If you want information about Mytilene Castle, please visit the new page
You can find it in the “Things to do” – “Ancient Sites” section.
There is even a map showing the location of the entrance.
Mytilene Castle
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Some Good News
S&P raises Greece’s credit rating
Rating agency Standard and Poor’s ratcheted the credit rating on the troubled eurozone nation’s government debt up six notches from ‘standard default’ to ‘B minus’ following the successful completion on Monday of its bond buyback programme – one grade higher than expected.
The agency lowered Greece’s credit rating from CCC to ‘selective default’ after Athens invited bondholders to participate in a series of debt buyback auctions on December 3, saying it expected to restore the rating on completion of the programme.
S&P said in its statement: “The upgrade reflects our view of the strong determination of European Economic and Monetary Union (eurozone) member states to preserve Greek membership in the eurozone.
“The outlook on the long-term rating is stable, balancing our view of the government’s commitment to a fiscal and structural adjustment against the economic and political challenges of doing so.”
Refugee Tragedy
20 December 2012
Lesvos lies close to the coast of Turkey and continues to be a route to “freedom” in the EU used by refugees from conflict, persecution and poverty. The waters between Lesvos and Turkey are not always as warm and inviting as they are during the holiday season.
On Friday 14 December a man was pulled from the water 1.3 nautical miles off the northeast coast of Lesvos. He reported that he had been one of 28 Afghan refugees on board a boat that had left the Turkish coast in the early hours of that morning attempting to cross to Lesvos. Sea conditions had caused the boat to sink. He reported that he had been in the water for 5 hours. He was initially reported as 20 years old this was later changed to 16.
A search and rescue mission was launched by the Hellenic Coast Guard assisted by private boats and teams on land. There was much confusion over the number of people involved, by Sunday it had been agreed that in addition to the refugees, there were 2 Turkish men.
Over the next 3 days, 21 bodies of men were recovered from the sea and the shore near Thermi. Seven people remain unaccounted for.
Despite this tragedy, refugees continue to attempt the crossing. On 19 December a group of 20 children, 8 women and 20 men were arrested in Mytilene for illegally entering Greece.
Agios Ermogenis
South of Mytilene airport the road stays close to the coast, with wide views across the sea to Turkey on your left and hills covered with thick vegetation rising on the right to the ridge that runs northwards along the centre of the peninsula. As it heads for the end of the peninsula the road turns inland and eventually arrives at a junction. If you keep to the right you will head back north along the Gulf of Gera towards Loutra. However, if you take the left-hand junction at this point the road narrows down to a dead-end at pine trees overlooking a jaw-dropping view of the bay at Agios Ermogenis.
Below you is a beautiful cove with clear turquoise waters, a rocky shore, a white church and vivid blue paint details on adjacent buildings that create a scene reminiscent of the Cyclades. There are two small south-facing beaches, separated by a rocky outcrop. You can park at the roadside under the trees, or drive down a short dirt track to a car park and here is a fish taverna with a shady terrace overlooking the glistening sea and a small fishing jetty. The iconic little church is a short walk away and its walls provide a shady picnic spot as well as further panoramic views. It is worth a look inside – there are modern paintings of saints and a fresco on the interior of the high dome.
This is a popular beach spot for locals from Mytilene at weekends, but catch it mid-week out of season and you may have the place to yourself. This has to be one of the scenic highlight locations of the whole island.
Agios Ermogenis Location
Mytilene Kastro
Mytilene Kastro (Castle), located on an ancient site where there was once reputedly an acropolis, is perhaps the greatest treasure of Lesvos and ample time should be allowed to explore the extensive ruins. The main public access is off Odos Novembriou and the entrance fee is such a bargain at €2. It is also worth splurging another €6 (2011 prices) on the souvenir guide book, although all the buildings and features have explanatory boards – with most items described in English. It does pay to wear sturdy shoes to visit the site, take care where you put your feet and stay away from edges of walls – please beware of crumbling stones and after any rain, it could also be slippery.
The Kastro covers a massive area which from all angles and corners affords excellent views over the city, the coast and across the sea to Turkey. It is itself a major landmark from all over Mytilini, from the coastal roads north and south and especially from the air as you fly along the coast past the city en route to/from the airport.
The Kastro sits on a large promontory, at one time effectively an island as it was separated from the city by a canal that ran between north and south harbours roughly along what is now Ermou Street. The complex had three main building stages – Byzantine, Genoese and Turkish. The oldest section is the Epano Kastro (Upper Castle), this being the main fortified enclosure. Here were constructed the main administration buildings and religious housings, including the Christian church of Agios Ioannis whose ruins were later used as the base for the construction of a mosque. Dating from 1373 and being the work of Francesco Gatelussi, the Mesaio Kastro (Middle Castle) encompasses several imposing buildings – a military hospital, a prison, the powder magazine, the Ottoman Theological School, the domed monastery (home to the Ottoman monks), and the cistern storage facility for the water supply. The Kato Kastro (Lower Castle) dates from 1644, constructed to protect the north harbour and was accessed from the middle castle via a Byzantine gate.
On our visit we meandered around taking dozens – no hundreds – of photos, peered at the ruins of the vast complex of buildings, climbed up the walkway onto the walls and generally had a good mooch around. There was a man cutting the grass and decapitating wildflowers for which I silently cursed him as I think these sites are made extra special by the profusion of flowers which are now the residents where people once lived and worked. Life goes on.
Having arrived at opening time we spent a good two hours exploring, with the site to ourselves, after which we walked up to the northern harbour, where the castle boundary meets the sea and you can see evidence of the ancient walls and breakwater stretching out under the water.
Walking back along the coast road 
which runs below the castle you pass through the Kato (Lower) Kastro complex, with its ruined mansions and a bathhouse which is being restored. This part of the castle, including an Ottoman gate, was partially demolished to make way for this city relief road back in the 1960s. Today they would no doubt be compelled to find another solution! This had originally been a dirt road, but has now been surfaced and provides an attractive alternative route to Novembriou Street, with the sea on one side and the green pine-clad slopes up to the impressive castle walls on the other.
There is a small museum on-site with displays of pottery, coins and artefacts found during excavations.
