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Lesbos is the third largest of the Greek
Islands, after Crete and Euboia. It lies at the very
edge of the northeast Aegean, only 6.5nautical miles
from the coast of Turkey. 1,630 sq. km. in area, with
370 km. of coastline, it is 187 nautical miles from
Piraeus and has a population of 88,601. Lesbos comprises
a separate Prefecture, also including Lemnos and Aghios
Efstratios. There are daily car and passenger ferries
from Piraeus, and once week a boat to Thessaloniki and
Kavala. There are daily flights from Athens. Although
the terrain is mountainous (highest peak Olympos, 940 m.
a.s.I.), there are fertile valleys in between, and water
in abundance, especially on the south coast round the
gulf of Gera. The second larges bay, that of Kalloni,
lies between the north and east parts of the island,
which are mainly of igneous rocks and are sparsely
covered in vegetation. Indeed, the formation of the
island is attributed to volcanic activity, since it must
originally have been joined to the coast opposite. The
numerous thermal springs and petrified forest at Sigri
are probably also due to this vulcanicity.
 HISTORY:
The island's privileged position, in conjunction with
its exceptional geomorphology and natural environment,
determined its fte throughout the centuries. It was
first inhabited in prehistoric times (3000 BC), and in
circa 1000 BC Aeolian colonizers settled here,
establishing several important cities - Mytilene,
Methymna, Eressos, Antissa, Pyrra, and Artisbe. Home of
poets, philosophers, historians and musicians, Lesbos
attained its zenith between the 6th and 7th century BC.
Even in modern times, art and literature continue to
flourish in Lesbos, and ithas been the birthplace of
several outstanding Greek painters and men of letters (Myrivilis,
Venezis, Eftaliotis, Elytis, and Theophilos).
 SIGHTS-MONUMENTS: The
island's capital, Mytilene, is built on the incredibly
beautiful wooded slopes of a hill, the trees reaching
down to the seashore. The mass of its castle and the
large statue of liberty on the quay are the dominant
features. It is an amalgam of quaint old houses, multi-storied
buildings and Neoclassical mansions (Pyrgelia),
interspersed with squares and parks. In the old part of
town the streets are narrow, the houses low and the
castle looms large over them and the market. The
impressive castle, which stands on the site of the
ancient acropolis, was originally built by the
Byzantines and subsequently rebuilt by Francesco Gatelouzos in 1373. Nowadays it is one of the largest
extant castles in the Mediterranean and one of the
best preserved in Greece. Directly opposite the castle is
the ancient theatre, dating from Hellenistic times. Very
near the theatre are the ruins of a Roman villa in which
3th century AD mosaics were discovered, with scenes from
the comedies of Menander. North of the theatre sections
of the polygonal fortification wall of the Classical
period are preserved. There are also remnants of the
Classical, Hellenistic and Roman cemeteries. Other
places worth visiting include the Turkish hamam
(bathhouse in the market) maintained by the
municipality, churches and museums. The most important
churches include St. Athanasios (1894) in the town
centre and St. Therapon (cathedral) with its elaborately
carved wooden iconostastis. In the Archaeological
Museum, near the statue of Liberty, finds from
excavations in various parts of the island are
displayed, as well as the mosaics from "Menander's
House".
 The Byzantine Museum has an interesting
collection of icons and ecclesiastical keimelia. In
addition there are: a Folk Art Museum, Museum - Library
of Modern Art, Public Library and Lesbian House, arranged
on the ground floor of the Marika Vlachou residence. About 6
km. north of Mytilene, at Moria, one can see the remains
of a Roman aquaduct (2nd/3rd century AD). 1 km. further
on, at Pamphila are the "pyrgoi" of the Saltas and
Chatzisavvas families) and yet another 4 km. away is
Pyrgoi Thermes, so named after the many "pyrgoi" in
the area.
From Mytilene one can visit regions to the west and
south, around the gulf of Geras, where there are many
towns and villages. One of the most picturesque of these
is Ayasos (28 km. from Mytilene), built
amphitheatrically on the lower slopes of mount Olymbos.
Local traditions are fervently adhered to here and
attractive ceramics are produced.
 One should visit the
19th century church of the Virgin, its feast day,
celebrated on the 15th August is the largest on the
island and lasts three days. There is a small museum of
icons and ecclesiastical plate adjacent to the church.
Yet another charming town is Polychnitos (45 km. west of
Mytilene), a coalescence of several small hamlets built
on an eminence with a splendid view of the Aegean and
the bay of Kalloni. Plomari (50 km. southwest of
Mytilene) was originally a quaint little fishing village
which has developed into an attractive town with
well-ordered street system and several parks, very
popular with tourists. Of especial interest is the
village of Vrissa (53 km. southwest of Mytilene) with
its old houses and cobbled streets. From Vatera (3 km.
south), the harbor of Vrissa, one can go to cape Aghlos
Phokas where, beside the church, there are the ruins of
the ancient temple of Dionysos, worshipped here in a
major sanctuary (1st century BC). Among the features of
interest on Lesbos the marble fountains in the villages,
frequently carved with relief decoration, deserve
mention.
There is no problem about where to swim on Lesbos, with
its seemingly endless beaches, all of which can be
reached by bus or caique. There are lovely stretches of
sand to the north of Mytilene, as far as Skala Mistegnon,
as also at Aghios Ermogenis, which can be reached from
Loutra, Methymna, Eftalou, Skala Kallonis. Some of the
best beaches are at Skala Polychnitou, Skala Eressou,
Aghios Phokas, Aspropotamos, Petra and elsewhere. All
are excellent for fishing and sea sports also. In the
island's interior one can mountaineer or shoot game and
birds. Mytilene has plenty of hotels, pensions, rooms
and apartments for rent, both in the capital and in its
towns and villages, where one gains a more authentic
picture of island life.
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Once the Olympic flame was lit, all acts of
war had to cease and once the participants
had vowed to abide by the rules, the games
could begin. Olympia is situated in the
heart of the green hill country, surrounded
by magnificent acacia woods, splendid plane
trees, and fragrant eucalyptus groves in the
region of Ilia, where the Kladhios River
flows into the Alfios. Even in Mycenaean
times there was a settlement at the foot of
the Hill of Cronos. Finds indicate a cult of
Hippodameia and Pelops, who won his beloved
here with the help of Poseidon in a chariot
race against her murderous father, Enomaus.
Greek newcomers to the region at the end of
the 2nd millennium B.C. brought with them a
cult of Zeus. Offerings from as far back as
1000 B.C. refer to games where spreading
branches and tripods were awarded as
trophies for the winners. Pausanias reported
two versions of the legend of how the
ancient games were founded in Olympia.
According to one version, Zeus first
organized the games between the gods in
Olympia after his victory over his father,
Cronos. At these games, Apollo won the
pentathlon among other things. Other sources
state that Heracles, the son of Zeus,
restarted the games, located the site for
the first games of the gods, and challenged
his brother to a competition. Thus Zeus as
ruler of Olympus was linked with the games
from a very early stage.
