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Published: September 10th 2023
Just wrapped up a mad, 9 day dash through 3 Greek Islands after 9 days in Bulgaria (that blog entry a work in progress). Arrived in Pulau Langkawi, Malaysia last Friday after an absolutely interminable trip from Athens via the mega transport hub of Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur. I'm not entirely sure that Samothraki's Mt. Fengari is my 10th Greek Island high point but it's close.
Samothraki
Since there were exactly 2 main objectives here, I only needed 2 nights. Some people stay weeks or months. Not long after arrival from Alexandroupoli (a.k.a., Alex/poli), I hitched a ride to The Sanctuary of the Great Gods near Paleopoli. The ruins were awesome, at the base of hulking Fengari Peak (next day's mildly epic adventure) and I strategically missed the tour bus crowds in the afternoon. Would have been better to go early a.m. to beat the heat but it was not possible due to the exacting nature of the 2 different companies' ferry schedules combined with my desire to hike Fengari. Easily cadged a lift back to the port. Buses also frequently pass by.
While the island of Samothraki is fairly small, Fengari Peak is actually the third highest of
all the Aegean Islands. The elevation is 1611m ASL meaning the mountain has to rise fairly steeply to attain that height on a small island. The trail departing Therma is straightforward but above treeline, while mostly well marked, it is hard to follow in places due to the unwanted presence of rock cairns off the main trail. This was not an issue on the ascent, but on the way down I inadvertently drifted below the trail and ended up trying to contour my way back over to where I thought the trail was heading down. Problem was the scrambly terrain was forcing me down more than the trail so it took a while to get on route. Probably would have been faster and easier to scramble back straight up to the main trail once I realized I was off route. But where's the adventure in that? Back on the trail it wasn't long before I was back in Therma with a few minutes to spare for the 4pm bus back to the port. I decided to get a coffee and a gyro and either take the 745pm bus or hitch.
Started the day at Totem before the prompt 745am
Fengari Summit
Summit, catching rays, inhaling pizza... my idea of a perfect day on Samothrakibus departure (€2.50) from the port to Therma. Arrived ~800am and set out from town 10 minutes later. Tagged the summit at 1151am, spent ½ hour on top and was back in Therma at 348pm. After coffee and chow, hitched back to the port with Elena, the Russian real estate agent with whom I could practice my diminishing Russian language skills. It was a long day but well worth it.
Accommodation and food I didn't have reservations but I was fortunate to meet Kyrkos of the eponymous car rental agency. I didn't want a car or scooter but Kyrkos was able to set me up with an ensuite room at his mom's, Maria, about a 10 minute walk from the port. Haggled the price down to €50 cash for 2 nights, no AC which wasn't necessary as the heat had finally abated. The fan was enough to keep cool and mercifully drown out the roosters. Spiros by the ferry assembles a masive gyro sandwich (not a pita) for €3.50. Best €2 double Greek coffee and €2.50
mpougatsa crema (also equally tasty ham and cheese) at Totem, open early for the first bus to Therma. Also really good was Phournélo's
Fengari False Summit
Not sure why somone felt the need to locate a massive summit marker here pizza and huge salad, €14 total and I stashed half the pizza for the Fengari hike. At Café Therma, double Greek ran €3.50 with a free shot of
tsipouro, the local non-anise flavored fire water. Filling pita at Stoa also €3.50.
Transport In high season, Zante's boat continues to Myrina on Limnos on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, last trip was September 2. Departs 1030am, arrives Myrina 120pm, deck class €11 which is cheaper than the much shorter trip from Alex/poli. Buses run regularly between the port and Therma, slightly less often after August, and other towns south of the port but only high season.
Limnos
I initially thought Limnos would serve merely as a bridging point between the 2 different ferry routes: Alex/poli-Samothraki-Limnos and Limnos-Lesvos-Athens. Turns out Limnos is packed with cool places to visit and the beaches are nicer than on many other Greek islands I've visited. Need a car to go basically anywhere outside the port.
As pure luck would have it, I was able to find a rental car without a prior reservation by diligently applying myself. At first, I tried to get a scooter from Happy Rentals but they would not rent me one
Fengari Summit
First glimpse above treeline since I did not have an international driver's permit, a global scam if there ever were one. Across the street was Myrina Cars and I just intercepted someone as it appeared they were locking up for the 2-6pm Greek
siesta. Giannis and I couldn't really communicate so he called his friend who spoke English and we settled on €50 cash total for the diminutive Chevy Matiz beater. Normal price is €35/day if the car is picked up and dropped off at 9am which wasn't an option for me since I had only 1½ days on the island, arriving 130pm Wednesday, leaving 1130pm Thursday so €50 for the time I'd need the car was pretty good. And I didn't have to return the car with any fuel since it was given to me with less than a quarter of a tank. In the evening before leaving, just leave the car in the street in front of the office, unlocked with the key in the console, no worries.
