This afternoon we left Athens for the island of Lesbos. We spent our final Athens hour wondering the very small church shop district, a street of icon writers, vestment makers and metal smiths. Most of the awesome Byzantine church furnishings turned out to be encrusted with actual diamonds and rubies and cost more than the annual budget of either of the churches I serve. We stopped into the studio of a monk-like artist who made tiny cravings of saints our of wood and bone. They were carved with incredible precision and were some of the most beautiful icons I have ever seen. We spent a good while talking about his work, and at the end of the conversation, he gave us one of his carvings as a gift!!!
We flew to Mytiline, had the stereotypical shady, overcharging taxi driver (someone later told us that most people just think of the meter padding as an extra tax you occasionally have to pay) and arrived at the amazing Hotel Pyrgos.
Our random, inexpensive Expedia hotel turned out to be a palatial mid 19th c. house, that was turned into a hotel in 1916. Needless to say, it's amazing. The really nice desk clerk also suggested a nearby taverna for dinner.
We found the taverna, and it may have been one of the best meals ever.
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