Lesbos, Greece

The last Greek Island that we visited was Lesbos. as you can see from the top photo, there is a peninsula on the left. It has a large Roman castle ruin on the top that is currently being restored, and is not open for visitation. The island has been continuously inhabited for thousands of years. It mainly produces olive oil from the olive orchards lining the hills around the island. Lesbos is  Greece's third largest Island. In the last few years they have had many challenges due to the influx of Syrian refugees, and others seeking refugee status.

 The island has an interesting history that produced the term Lesbian. Lesbos was the birthplace of the woman poet Sappho in the 6th century BC. She wrote poems concerning women's beauty and praising women, evolving into the description of a a woman who loved women being described as a Sapphist or Lesbian. Eventually the term Lesbian dominated, and has continued to the present time. During this Greek period, homosexuality was accepted, and Greeks often had same sex relationships in addition to  heterosexual relationships.

The harbor is clean and pleasant. This is a not a big tourist destination since the beaches are narrow and pebbly. It also doesn't have the dramatic historical ruins that are present on several other of the islands that we visited. However, we did visit a small village that most closely resembled the Greek villages that we remembered 45 years ago when we last visited. No chain restaurants or coffee shops, and only small local businesses

The clocktower in the village of Agiosos. 

A typical cafe in the village, open to the street.

The narrow street in the village with small cafes, next to a shop selling fruit, vegetables and various dried products.

If you look closely at the end of the street, several old men are gathered for their morning visit and coffee together.

The old style wooden homes opening onto the cobblestone street.