Got to the castle, which is still pretty intact. It was apparently the second most important one on the island after Mitilini and was occupied by Venetians, Franks, Ottomans etc over the years. Great views over the headland and bays.
These thick old iron-clad doors look as though they may have been the original ones!
The view down to the edge of town.
Great big seed head - about three times the size of a dandelion.
This lightning conductor looked as though it could have been one of the defenders' weapons left behind. Note the clouds, which have been in evidence all day. To cheer up our Northern European readers, we may get more cloud and even some rain over the next few days. Temperatures are warm still - a pleasant 27° today.
After lunch, we set off for an exploration of our immediate environs. Had a look at Petra, about five miles away on the coast but were not much taken with that. So we came the other way a few miles up the coast to Eftalou, which was a very quiet, pebbly beach. Spent a good spell sunbathing and reading our books there before an early light supper in the local taverna.
Early evening at Eftalou beach.
One thing I haven't written about is the amount of bird activity on the island. Because Lesbos is on migration routes from Africa and the near and Middle East, many varieties of birds stop over here. Swifts and house martins are very prominent, and there are lots of warblers. We haven't seen many, but we **have** seen quite a few "twitchers" (I.e. bird watchers)!
Also, I have not been keeping updated with "This day a year ago". A year ago, Wendy and Alix from Canada had just left ( was it really a whole year ago?!) and I was immersed in the boring business of marking. Commiserations to my former colleagues who are involved in that now!
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