Molivos: The Crown Princess of the Aegean Sea

When I was in Mytilini for the very first time in the summer of 2007, someone I met in the town told me no visit to the island of Lesvos is complete without a visit to the village of Molivos, located on the northern side of the island. So I took a bus from the bus station in the centre of Mytilini to find out what is so special about this village. 

As soon as I got off the bus stop outside the entrance to the village, I was dumbstruck by the beauty of this village. The entire old town is out of bound to traffics after mid-day, and the traditional stone houses lined the slopes of the hillside, crowned with an impressive castle on the top of the hill. There is no high-rise buildings, no concrete eye-sore, as strict building and planning regulations ensure that all houses must be built or renovated in line with the guidelines laid out by the town council in order to preserve the uniformity of the appearance of buildings in Molivos.

It is this adherence to uniformity in outlook that gives Molivos its picture-perfect image. As soon as you enter the old town, walk around its cobblestone streets and narrow lanes, it is like a trip back to the early 20th century, when cars and aluminum door frames still did not become an integrated part of daily life. The houses are very well preserved by all standards, and the quiet, gentle atmosphere reminds me of some of those beautiful hill villages in France's Provence and Languedoc regions.

Summer Night in Petra: Ouzo on the Beach and Party on the Street

Summer nights in Petra are something for those who like to hang out late but who are too sensitive or uptight for loud disco music or crazy drunken young men yelling in the streets. Compared to other famous summer night beach destinations in the Mediterranean, night life in Petra is actually very much on the sane side, much more subdue and 'normal'  than those on other Greek holiday islands or the Balearic Islands popular with younger people.

Perhaps this 'classier' style of night life in Petra has something to do with the fact that the island of Lesvos itself is after all, a fairly non-typical, upmarket holiday destination, and those who seek out this island are mostly the more discerning type of tourists who come here not because of cheap booze and party opportunities, but are in search of a truly relaxing and rewarding scenic corner in Greece where they can enjoy genuine Greek cuisines and Greek hospitality in one of the most beautiful places in the Mediterranean. Most of the holidaymakers I come across on Lesvos are not the 'loud type', but are mostly older people or professionals who do not mind spending more for a peaceful and fulfilling holiday experience in a small coastal Greek village. Quite a few of them choose Lesvos because they are looking for a place slightly out of the beaten track.

Petra during the Day: Hilltop Monastery, Sandy Beaches, and Sweet Dolce Vita in Northern Aegean

Petra is a beautiful seaside village turned upmarket holiday resort on the northern shore of the attractive Greek Aegean island of Lesvos. The village gets its name 'Petra' (meaning 'rock') from the huge rock that is found in the centre of the village, on which the 18th century church of Panagia Glykofiloussa still stands.   

Paxos, Act 1: Lakka

On the northern end of the island of Paxos one finds the charming little village of Lakka, tucked away in a scenic bay amid olive grove and lush green countryside. During the summer holiday seasons, many houses in the village are rented out to visitors as holiday homes. If one comes to Paxos from Corfu on a Sunday cruise, one can visit Lakka by joining one of the short bus excursions available from the tour guide on the ferry for a few euros.

Paxos, Act 2: The Harbour Town of Gaios

I like Paxos. It is that kind of small, relatively tourist-free Greek island that makes you feel really comfortable and relaxed. I became smitten with this little island as soon as I set my eyes on the delightful pastel-coloured houses that lined its picturesque little harbour: it feels as though I had just stepped on shore onto one of those serene, rustic and paradise-on-earth kind of little Greek haven, the kind of Greece so often portrayed in novels and films. Sure, I had heard something about the beauty of Paxos before I arrived, but I had not envisaged it to be quite as nice, given that I was always a bit weary about islands which were reputed to be 'out of this world' by some of those run-of-the-mill travel guidebooks.

The unique thing about arriving by boat at Paxos's harbour town, Gaios, is that instead of arriving at a conventional open harbour, the ferry instead has to manevour its way through a very narrow inlet, before arriving at the inner harbour close to the centre of the town. This is because the entrance to the inner harbour of Gaios is separated from the much wider outer harbour by a small natural island by the name of Pontikonisi, which also acts as a natural breakwater to shelter the town of Gaios from heavy storms and waves in winter. It took quite a while before the captain of the ferryboat successfully docked the ferry at the landing pier of the inner harbour.

 

A Beautiful Cafe in Mytilini, Lesvos: Old-World Charm with no Latin Name

This is one of the most beautiful and unforgettable cafes I have ever seen throughout the whole Mediterranean region, but I still do not know its name. Of course this wonderful cafe has a name, but it is written in Greek alphabets only, without Latin transliteration. I stumbled upon this place one evening as I was strolling in the narrow streets of the old quarters of Mytilini, trying to refresh my memories of this amazing port town, which I first visited in the summer of 2007 and immediately fell in love with, and to relive the moments as much as I could. Its elegant columns, large, airy windows, and French doors attracted my attention. As I stood next to the windows admiring the enlarged black-and-white images of old Mytilini, taken during the late 19th and early parts of the 20th century,  a friendly waiter saw me. With a smile, he opened the door and invited me inside to take a better look at the old pictures.

And that was the beginning of my love affair with this cafe.  

Hotel Cavalieri, Corfu Town: Mojito, Venetian Fortress, and the Best Panoramic View of the Old Town

On the way back from Parga and Paxos, the captain who had been to Kaohsiung recommended the rooftop restaurant and bar of Hotel Cavalieri as the place to have a cocktail in the afternoon. At first I was not that interested, until I heard that their terrace bar offers some of the best panoramic views of the Old Town, the Venetian Fortress and the Esplande, I immediately noted down the address.

The next day, I turned up at the hotel and was immediately impressed by this hotel's beautiful front portal and the elegant interiors of its ground floor lobby. This hotel is located in one of the most prestigeous parts of Corfu Town, in front of the Maitand Monument and just a shortwalk from the Liston and the Museum of Asian Art. The friendly lady at the reception who speaks very good English told me their rooftop bar is open only in the late afternoon and the evenings, and I was too early for that.