Greece is a special and wonderful place for us. We love the people, food, culture, history, and especially the gorgeous islands! Given this, we decided to take a Grecian holiday on a sailboat. We began our trip with a few nights in Alexandroupolis (also Alexandroupoli) and then sailed from the Kavala harbor to the islands of Samothraki (also Samothrace), Limnos (also Lemnos), Agios Efstratios, and Lesvos (also Lesbos). Though we thought we were going to be crew for two weeks and ended up being guests on a charter! Afterwards we enjoyed Athens for a few days of basking in the beautiful Acropolis. There was drama and adventure amongst gorgeous islands in the Aegean Sea!
Our first few days in Alexandroupoli (Αλεξανδρούπολη) were delightful in the cute seaside town. The prominent Alexandroupolis Lighthouse is one of the tallest in Greece. It was built to help ships navigate between Türkiye’s Bosporus through the Dardanelles Strait and into the Mediterranean. We enjoyed exploring, walking the promenade, and eating at local cafes.
From there, we took a bus to Kavala (Καβάλα) where we met up with the beautiful catamaran (Magdalena), captain (Fulvio), and crew (Giannis & Jordan). After dropping off our bags, we wandered through Kavala enjoying the stunning Kamares (“Arches”) aqueduct which likely has Roman origins though the current structure was constructed by the Ottomans. We walked up to the Kavala Fortress that overlooks the sea port and beautiful water (the reason Kavala is called the Blue City). Kavala is along the Via Egnatia, the ancient road from Rome to Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) built by the Romans in 2 BCE.
Our first catamaran sail was from Kavala to the beautiful island of Samothrace (Σαμοθράκη)! The crew didn’t have sailing experience, so Bob taught them some sailing basics and theory (he’s an amazing teacher!). We explored the island for a few days in while docked at Kamariotissa (Καμαριώτισσα). Our first afternoon, we went to Samothraki village/Chora (Σαμοθράκη) and saw the Church of the Assumption of Mary and the reliquary containing the skulls of the five neomartyrs from the Massacre of Samothrace. We also found a sweet kitten that was both lazy and feisty and walked through the streets by the Castle of Chora and enjoy the view from the beautiful Cafe “Tower” (Καφε “Ο Πύργος”).
The next morning, we rented a car for the day and adventured along the north side of the island to the Fonia Gorge (Φαράγγι του Φονιά). We hiked to and swam in multiple pools with waterfalls! On our way back, we stopped in Therma for a final swim at the Cascadas “Paradise” (Βάθρες “Παράδεισος”). Sadly, we were too late from our hike to visit the beautiful Sanctuary of the Great Gods (Ιερό των Μεγάλων Θεών), the original location of the glorious Nike of Samothrace in the Louvre! Next time!
We motor-sailed on to the island of Lemnos (Λήμνος) where we anchored in Mirina (Μύρινα) harbor. It was a stressful sail because the Captain didn’t want to plan moves with us in advance (very helpful for teaching and reducing mistakes) and also yelled at the crew (an issue in sailing, more here and here―though sometimes dire situations need yelling). We enjoyed walking in town with with Jordan and Giannis, hiking up to the castle, and saw a gorgeous sunset across the sea behind Mount Athos (Άγιο Όρος).
Sadly, Giannis left the boat the following morning, due to the poor communication (yelling, uncommunicated expectations about crew duties, and playing favorites). I was happy for him that he got to go visit family in Greece, but it was a hard and tough situation. Later in the morning the rest of us left from western Lemnos, we sailed around the south and found the loveliest cove. Bob and I enjoyed swimming to shore and to walk around, and even took a little hike for a beautiful sunset.
The wind picked up and we had an easy sail back to Mirina (Μύρινα) where we picked up two couples from Italy for our second week on the boat! We sailed on to the tiny but lovely island of Agios Efstratios (Άγιος Ευστράτιος). We docked there and found the sweetest kitty that really wanted Bob’s dinner (he resisted) at Artemōnas (ΑΡΤΕΜΩΝΑΣ). The next day we walked around town, discovered a gorgeous mural, enjoyed a hike, and took beautiful photos at the Church of the Holy Five Martyrs.
From there, we sailed on to Lesbos (Λέσβος). We first stopped on the north side in Mithymna (Μήθυμνα) where we enjoyed a quiet visit. The next day, we sailed a bit and on our way, we stopped at a swimming hole and discovered pretty cut throughs in the rock. From there we sailed to Sigri (Σίγρι). It was very windy from the north so we anchored near in the south cove. Captain Fulvio (also our chef) bought and squid and made delicious calamari! Also a shout out to one of the Italian couples who made homemade pizza one night (delicious)!
We had an afternoon adventure the next day… Bob noticed that we were dragging our anchor because we were moving rapidly backwards toward the boat behind us (we were supposed to be anchored). We got the engine going and pulled anchor, but our anchor caught the chain of the boat behind us (which we saw when our anchor windless stopped with the chain from the other boat on one side just above the water―and because the other boat was now following us closely). We were unable to separate the two using line from inside the boat. The only way we could figure out to help was to have Bob get in the water (very much NOT recommended, though everything turns out okay). Jordan worked the windlass, Fulvio captained and had the helm, I shouted (yes, yelled) orders at everyone. Fulvio did an amazing job of keeping the boat in a single spot, Jordan listened and dropped the anchor on my command, and Bob assisted with all of this from the water without getting caught in anything. We ultimately were able to drop the anchor quickly enough that the chain came off. WHEW!!!
After taking some time off, we enjoyed our visit to the Molyvos Castle walking by the Sigri windmill (now a private home), and a beautiful sunset. The next morning, we visited the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest (Μουσείο Φυσικής Ιστορίας Απολιθωμένου Δάσους Λέσβου). The island has one of the most intact petrified ecosystems in the world formed from a volcanic eruption 20 million years ago. There are fully preserved standing tree trunks, roots, leaves, and amber!
Our final stop was Plomari (Πλωμάρι) where we had a dramatic (but successful) docking, space constraints (a very full catamaran of 9 people by this point), and some communication challenges (please, always tell your crew what the move is before hand. All said, however, we departed happy! Jordan joined Bob and I on a bus to Mytilene/Mitilini (Μυτιλήνη) where we enjoyed visiting and seeing the gorgeous views from the Castle of Mytilene (Κάστρο Μυτιλήνης). Jordan left that afternoon, and we stayed and enjoyed Mytilene for two nights and then flew to Athens (Αθήνα).
Athens was as fun and glorious as we remembered (previous post here: #28 Athens and Ancient Greece). This time, we saw the Panathenaic Stadium (Παναθηναϊκό Στάδιο), revisited the Gate of Athena Archegetis (Πύλη Αρχηγέτιδος Αθηνάς) and the Tower of the Winds (Ωρολόγιο Ανδρονίκου Κυρρήστου).
We also finally visited the Acropolis Museum (Μουσείο Ακρόπολης) with a full LEGO Acropolis, preserved history, and beautiful reconstructions. We revisited Little Kook which had a princess romantic theme (they fully commit to their decorations)! Our final stop was another stunning Areopagus Hill (Λόφος Αρείου Πάγου) sunset which is always both busy and beautiful. Athens is a wonderful little big city and I love the history, cats, and stones!
Thanks for making it to the end! Your reward is a video walk with me in Greece enjoying the fuzzy locals… they help make the best feta!