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A few
kilometers from Molyvos is the village of
Petra and something is going on here. The local government 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. This and other steps appear to be
paying off because Petra is attracting more
and more visitors every year.
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While the front
of the village appears to be a tourist town of
the highest degree (or lowest depending upon
how you look at it), the backstreets of the
village give the visitor the feeling of the
more remote traditional villages of the island
and since most of the tourists tend to cling
together like sheep along the shore, those
people who are courageous enough to wander
through the back streets can find themselves
in a uniquely Greek setting, maybe finding
what they have come to Lesvos in search
of.
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Stretched
along a long umbrella filled beach lined with
cafes and restaurants, the interior of the
town of Petra surrounds 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(I only counted 104). 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. A beautiful legend concerning
the building of the church on this high rock
has come down to us: In days of old a storm
bought a religious captain to the shores of
the area. One morning the captain noticed that
the Icon of the Blessed Virgin, which he
always had with him, was missing. He looked
for it everywhere but to no avail. That
evening he saw a strange light shining
seemingly suspended between sky and earth. He
climbed up the rock and found his icon placed
before a lighted lamp. He took it back to his
boat but again it disappeared and again he
found it on top of the rock. He decided to
build a small church there since that was
obviously the wish of the Blessed Virgin. The
first church was built in 1609 and the present
one in 1747. There is a great celebration
there on August 15th. Below the rock is the
tiny Church of Agios Nikolaos. Inside, the
small church is decorated with 16th century
wall paintings that are colorful and
inspirational and worth a trip to the
village.
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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. It is funny because it appears that
the local old men of the cafeneons behave as
if they are oblivious to the swarms of
tourists around them as they drink their ouzo
and eat their mezedes. There are plenty of
good places to eat. Be sure to try the
Restaurant run by the Women's Agricultural
Co-op of Petra for at least one meal. Their
offices are upstairs in the large building on
the main square so drop in and find out
exactly what it is they do. There is also a center run by a very
interesting woman named Hanna where they offer
classes in various spiritual and cultural
topics. Petra is also one of the hangouts
of famed
author
Carol P.
Christ
who leads seminars
for women every summer.
Be sure to visit Gabby at the Lemon Bar, the most laid-back bartender in all of Lesvos. You
can find the office of Rebecca Michaelides who
owns NIRVANA
TRAVEL
on
the main street on the coast, where you can
change money, book excursions or borrow a book
from her library. She can book trips to the
nearby Rabbit Island which is a nature refuge.
They have built an observation center where
you can sit and watch the many different birds
and animals.
There are a number of cafe-bars and restaurants on the waterfront close to the town beach. The Reef has a reputation for good music and cold beer and is one of the places you can watch your team in action if the game is important enough to be televised. Some of the restaurants advertise 'Greek Night' which may seem ominous in a town in Greece, but it usually means that they have live Greek bouzoukia music and maybe a belly dancer, not that it is the only night they have
Greek food. And since they all seem to have chosen a different night for Greek night you can test them all. (For other restaurants nearby see my
restaurant page).
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In between Petra
and Anaxos is the excellent Avlaki Taverna one of my favorite restaurants on Lesvos. It is right on the beach so you can spend the day there. Look for the sign where the road turns inland from the sea as you are leaving Petra. I recommend their sardeles pastes and their grilled sardines, their stuffed boiled zucchini flowers, gavros marinatos, beets and skordalia and their tuna salad. Yes it is tuna from a can but if you have been in Lesvos for awhile and need to have one meal without
a horiatiki salata, this is a nice change. Actually to be totally honest I LOVE canned tuna.
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 While in Petra be sure to stop in the First Kiss Gallery of Paul Henry, a talented artist from Canada who has been living on Lesvos for about ten years. People who are familiar with Skala Eressos
know Paul from the years he spent there. His sculpture of Sappho is a familiar landmark outside the office of Sappho Travel. My wife loves his paintings but I was more impressed with his sculpture work because of their intense realism as well as the humor in many of them. Recently he was comissioned to do a near life-sized sculpture of the Nike of Samothrace (Samothraki) which took him all winter. Even more impressive is his life-sized statue of Alexander. You can find the gallery on the main shopping street
of Petra, right by the City Hall, a few shops up the street from the Kouroumixali Ouzo Factory which is also worth stopping in to see and to buy a bottle of ouzo. The tourist shops sell ouzo from all over the island but in my opinion you should drink the local brand and support the community, especially since one ouzo will probably taste like all the rest if you are not a connoisseur. Actually if you are going to buy art you should buy it from an original artist like Paul Henry rather than something from
a tourist shop that you can probably find on any island.
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Remember
that August 15th is the festival of the
Panagia (Virgin mary) and a big holiday for
the village of Petra. The cobbled streets are
lined with stalls, Greek flags and
fantastic atmosphere.
Above Petra is the small village of Petri, known for its view, cool breezes and the excellent traditional tavernas. Nearby is the village of Pelope, ancestral home of Michael Dukakis, the first Greek who was ever almost elected the President of the United States. They have a panagiri (religious festival) for the Saint Day of Profitti Elias (Prophet Elija) in mid July.
Since the churches that
are named for Profitti Elias are usually on top of the highest mountain you should be prepared to do some walking if not climbing. 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.
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Hotels in Petra (and Anaxos)
 The Paradise Studios are located just 70 metres from the Beach at Petra and offer easy access to all shops,
restaurants and bars. There are 29 individual apartments with fully equipped kitchen, WC & shower and large private verandas. The 3-star family-run Panorama Hotel features a pool and restaurant. Rooms have a furnished patio overlooking the village and the Aegean Sea. Air
conditioning and a satellite TV are included in all accommodation at the Hotel Panorama. The spacious rooms are equipped with a fridge and safety box. The Michaelia Hotel occupies a beachfront location in the picturesque Petra Village. Offering a panoramic view of the Aegean Sea, it features an outdoor
pool, a restaurant and free public Wi-Fi. The guest rooms are air-conditioned and have a private balcony or a terace. Each room includes a refrigerator, telephone, and has en suite bathroom. A little bit outside of Petra on a hill in area of Avlaki, the Clara Hotel(photo) is only 200 metres
from the sandy beach. The hotel has a seawater swimming pool and a restaurant with views of the sea. All the air-conditioned rooms have a furnished balcony with a views of the sea. For self-catering your best bet is the Bird's Bay Seaside Homes, which as the name suggests, are right on the sea, and have full kitchens and are like having your own house on a
Greek island. If you want to stay in nearby Anaxos you can find rooms for thirty euros at the family run Annessis Studios and the family-run Paradise Studios offers self-catering accommodation 300 metres away from the beach for under twenty! But if you want to be a few steps from the beach and have a pool
then be prepared to shell out at least 30 euros for a double at Virginia
Studios. (In other words hotels in Anaxos are really cheap. So is Petra actually) You can find more hotels at Booking.com's Petra Page and their Anaxos Page
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Fishing in Petra
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Petra Beach
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Train to Molyvos and Beaches
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View from the Glykfylousa Panagia (Our Lady of
the Sweet Kiss) Monastery |
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View from the Glykfylousa Panagia (Our Lady of
the Sweet Kiss) Monastery |
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Petra Beach
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