The last stop on our Greek island odyssey is totally Limnotic

Barbara Moser and Irwin Block

March 2012

At the end of our Greek island adventure last summer, we unexpectedly saved the best for last. And it turned out to be totally limnotic, the adjective we invented for what turned out to be our favourite island—Limnos

We chose to explore Limnos for all the wrong reasons. Though intending to visit Lesvos in the north Aegean group of islands off the Turkish coast, we opted to go to Myrina, from Vathie in Samos, to get a couple of extra hours sleep on the ferry.

Limnos turned out to be the perfect end to our Greek island experience. We could see a small sleepy-looking village across the harbour as we walked towards the centre of Myrina.

Only one hotel was visible, the four-storey Hotel Lemnos, the tallest building in the village. It was exactly what we wanted—a well-appointed, air-conditioned room facing the marina at only 45 euros, with breakfast. Not bad for high, high season!

We did not bother travelling around the island because we were not too energetic at the tail end of our five-week trip.

Also, the port city had everything we wanted. In our two days in Limnos, we discovered three beaches, each more beautiful than the last and all not more than a 15-minute walk from our hotel. All are undeveloped beaches, natural looking, with benches, play areas and shady trees behind umbrellas scattered across the sand. Two of the beaches were especially sandy, the water shallow and calm, perfect for swimming, standing, relaxing and savouring the idyllic view of the old abandoned castle on the hill that once served to protect Limnos from hostile forces. Because of its strategic location, Limnos remains an important naval base for Greece, which may be one reason tourism is not heavily promoted.

We found our restaurant, which we frequented three times because of its superb cuisine and very reasonable prices, not to mention the friendly, patient servers, especially helpful because the menu was only in Greek, as were most of the signs. Limnos seems to attract more Greek visitors than other nationalities. It is not on the standard tourist route, and we hope it stays that way.

A narrow, winding street, with smooth stones, almost car- and cycle-free, beckons shoppers to more than a hundred boutiques offering everything from bookstores to the latest fashions.

Every once in while a small café with a couple of outdoor tables offers a rest for the weary and a shady relief from the sun, which on these islands doesn’t set until 8:30, which makes it hot even at 6.

Limnos was especially pleasant because of the cooling wind that helped us cope with the heat.

This getaway from the hustle of Bodrum and the more popular islands, such as Mykonos, Santorini and Rhodes, makes this island experience totally limnotic—relaxing, serene and a perfect setting to read novels, or even write one, plan or dream and share precious moments with the one you love.

We are planning to return to the Greek islands this summer and share our discoveries with readers. In particular, we want to see what effect the Greek economic crisis is having on daily life there.