travelogue: lemnos, greece (part 4 or 4)

we would pass by this vendor almost daily, and finally we stopped to take a peek hoping for fruit for the drive.  do you see the photo of the cucumbers?  these are soooo good (better than the ones back home, full of flavour).

lemnos produces several wines from its native grapes and guys, the wine is really good.  we visited the family-run chatzigeorgiou winery, one of few wineries open to the public.  there, we sampled and purchased - for very little monies - a few bottles. 

on our way to the east, our navigation took a detour along unpaved roads but we eventually, slowly, got there...

finally on the eastern coast, we landed at the surf club keros where stefan and kai went windsurfing.  keros is a sandy bay known for watersports, especially surfing.  we'd been trying to windsurf for a a couple of days but due to the winds, it wasn't advisable so finally on our last day, we managed it.  it was still windy and my boys worked hard to stay upright.  it was really fun to watch and photograph them.  had we known earlier, it would have been nice to spend a night here, glamping in their safari tents.

driving away from the surf club, we came across a turtle in the middle of the road.  we stopped, pulled to the side of the road and removed it from the road.  poor little thing.

driving to one of the beaches on the north east peninsula, we spotted what looked like snow in the distance when we realized it was the salt lake.  the aliki lake which is filled with salty water in the winter with frolicking flamingos, is empty in the summer, the water having evaporated, leaving a great quantity of salt behind.

it was quite the sight!  the sand was really squishy and muddy and the further we walked the harder it became.  my mind filled with images of drowning in quicksand.  kai made it to the salt and back safely ;)  

on the road again, we picked zematas beach to explore... but it took some time to get there. we were kind of lost, the road was unpaved and not really suitable for regular cars.  a couple of times we thought, 'this is it, we're stuck' but i am so happy we persisted.  

zematas beach is isolated and quiet with fine white sand and crystal clear warm waters. the water was warm!  so so nice. despite its isolation, a little snack bar served us drinks and blts the greek way.

a grasshopper, i've lost my childhood skill of catching them ;)

another familiar view, white churches dotted along the coast... makes for pretty photos :)

back on the western coast, we met up with our friends for our last evening together, kai enjoyed the sea with the kiddos and we ate our last greek feast.  sharing a meal with good food and lots of love around the table... so appreciative of this time.

these two (insert heart emoji)

if you have ever wanted to venture off the beaten track, a place not yet discovered by the crowds, lemnos is for you.   it really is a truly local experience, slow living... to recharge by the aegean sea and indulge in seafood. i think my boys and i will be back one day soon ;)

i have to say visiting vis, coratia and lemons, greece was definitely one of our best vacations yet.  we ended our vacation with feelings of happiness and well-being... the way a vacation should feel.