The little port village of Sykaminia is one of the most popular destinations on the Greek island of Lesbos, and for good reason. It is crowded with colorful fishing boats and a small boardwalk lined with waterfront restaurants and tavernas.
The first thing you will notice in Skala Sykaminia are the large number of community cats.
From the moment you get out of the car or boat, you will see them patiently waiting for the fishermen to share their catch, or trying out their luck at the restaurants, attempting to snatch some fish from unsuspecting tourists.
In addition to the cats, Skala Sykaminia’s highlight is the characteristic Church Panagia Gorgona (also called the Mermaid Madonna Church), situated on a large rock over the sea, looking out over the port, its fishing boats, and beyond to the coast of Turkey.
Sykaminia is also known to be the birthplace of the famous Greek writer Stratis Myrivilis, a three-time nominee for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The village can be "easily" reached by car (preferably a Jeep) by directly following a bumpy dirt road along the coastline, which goes from Efalou's hot springs to Skala Sykaminia. The road is only a few kilometers long, but the trip will take about half an hour because of the many pits and bumps along the way.
If this sounds like too much of an adventure, boat excursions from Molyvos or Petra to Skala Sykaminia are also an option.
Text and photos by Vanessa Morgan
Photos 5, 16 and 17 by Stephan Jankovic
Might not be a mermaid anymore but they do still have a lot of cats.
ReplyDeleteOh, so much cats ... who do they feed?
ReplyDeleteSuch pretty babies you found! Great shots. Thanks for sharing them at this week's linky!
ReplyDeleteThe one pussy cat looks like he is hurt near his one eye. I hope the cats are cared for. For the most part, they look good. I would love to visit this place for sure and just drink on the local culture and read about the Mermaid
ReplyDeleteSo many sweet kitty faces!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this with Your Moment Blog Hop!
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteThe kitties have a beautiful place to live. A lovely scenic place and the cats are cute. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend.
We had a little orange cat we called Burlap years ago! Your photos are beautiful and the cats add so much to them!
DeleteLove that first shot, so cat perfect. Nonchalance to the max. - Margy
ReplyDeleteWe saw so lovely many cats on our trip to Greece, most of them were living on or near the beach, reminds me of our trip. Thanks for linking with #pocolo Chickenruby
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