Now already 2pm, I set out for the following sites, in order:
Panagia Kakaviotissa Cave Church Little bit out of the way from the general direction I was headed. Maybe the world's
only roof-less church set in a cave ~20 minute walk from the parking area. Devoid of tourists save for a small Bulgarian family leaving as I was arriving. Hit the Lidl supermarket afterwards to stock on supplies for what was going to be a long day of sightseeing next day.
Mt Atsiki I should have heeded the warning at the turn-off for the island's highest point, "MILITARY RADAR INSTALLATION," in English, no less. Being close to historical nemesis Turkey, Limnos is heavily fortified and Mt. Atsiski is off limits. Long drive for nothing.
Gomati Dunes After denial on Atsiki, I drove back down towards Sardes then continued to Gomati Beach and the seemingly out of place sand dunes. Took a swim, hiked around the dunes as the sun was setting, then braced for the last driving stage of the day to Moudros. Stopped for a bit of gas and water top-off at a roadside fountain. Limnos is very dry and not all taps dispense potable water unlike those on Samothraki.
Allied War Cemetery After an early double espresso at To Kyma in Moudros, stopped at the immaculately manicured cemetery, entombing mostly Allied soldiers from the WWI battle
at Gallipoli. Limnos served as Allied command for the Turkish campaign. Oddly, there are also anti-Bolshevik Russians buried here.
Poliochni Very early Greek civilization site sitting above a couple of nice beaches, €3 entry. Not much in the way of explanations. Worth visiting if on that side of the island but not to drive from Myrina or west side of Limnos.
Salt Pan Not an official site, per se, but right off the road if heading to Kaverio. Dry season looks like a Southern Africa feature, when filled with water hosts many birds including flamingoes.
Kaverio Ancient ceremonial site also up on high cliffs where there is a breach to walk down to the Cave of Philoctetes for a swim. Can also walk into the cave via a very tight gap. €3 entry.
Ifestia Beautifully preserved amphitheater just south of Kaverio. €3 entry.
Myrina Kastro My favorite castle in Greece. Good walk from town but well worth it. Open late to catch the sunset. No entry fee, surprisingly.
Accommodation and food Before arriving on Limnos, I knew accommodation was going to be expensive, difficult to find, or, in my case, both. Moudros seemed like
Amphitheater
Sanctuary of the Great Gods, Samothraki the best place to stop after half day of sightseeing with the car. Online in advance, places there wanted 2 or 3 night minimum which baffled me as Moudros, while keenly located, isn't nearly as nice as Myrina and there's no beach at all. Nevertheless, I thought once there
en vivo I could get a room for one night. Bad assumption. I slept in my car for which I had semi-planned. It actually wasn't that bad once I contorted myself in the cramped Matiz. It also forced me to wake up early which was necessary for all the sites I was going to visit my second day with the car. Took a coffee at To Kyma, charged my phone, and was off. In hindsight, I would have been screwed if I had ended up with a scooter.
Kostas was about the only non-shwanky place to eat in Moudros but the smoking was out of control. Best meal of all the island stops was after Ifestia, a €7.50 huge plate of
köfte and rice at Voreio Aigaio Taverna in Kontopouli. Back in Myrina, Piccolo had good gyros and Gramaphone put together a good salad. Both places near the car rental
Amphitheater
Sanctuary of the Great Gods, Samothraki agency. Alfa ice cream's triple cone for €5 was great and they let me leave my bag til 10pm before the late boat to Lesvos.
Transport Buses are not useful for the tourist. Ferry to Lesvos left 1130pm, arr Mytilene port ~430am, €19 deck class. No paid baggage storage facilities anywhere around the port.
Lesvos
Big island, car highly desireable although could manage Molyvos, Petra, and a few other places by bus although the trips - notably to Sigri - are very long. Could also use Petra or Molyvos as a cheap, fairly central base and do day tours to sites of interest. I had 3½ days, drove a lot each day. Wished I had done one more night on Limnos even if it were just spending the extra day in Myrina. Could have done with one less day on Lesvos, skipping Vatera and Skala Eresos, beaches that were surprisingly not that nice. And Eresos itself was nothing special outside of their big festival.
After I picked up the car ~1130am, I headed for Pappados and the Olive Oil Musem. It is an old factory repurposed into an interesting museum with original equipment. Entry is €3, €1 extra
for the audio guide which wasn't really necessary as there are detailed explanations throughout the museum. After that, went to Agiásos for lunch and a coffee. Traditional village and easy stop for me since I was headed to Vatera Beach. Didn't stay long at the beach as I still had a long ride to Petra. Plus, I was exhausted from the 2 previous nights sleeping in my car and on a sofa in the ferry's lounge. Slept great in quiet Petra.
