Frequently Asked Questions - Greece

MINDFULNESS STRATEGIES FOR CLIENT AND SELF CARE

LESVOS, GREECE JUNE 9TH-JUNE 16TH, 2010 

Please also see our list of General Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Will transport be arranged to the hotel once I reach the island?

Answer: Transport will not be arranged. From the port of Mythilini, you can get a taxi and they will know how to get to the hotel.  For those driving themselves, you will drive in the direction Kallonie and then follow the sign to Molivos/Methimna. 

Question: What are the names and the contact information for the hotels we will be using?

Answer: Hotel Name: Milelja Inselgarten

Email: Ursula@milelja-inselgarten.com

Website: www.milelja-inselgarten.com

Phone: 0030 22530 71013

Fax: 0030 22530 71180

Contact: Irene Asbach and Ursula Hassenburg

Question: What activities are included in the cost of the program?

Answer: The cost of the program includes daily yoga as well as breakfast and dinner.

Question: What activities are NOT included in the cost of the program?

Answer:We have arranged the following day trips which are available to participants that will be paid for per activity. Prices will be established based upon local currency conditions. There are three trips arranged, one being a full day tirip and the other two, 2-3 hour programs and are as follows:

Guided tour of several local villages:

1. A few kilometers from Molyvos is the village of Petra. Petra has taken steps to improve the quality of life in their village and make the area even more attractive for tourism. Rather than let the motorbikes disturb the peace of the town they have closed off the center of the village to traffic and diverted through-traffic to the outskirts of the village. The village has the feeling of the more remote traditional villages.

Standing in the in the heart of the village protrudes a rock mountain topped with the church of the Glykfylousa Panagia (Our Lady of the Sweet Kiss). You reach the top of the rock by climbing the 114 steps carved into the stone. From the church the view of Petra and the surrounding sea and countryside is spectacular extending all the way to the coast of Asia Minor. The village itself has hotels, shops, restaurants and bars all very close to the beach and a small main street, too narrow for cars even if they were allowed, that has a variety of traditional shops and tourist shops mixed together.

Five minutes from Petra is the small village of Anaxos, with a nice stretch of beach with lots of tavernas and a view of Molyvos. Anaxos is a resort town with several outdoor swimming pools for public use. The pools are salt water, as are many of the pools on the island. Above Petra is the small village of Petri known for its view, cool breezes and the excellent traditional tavernas.

2. The Bay of Kaloni and in particular the beach town of Skala Kaloni is the crossroads for the western and northern villages of the island. It is a regional capital and has a great deal of commercial and cultural activity. Skala Kaloni is both the port, beach and tourist center of Kaloni. This valley is home to many different species of birds and wildflowers. More like an inland sea then a bay, it is ringed by mountains on two sides and the fertile valley on another opposite a small channel that leads to the sea.

Within the valley of Kaloni there are plenty of places to visit, not least among them the town of Agia Paraskevis , not only one of the wealthiest on the island but in all of Greece. The town is known for a festival in late June in which horses are raced through the streets past cafes full of people drinking and eating while bands play live Greek music at nearly every restaurant. Nearby are the ruins of an Achaean and classical temple to Apollo at Klopedi and the Kremasti Bridge made entirely of stone. Kaloni was one of the most flourishing towns of medieval Lesvos. Ruins have been found in the area from ancient, Byzantine and medieval times. The nearby sanctuary at Mesa is worth a visit.

The Limonos Monastery, consecrated to the Archangel Michael is open to visitors. It was built in 1523 and during the Turkish occupation, was the intellectual center of the island. The library contains approximately 5000 books from 1502 until the present and manuscripts, patriarchal bulls, sultanate firmans, official decisions and other documents dating as far back as the 9th century. There are countless pieces of jewelry, holy relics and sacred icons.

3. Full day Trip. Agiassos is located on the pine and olive covered slopes of Mount Olympos. The town itself is a completely traditional village of narrow stone streets and picturesque lanes. The center of activity revolves around the many cafe’s and shops that surround the church of Panagia ti Vrefokratous. Agiassos is second only to the island of Tinos for pilgrims who used to walk the old stone road from Mytilini to pay tribute to the miracle working icon, brought here from Jerusalem by the imperial priest Agathon the Ephesian in the year 803. The village is at a high enough altitude to be cool in the hot summer months and once you get a feel for life there you will never miss the beach. The industrious women of Agiassos still spin and weave. The craftsmen make beautiful carved wooden icons and furniture.

On the road to Agiassos from Mytilini there is a tiny settlement called Karini. There is a very nice restaurant next to an amazing spring that pours from the ground into a large pool and then is channeled into a fast moving stream that flows down the mountain to the fields and villages below. The area is shaded and cool, with ducks swimming in the spring water. You can walk down the steps and cool your feet in the torrent. On the other side of the restaurant is a large platanos tree, one of the biggest on the island. The hollow of the tree is a room, where the artist Theophilos lived for a time.