Arrival 9am – Departure 5pm

9:15 am Excursion: Limnos & Wine Factory Tour

We left the ship via tender into the capitol of Myrina on Limnos. There we met up with Anastasia, our tour guide, and John, our bus driver. We were a small group of 9 on the excursion.

As our bus driver maneuvers the massive bus through the tiny, narrow streets, we see the ruins of a large castle positioned on a high peak above Myrina. This is the Castle of Myrina which was commisioned by Byzantine emperor, Komnenos, in the 13^th century. Myrina is the capital and main port of Lemnos with approx 4500 inhabitants and stretches across two bays.

Lemnos is mostly flat, but the northwest part, is rough and mountainous. The chief towns are Myrina, on the western coast, and Moudros on the eastern shore of a large bay in the middle of the island. Myrina, means “castle” and possesses a good harbor which is the seat of all trade carried on with the mainland. Lemnos also produces honey (from thyme-fed bees), but the produced quantities are little more than simply sufficient for the local market. 

Limnos Island is the 8th biggest Greece island with a population of 17,000 and is an arid, volcanic island located near the mouth of the Dardenelles. Between the picturesque alleys of Myrina and the main shopping precinct of the ‘Agora’ there are little shops and cafes selling locally made products such as honey and wine.

As we are driving through the beautiful, hilly countryside we notice that most villages are located inland and not near water. Lemnos was plagued by pirate attacks and thus villages moved inland for protection. Relocating villages inland allowed 17th-century islanders to be spared the ravages of pirates such as Barbarossa.

The other thing we notice along our route are little chapels along the roadside. I assumed they were adorable little mailboxes. Alas, I was wrong. The miniature chapels are erected when someone has an accident as a way to say thank you for protecting them from harm.

The Sanctuary of Kabeiroi, an important archaeological site of Kavirion, is our first stop. The antiquities at this site were built around 7th c. BC. Only stone bases remain of the original structure. The site is surrounded by naturally growing wild flowers and plants and overlooks a beautiful bay with crystal clear water. Once again, kitties are relaxing around the area.

Mudros contains a small Greek port on the island.  It gained wartime significance with the determination of the Allies – chiefly the British and largely through the enthusiasm of Winston Churchill in the early part of 1915 to attempt to seize control of the Dardanelles Straits. Once the failed campaign was called off Mudros’ importance receded, although it remained the Allied base for the blockade of the Dardanelles for the duration of the war. Renewed fame arrived in late October 1918 when the armistice between Turkey and the Allies was signed at Mudros.

The small island of Lemnos still maintains a fairly substantial army. Boys must serve at least 1 year in the army starting at the age of 18.

After passing the small airport and the military base enroute to Moudros, we stopped to visit the British Cemetery and World War I Memorial. 

Our next stop was the Chatzigeorgiou Wine Factory, where we toured the family owned winery and sample 6 Greek wines. While the white Muscat grape now dominates production, there has been a revival of Limnio, with the dry, semi-dry and sweet reds that it produces. The vines on Limnos have adapted to the island’s volcanic soil and are pruned low to the ground to protect them from high winds and water loss. The plants we saw in the fields were barely 10 inches tall.

Tonight we had reservations for dinner at The Grill by Thomas Keller. Usually you are only allowed 1 reservation per cruise but since our cruise is less than 50% capacity, we plan to return 1-2 more times. The dining room is lovely with a large piano bar.

The special tonight was a bone in Rib eye for 2 from RR ranch in Idaho. We opted for the special so Jim could get his red meat fix. The Chef did a table side presentation and preparation for it. We paired it with a bottle of Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon. But the best part the meal was the Lemon Meringue Tart…perfection!

It was a beautiful night out so we sat on our balcony and enjoyed the evening air while Grace and Barbara were doing our bed turndown. They came out to say good night, very excited about a treat they had left for us…..see amazing photo below! We adore them. They have pampered and spoiled us since the second we set foot on the ship.

The Ladies of Lemnos –a story that Anastasia told during our tour:

Men have not fared well on Limnos. Aphrodite put a curse on the women of Lemnos for neglecting her shrines. In punishment, she made the ladies smell particularly foul. As a result, the men of Lemnos would not touch them and turned instead to the pretty and relatively odor-free slave-girls imported from Thrace. In revenge, the Lemnian women wrought havoc, killing every man they could get their hands on. In the meantime, the Lemnian women became farmers and warriors. So when Jason and the Argonauts set foot upon the island, the women were in dire need of warriors to repopulate their island. They tricked Jason and crew into falling in love with the Lemnian women. To ensure that boys remained slaves and did not rebel against them, the women cut their arms off when they were young. These “paramour sessions” delayed Jason on his journey to recover the Golden Fleece.