1. Where is Lemnos?

Lemnos is considered a somewhat remote island, and that is one of the main reasons for it having retained its authenticity. But where is Lemnos exactly? The closest major Greek city is Thessaloniki, connected by ferries and flights be-tween the two. For reaching Lemnos from Athens, a flight is the fastest way to travel with a journey duration of just an hour or less. It is reachable by ferry too but it is a long journey. Where is Lemnos geographically? It is in the north east-ern part of the Aegean, and islands neighbouring it include Thassos, Samo-thrace, Mytilene, and Chios.

2. The link to the legend of the Amazons

Together with the island of Mytilene (also known as Lesvos), Lemnos has been connected to the Amazons. In ancient times, a folk legend spoke of the island being dominated by women, led by queen Hypsipyle. Both Hypsipyle and Myrina, the name of the capital town of Lemnos, are Amazon names.

3. The homeland of God Hephaestus

Greek mythology makes reference to Lemnos as the island of Hephaestus. He was the fallen son of Zeus and the god of fire and volcanoes. The myth says that Hephaestus fell on Lemnos island when Zeus, after an argument, hurled him from the edges of Mt. Olympus. Hephaestus was wounded by the fall yet he was cared for by the locals and recovered swiftly. In return for their kindness, he then taught them how to be masters in metallurgy. For this great wisdom he be-stowed upon them, the locals of Lemnos built a town in his honour, Hephaestia, now an archaeological site.

4. Kaveiria

The sanctuary of Kaveiria, erected as a place of worship for Hephaestus’ de-scendents via the nymph Kabiro, is charged with energy despite it being in ruins. Kaveirioi were the spirit and or biological children of the patron god of the is-land, who changed the lives of the locals forever with their wielding of metals and mastery over fire. The Kaveiria Mysteries were held for many years to hon-our the god for sharing the knowledge of the art of metallurgy, and although there is no record of what transpired during the Mysteries, the legend suggests there was a strong fire element in the proceedings.

5. Cave of Filoktitis

Below the sanctuary site of Kaveiria you will find the mythological Cave of Filok-titis, that of the tragic figure Filoktitis, a companion of Odysseus who was aban-doned on the way to the Trojan War. The story goes that anchoring in Lemnos for supplies and rest before battle, Filoktitis was bitten by a snake and was later left in that cave by the party since his leg became immensely swollen, he was deemed unfit for the battlefield. The Cave of Filoktitis is partly a sea cave and the waters are so crystalline that you will not resist to dive in. It can be reached by both sea and by foot.

6. Kaviria Palace – the ghost hotel

On the way to the Kaveiria site, you will pass by an abandoned ‘ghost’ hotel. It is a resort type of hotel that closed its doors a few decades ago, and is an inter-esting place to explore. Roam around the huge expanses to browse and observe the empty swimming pools, the desolate rooms, the dark basement and the ee-rie gym with the broken mirrors.

7. Terra Lemnia

The ancient civilizations used the clay unique to Lemnos island, Terra Lemnia, for a plethora of medicinal and therapeutic purposes. It was a diverse remedy for either curing or alleviating a range of ailments and injuries. Terra Lemnia was renowned throughout antiquity for its healing abilities. It multifaceted bene-fits have been studied and recorded in ancient physicians’ texts.

8. Petrified wood

In certain spots around the island of Lemnos there are fossilized tree trunks. This bizarre phenomenon had the ancients puzzled, of course linking it to the myth of Hephaestus having fallen, and Zeus striking a few lightning bolts at ran-dom down to the ground in his rage. The bolts were said to have struck down the trees and created the strange scientific relic that is woven with an ancient past of fable.

9. Thermal Springs

Near Myrina, there is a verdant area that is the source of Lemnos’ thermal springs. Remnants of old baths and dive pool outlines indicate use during the Roman and Byzantine eras. Together with the aforementioned Terra Lemnia, Lemnos used to be a healing destination during the ancient times.

10. Glamp at Keros Beach

The island of Lemnos has a tangible energy, brought about by its riveting my-thology and the legends linking it to Olympian Gods. Such a place chosen by the gods is possibly best experienced as close to nature as possible. Therefore, for those wishing to explore the more free-spirited approach to holidaying, a glamping area at Keros Beach could be just the thing to reconnect with the ele-ments and get in touch with your more mindful side.

11. Agricultural wealth & sustainable farming

In the past the main crops of Lemnos were wheat, barley, sesame, making the island Constantinople’s granary following the Byzantine Empire’s defeat of its Anatolian resources in the 1300’s. Today there is a sustainable farming project in place dedicated to preserving and aiming to reinstate the old farming meth-ods that enrich instead of depleting the land.

12. Lemnos’ yogurt

If you are a fan of Greek yogurt you must try Lemnos’ version made with sheep’s milk and curated to a fluffy consistency. You can either try the strained or more runny kind, topping it up with exceptional local honey and walnuts for a perfect-ly healthy super snack. It is of course used in savoury recipes, first and fore-most, the local kind of tzatziki, and in some places you may find it with crum-bled feta too.