Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
9
Hephaesia and Kabirion
Both sites Tues-Sun 8.30am-3pm • Free
Aside from Polyochni (Polyókhni), Hephaestia and Kabirion are Límnos's other
significant
ancient sites
, only reachable with your own transport.
Hephaestia (
present-
day Ifestía), 4.5km from Kondopoúli by rough, signposted track, offers an admirably
reconstructed theatre overlooking its former harbour. The name comes from the god
Hephaestos, rescued and revered by the ancient Limnians after he crash-landed on the
island, hurled from Mt Olympos by Hera.
Kabirion
, also signposted as “Kabeiroi” (modern Kavírion), on the opposite shore of
Tigáni Bay and accessed by a paved road, is more evocative. The
ruins
are of a sanctuary
connected with the cult of the Samothracian Kabiroi (see box, p.658), though the site
here is probably older. Little survives other than eleven column stumps staking out a
stoa
,
behind the
telestirio
or shrine where the cult mysteries took place. A nearby
sea grotto
has
been identified as the Homeric Spiliá toú Filoktíti, where Trojan war hero Philoktetes was
abandoned by his comrades-in-arms until his stinking, gangrenous leg had healed by
application of
límnia yí
, a poultice of volcanic mud still prized on the island. Landward
access to the cave is via steps leading down from the caretaker's shelter, though final access
(from a little passage on the right as you face the sea) involves some wading.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
EASTERN LÍMNOS
Keros
Kalliópi
T
22540 41059.
At the start of the road
down to Kéros beach, this is one of the few accommodation
options in the far east of Límnos. Pleasant
roo
ms with
balconies but very remote. June to mid-Sept.
€30
To Mourayio
Kótsinas
T
22540 41065.
Easily the better, if
slightly pricier, of the two tavernas here, worth the extra for
the higher quality of both food and service. Good for fish,
meat and veg dishes.
May-Sept daily noon-midnight.
Samothráki
SAMOTHRÁKI
(Samothrace) has one of the most dramatic profiles of all the Greek
islands, second only to Thíra (Santorini): its dark mass of granite rises abruptly from
the sea, culminating in the 1611m
Mount Fengári
. Seafarers have always been guided
by its imposing outline, clearly visible from the mainland, and its summit provided a
vantage point for Poseidon to watch over the siege of Troy. Landing is subject to the
notoriously unpredictable weather, but that did not deter pilgrims who, for hundreds
of years in antiquity, journeyed to the island to visit the
Sanctuary of the Great Gods
and were initiated into its mysteries. The sanctuary remains the main archeological
attraction of the island, which, too remote for most tourists, combines earthy
simplicity with natural grandeur. The tourist season is relatively short - essentially
(late) July and August - but you will find some facilities open as early as Easter and
one or two all year round.
Kamariótissa
Ferries dock at the dull village of
KAMARIÓTISSA
. While you're unlikely to want to
spend much time here, it does make a convenient base, as some of Samothráki's best
hotels lie along or just behind the tree-lined seafront and various rooms for rent can be
found in the maze of streets behind; owners often meet incoming vessels.
Hóra
HÓRA
, also known as
Samothráki
, is the island's capital. Far larger than the portion
visible from out at sea would suggest, it's an attractive town of Thracian-style stone
houses, some whitewashed, clustered around a hollow in the western flanks of Mount
Fengári. It is dominated by the Genoese
Gateluzzi fort
, of which little survives other
