Started the day with MAFS catch up in bed before getting myself sorted out to go to see the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest, a geological window into the Aegean during the last 20 million years. It’s about an hour’s drive away so I felt confident enough to venture a little further today & an hour was the right distance in the white Hyundai thingie.
Although it’s not that far in distance it takes ages because the roads are narrow, windy & at times quite steep hairpin bends. I averaged 30km/h & only made it into fourth gear a couple of times. The drive to the west side of the island is beautiful, snaking through lush olive groves & grazing land. Dwellings large & small dot the hillsides & with the window down (Greek aircon) I could hear the birds, bells & breeze as I fanged along in second gear.
I passed a solar farm, wind turbines & some of the most spectacular views I’ve ever seen. Everywhere I looked there were buildings & walls fashioned out of the beautiful stone of the region & the red roofs standing out starkly against the green of the hills. I didn’t take many pics because I was not always able to pull over & feel confident that I could take off again without grinding the gears!!
All was progressing well until I got to a little village called Antissa where I decided to stop for a coffee. As I parked the car carefully on the side of the road I got out & found green fluid running out of the engine & down the street. My first thought was that it was engine coolant from the radiator. It was a hot day so I didn’t want to keep going & in the cafe, which was filled with kids from the school across the road, smoking, drinking coffee & being noisy I tried to call the car rental place to ask them what I should do.
Of course the number didn’t register on what’s app so I called Maria & she relayed a message to them. They then called me & I showed them on face time what the deal was. Stay put, they said, we’ll be there in 20 minutes. About 40 minutes later (the main road to Sigri is closed) a young guy arrived, looked at the engine, took it for a test drive, told me the coolant had been overfilled & that it was ok to drive again! I explained to him that I was going to Sigri then back to Petra & he decided to give me the car he was in ‘just in case’!!
I swapped to a bright red, stiff clutched, Nissan which had no petrol in it! The drivers window was not functional but the radio worked & it was suggested that I put the air con on….there was no air con 😆 what could I do but laugh? I am in no hurry, it doesn’t matter what car I drive, these experiences just add to the rich tapestry that it my life atm! Here is the white car, parked outside a church, in the shade with a speccy view. I had my book so I just sat in the car reading & watching the world slowly pass me by!
Once I’d topped up the tank with petrol, 1.95 euros today, I made my way along the windy roads to the barren west side of the island and the port of Sigri. The views were incredible, not dissimilar to Cape Jervis, for those of you who know it. This side of the island is completely different from the lush side where Petra is. It’s beautiful but in a very different way.
I wound down the hill into Sigri, a very small collection of houses nestled into a small & relatively sheltered bay & found the museum. The Petrified Forest museum showcases the petrified flora of the region but also includes the petrified jawbone of a Dinothere which dates back 20 million years. There is an exhibit of the general geological history of the Aegean basin & the evolution of volcanic activity spanning the last 20 million years. Outside is a fossil park with petrified trees in situ. A presentation informed me that back in the day there was a Forest in the region & when one of the four local volcanos erupted the blast felled some of the trees which were then covered under 10 metres of ash. This ash protected the trees & the lack of oxygen under the ash meant the wood decayed slowly, being replaced by minerals over time. This pic of a petrified tree doesn’t do justice to the exhibit but it’s all I have!
I spent a long while in the museum & a lovely Aussie Greek lady in the cafe shouted me a coffee whilst we caught up on the gossip of her life! I looked outside at the fossil park & caught site of Debbie anchored down in the bay. I messaged her & gave her a wave, pretty rough on the waters but she’s used to it. Here I am in the park with Debbie & Nikaia in the background.
Once I’d fulfilled my petrifaction needs I left & headed up into the hills to check out the monastery on the top of the rock ‘Ιερά Μόνη Υψλου’. It’s been in constant use since 785 AD & currently has 5 monks living on site. I was shown around the museum by Daniel, who wouldn’t let me take his pic coz he’s a monk, who spoke very little English & had a stinking cold! We used Google translate but it was sketchy to say the least. At one point he was trying to tell me about women in Russia?? being the only ones who wore a womb??? Turns out he meant a hat which looked a bit like a crown! Glad we cleared that up 😆
The museum was a treasure trove of religious paraphernalia, none of which meant anything to me, but I could appreciate that it was a really important part of the history of the country. There were written scrolls from the 11th century, jewellery, costumes & swords amongst other things. Unfortunately the language barrier & my lack of knowledge about anything religious meant most of it went over my head but I’m sure this is an amazing collection to those in the know.
The monastery is represented by, or represents, that bit was lost in translation, dragons who overcame the gorgons, or something?! Daniel got very excited when he found out my name & wanted to tell me about a dog that was found on the border of Serbia but wanted to get to Lyon to find it’s owner…I think the dog’s name was Jayne but I can’t be sure. All I know is Daniel kept smiling, shaking his head & looking disbelieving.
That pic is inside the church, which is beautiful & obviously very loved, cared for & revered. I met an older chap who is one of the 5 monks residing in the monastary on the rock. He spoke good English & told me that he was a monk in training. When I expressed amazement that they lived there he wryly said ‘that’s part of the deal’. They tend the gorgeous gardens, maintain the property & generally upkeep this incredible place all whilst devoting their lives to God.
They don’t ring the bells nowadays because there is no one living below the hill to hear them anymore. The views are incredible, as is the wind! They pointed me to the steps which acted as the escape passage back when there were marauders around, the view across the hills was something to behold & I was awed that in times of crisis the monks would have been brave enough to escape down the steep hill in a hurry.
It was a treat indeed to find such a beautifully maintained, peaceful place after taking a chance & driving up a very steep road to the top of I knew not what. As I left, the trainee monk wished me peace & that God be with me all the time, rather kind of him. Would be a lovely comfort to believe in something so strongly that you dedicate your life to it.
I left the monastary feeling a sense of peace & relief that I don’t have to live there & wended my way back to Petra & home. Shortly after I arrived my little white Hyundai arrived back & I decided it was time to go for a feed & a beer whilst the sun set. A shrimp spaghetti later & all was well with the world. The beer went down a treat after such an unexpected day of driving, waiting, geology & religion! The restaurants are busier tonight but I was still able to cadge a table by the sea & watch another day slip away into the ocean.
Walking past the souvlaki shop I ran into the locals who I’d met last week & tonight I stopped to have a drink with them. A pissy discussion about the derelict hotel we were sitting next to, sexual orientation, war & weddings followed & it was an amusing way to round out the night. They’ve been best friends for 25 years & every night I’ve been down for dinner I see them sitting together talking. They have never really had a fight & still have plenty to talk about after all these years, that’s real friendship ❤️
And so another day in Lesvos comes to a close, another day of unexpected occurrences, sunshine, laughter & new experiences. Time passes so quickly here, I am having such a wonderful time I suppose it makes sense that it’s flying by? Wonder what tomorrow will bring? More adventures in the little white car. More things to see, people to meet & memories to be made. This last pic is of the Monastary on the top of the rock in the far distance, a very unconventional place to make a home indeed!
