

"Xampelia"

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Xampelia is also another wonderful beach 30min away from Mytilene, it is also popular and has a hotel and a taverna that you can use after your swim.

Going South of Mytilini

"Koxilia"

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This is one of the most "in" places, it is a beach bar where you can go and swim, eat, drink and stay till the night for clubbing. The vibe is awesome and you are going to have a good time.  The beach is next to the airport.  See facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mytilini-Koxilia/106041612826017

"Karpouzi"

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This is one of the hidden beaches, which is a little beat further from the other ones and is hard to find. It attracts mid 20s to mid 40s people and most of them have some connection with the island.  It is hard to see as you ar driving as at some point you will see a label with watermelon drawn and next to it in Greek "Karpouzi" (means watermelon is Greek). So your eyes on the road. I many times miss it.  If you do you can go to the next beach.

"Charamida"

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Charamida is a long beach that attracts all types of people and mostly locals. It is a very prety beach and waters. Highly recommended and also it is a nice car ride.

"Agios Ermogenis"

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If you continue further you will find out this incredible picturesque beach, where you should go at least once.  The problem here is that is small and it gets very crowded, so I would recommend off peak visits. Pick time is 12 to 3.