A vine romance
I’d lost count of how many times it had happened, but it was happening again. I was crashing face first into the sea while trying – and failing – to learn how to windsurf.
I was on a watersports break on the Greek island of Lemnos, so this didn’t bode well. But fortunately, me and my partner Sally didn’t spend the whole week getting drenched while trying to get to grips with various water sports.
We were there to explore this beautifully unspoilt island – also known as Limnos. And it’s immediately obvious that this is not a mass market tourism experience.
At the airport just one casually dressed police officer was checking passports for all arrivals and departures. A bit different from Gatwick!
We were staying on the east coast at Surf Club Keros sports complex but before getting wet we quickly set about exploring the rest of the island, starting on the west coast at the capital, Myrina.
Hiring a car is vital – the island has very limited public transport.
The main tourist attraction in Myrina is its castle. Built high on a rocky peninsula, it dominates the skyline. Entrance is free, deer roam throughout its grounds, and it’s the perfect place to take a sunset walk and ensure you go home with spectacular holiday pictures.
The capital has a good choice of bars and restaurants. And there’s no shortage of local charm. In the village of Kaspakas, just outside Myrina, the streets become so narrow the local hospital has a special slender ambulance to navigate them.
If relaxation is what you need, you won’t do much better than a natural hydrotherapy bath at Therma Spa, near the capital. This site has been a spa for thousands of years. The water is pumped in from hot springs which, according to Greek mythology, were created when Hephaestus, the god of fire, fell from Mount Olympus. ( thermaspa.gr ).
A 15-minute drive from the spa is the Chatzigeorgiou winery in Karpasi, where you can take the tour. We learned how this family firm produces 300,000 bottles of wine a year across nine varieties, of which eight come from the same type of grape. They are all whites, but the flavours vary depending on the fermentation periods. We tried one