Second day hit my favorite place on the island... back of beyond Sigri, a totally unspoiled village housing the Natural History Museum (included with the €5 entry fee for the Petrified Forest, neither to be missed). Also home to Cavo Doro, superb linguine with shrimp €13. Up the street from there is Calma Street, sip on great €2 freddo espresso while listening to 80s classic rock blaring from the shop. On the way back from Eresos stopped at the Ipsilou Monastery for incredible views all the way down to Molyvos.
Third day with the car I tagged the island's high point which was not trivial because I made the mistake of believing 2 locals who each told
me Profit Ilias is the highest point. From my research, it looked like Vigla was higher. I drove to Profit Ilias on a fair dirt road and after a short hike to the church, it was patently obvious that Vigla, to the east, was higher. I estimated it would take me at least a couple of hours to hike there and back so I could give the poor Škoda a break. But I didn't think there was a proper trail so I abused the car some more by driving up a very bad road almost to Vigla's summit where there were great views down to Molyvos and back towards Profit Ilias. Briefly stopped off at Skala Sykamanea and took the coastal dirt road back to Molyvos but that was in great shape, much less punishing on the shrimpy Škoda than the mountain roads.
Accommodation and food First 2 nights stayed in a well kept efficiency at Island Apts in Petra, €75 total, close enough to walk to "town (really just a collection of tourist patronized restaurants, tour and car rentals agencies)" but far from the noise & congestion. Took all my meals in Petra at 2 places: crazy crowded
Kalderimi had huge pitas for ~€4 and I started each morning (including after I stayed in Molyvos) at Bake and Cake for my standard Greek breakfast of double espresso and
mpougatsa crema, €2 each.
Followed up with the 3rd night in Molyvos, much prettier than Petra. Took a nice room at the Schoolmistress With the Golden Eyes. James Bond sounding name aside, the place was nice, quiet, and had a shared kitchen, €31/night. Hard to find among the byzantine alleys and "streets" designed for donkey carts, not cars however compact they may be. Vasili at Symposium brews good coffee. Across is Molyvos Star, missable. Down closer to the water is packed to the gills Friends, excellent gyros & salads.
Last night on Lesvos stayed in chaotic Mytilene. Took a quiet apt at Best Sunrise and Sunset Rooms up the hill for €25. It was a bit inconvenient being a steep trek up from the town but I could check in early and check out late, right up til the 6pm ferry departure. Way Café is open 24 hr for early ferry arrivals. Monkey and Alley Dog serve really good breakfasts,
straptsada, locally made sausage, at the latter recommended
but French press coffee was weak. Square Snacks just down from my apt whips up a great €4.50 salad and also has excellent coffee.
Transport I reserved a Škoda Citigo (gutless 0.7L engine, I believe) at the port through Budget's web site. Good deal, €140 inclusive for 3 days, unlimited kms and I put on ~450 hard kms. The car was incredibly efficient, ~52 mpg,
muy importante when gas is €2/L, cheaper than than the €2.25/L on Limnos. "Special" economy deck class on the ferry back to Athens ran €43 and wasn't bad as the boat had plenty of airplane type seats and wasn't at all crowded.
Athens
Had to stay here one night after Lesvos, before my flight to Malaysia. Rained the entire time I was there which was fine by me as I had food poisoning and wasn't up for anything.
Accommodation and food Got a deal at Elite Hotel for $35 but wish I hadn't. I arrived at the hotel ~10am, famished after the long night ferry from Lesvos. They were still serving breakfast, an extra €7, which turned out to be very underwhelmning and doubtessly made me ill. The hotel itself was fine, albeit
very noisy. Good location 5 minute walk down from Omonia metro station Great hole in the wall café a few blocks up from the hotel serving cheap pastries, coffees, and €1 0.33L fresh squeezed OJ.
Transport Metro from Piraeus port still €1.20 for a 90 minute ticket. Airport bus X95 from Syntagma is €5.50, can pay by credit card but only at the Syntagma kiosk. Trip to ATH takes ~1 hour.
Alexandroupoli
Functional and logical stop coming from Bulgaria as it is the sole departure point for the ferry to Samothraki. Nice waterfront bistro/bar strip along the water spreading out west from the port area. Few days before I arrived the waterfront was shrouded in smoke from the raging fires in northern Greece. The day I crossed the border we passed close to the fires but the city seemed to be mostly clear of smoke by then.
Accommodation and food Stayed one night at Park Hotel about a 20 minute walk west of the ferry terminal. Paid €35 for a nice, yet miniscule, en suite single with AC and the rate included a very good buffet breakfast. Took my only other meal, a good €8 chicken gyros plate,
at Chicken Story in the center. Popular place although no one knew the story.
Transport Zante ferry to Samothraki (deck class €16, ~2½ hour trip) departs daily and 3 days a week in high season it continues to Limnos. A couple of days a week there is a late, second departure so it's possible to avoid staying in Alex/poli if coming from Bulgaria or elsewhere in Greece.
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