THE TRIP

January 10, 2014 at 7:18 pm · Filed under Uncategorized and tagged: captain's Table, Captain's View, Greece, Lesbos, lesvos, Lesvos accommodation, Melinda, Molivos, Molyvos, olive oil, ouzo, Plomari, yera

Feeling excited as it was an excursion which we rarely do. Something we always plan but too busy in the summer and somehow too busy/lazy in the winter. Arranged by the committee of restaurants for the second time to cut the pita (the pie for the New Year). This is a tradition that is done all over Greece where a pie/pita (sweet) is cut with a coin inside and whoever gets the piece with the coin is lucky for the rest of the year.

A bus trip to visit olive oil factory in Yera , Ouzo factory in Plomari and lunch.

An amazing assortment of people turned up. All from restaurants in Molyvos and Scala Sikamia. People we never hang out with so it makes this excursion all the more interesting.

We passed through Kalloni with all the incredible birds in the salt flats, a working olive factory with lots of smoke pouring out of its chimney in Dipi, a flock of birds resting on electric wires, the flat as ice sea in the gulf of Yera and wonderful views through the bus windows.

Arriving in Yera village that has olive trees growing close to the water edge, there is the sign that directs you to the Olive press museum which is in the centre of the village, one of the first steam –powered  factories on Lesvos. Olive oil is the second biggest income to the island after tourism.

Some where worth going

A fantastic project.  A decayed building which took 3 years to be restored.  Photos of the before and after are hanging in every area of the building.  It was very impressive. Personal hand held speakers in both Greek and English to direct/explain the tour of the museum. Well worth the visit!

Off to Plomari where we stopped first at the Museum of Barbayannis (one of the oldest ouzo factories) just before the main town.

The entrance to the factory of Oyzo Barbayanni

Ouzo is made from pure alcohol made from sugar beet, grapes and sugar cane in factories that are over seen by the government. It must be very pure and clean alcohol so the taste is not affected. The alcohol is distilled and 35 different herbs and spices are introduced of which the main one is aniseed, that is grown for them in Lisvori and then dunked in salt water to keep the aroma of the herb longer. Once the ouzo is distilled it must be kept for 45 to 60 days in large vats which make it become sweeter and be able to be drunk.

This is only one of the distillers

There are 15 distilleries on Lesvos that make ouzo.

Lesvos produces over half of the total amount of ouzo produced in Greece

Ouzo is exported to over 35 countries.

bottling oyzo at the factory of Barbayanni

Our next stop was the village Plomari. One of the largest villages of Lesvos. Once with over 12,000 inhabitants now with just under 3000 including the foreigners (we were told) . Impressed as compared to Molyvos it looked massive. Banks, supermarkets galore but many buildings in ruin.   We noticed a lot of buildings built by a special green stone that created a lovely and different design.

I have not seen such a large Platanos tree in Greece

Our final destination was lunch at a restaurant called Mouria, just outside the village of Plomari, which served us very fast and had great food.

The Captain’s Table, Theo and Melinda

Comments (2)