No Myth About This Greek Island: Lemnos’ Top Export Is Tranquillity

Even the incurably romantic Lord Byron would probably admit that “The isles of Greece, the isles of Greece! Where burning Sappho loved and sung . . .” are no longer the idyllic settings they once were, what with cruise ships unloading thousands of latter-day Argonauts seeking the Golden Fleece in the form of a Greek fisherman’s sweater at a friendly price.

Yet not all of the Aegean’s 3,604 islands have lost the rough-hewn charm, pristine beaches and languorous lifestyles of the natives who created their allure in the first place. One that seems most fixed in time is the almost atavistic Lemnos. In fact, most of Lemnos’ fireworks took place centuries before Greece’s Golden Age of 500-300 BC.

Indeed, Lemnos is the island of the god of fire, Hephaistos, who made the mistake of getting into an argument with Zeus, who then threw him down from Olympus to land on Lemnos. There he married Aphrodite, who was soon up to her old amorous habits, this time taking up with the young god Mars.

Despite such carryings-on in its past, Lemnos has emerged as one of the loveliest of Greek isles, with the sleepy capital of Myrina spreading out along the shoreline on both sides of a rocky promontory capped by a 13th-Century Venetian castle-fortress. The fortress, in turn, separates Turkish Beach from Greek Beach, both of which are delightful.

Lemnos is also noteworthy for a lack of the hustle and bustle that one encounters during summer on Mykonos, Crete, Santorini, Rhodes and other more popular islands. Tourism is obviously a factor in the island economy, but Lemnians tend to keep to their primary occupations of fishing, agriculture, cattle breeding and making the island’s marvelous feta cheese and delectable thyme-flavored honey.

And like many of the small towns and islands of Greece, the population is an older one; a goodly number of the young have gone to Athens or Salonika to sell insurance or drive taxis. Yet the tavernas and cafes are usually filled after work hours with women chatting over their knitting and men having an ouzo over an unhurried game of tavli , a backgammon-type activity popular throughout Greece.

All in all, Lemnos is about at the stage some of the tourism-intensive islands were a quarter-century ago, which is what many visitors are seeking these days.

How long/how much? Give Lemnos a couple of days, more if a relaxed holiday or heavy archeological exploring is the objective. We found lodging costs moderate, dining even lower.

Getting settled in: Hotel Nefeli, on a hill above town near the Venetian castle, is a fairly new place made of the island’s traditional honey-colored stone, with a huge terrace overlooking Greek Beach and the town below. Most of Nefeli’s accommodations are two-bedroom apartments, fully furnished with kitchens, but there are a few one-bedroom suites with kitchens. There is also a bar and a coffee shop offering light snacks and a Greek version of pizza.

Hotel Castro (the other name for Myrina) is right beside the town archeological museum and across the road from Greek Beach. It’s built in the neoclassic style of many of the town’s 19th-Century homes and other buildings, and some of the contemporary-furnished bedrooms have balconies overlooking the beach. Castro has a restaurant, bar, snack bar and rooftop terrace for sunbathing.

Right in the heart of town, a block or so from Greek Beach, is Hotel Sevdali, a neat but basic place that serves breakfast only, although there’s a bar and plenty of tavernas and cafes within walking distance along the main street and beach.

Regional food and drink: The great attraction of Greek food is its simplicity and freshness. Anyone is welcome--indeed, expected --to stroll into the kitchen and see what has been prepared for the day or make a selection of seafood for the meal, as all Greeks do.

Fresh fish is always grilled or fried without the heavy and complex sauces that so often hide the delicate taste of seafood in other countries. (Few cooks who can’t see blue water from their kitchens seem able to do an acceptable job of preparing calamari (squid), one of the sea’s finest gifts to a table.) Try the squid, fangri (an eastern Mediterranean and Aegean whitefish) or barbounia (a red mulletlike small fish loaded with bones, but also with an unforgettably delicate flavor).

Greece is the cradle of democracy, but it’s a tossup as to who fired up the first grill, Greek or Turk. It really doesn’t matter, so just follow the aroma of charcoal to marvelous lamb, fish, veal and the not-too-prevalent beef. Retsina, a brusque white wine with the heavy flavor of turpentine, is the best company for any Greek dish we’ve yet to come upon. It’s a throwback to the days of antiquity, when wine was shipped around the Aegean in barrels caulked with resin.

Good local dining: With all the fresh produce and seafood available on the island, it’s difficult to make a case for any restaurant, taverna or cafe being better than the next. But Restaurant Glaros, which doubles as a fish market, probably has the best seafood in town. Restaurant Tassos is noted for its mezes, those delectable hors d’oeuvres that start every Greek meal, and Cafe Stratos is the town gathering spot where one will always find a few games of tavli going on at its beachside tables.

O Platanos is mid-town on the main street, with dining inside or on an outside terrace beneath a huge plane tree, from which it derives its name. And we stumbled on Taverna Oi Tzitzifies in a grove of pines just off the road running along Greek Beach. All of these places will have plenty of seafood, kebabs, keftedes (Greek meatballs) and the old standbys, moussaka and pastitsio . Expect to pay about $8 or less per person at any of these places, or at the gaggle of tavernas on the shoreline of Turkish Beach.

Going first-class: Lemnos has its luxe-rated hotel in the gorgeous Akti Myrina, a series of bungalows built in native style spread out among gardens and fruit trees along the water at the end of Greek Beach. There’s a shaded central terrace for dining, two saltwater pools, tennis courts, private beach and enough water sports (sailing, water skiing, caique cruises) and evening activities to keep one engaged day and night.

Akti Myrina is really a mini-resort that fits so comfortably into its rustic landscape and lovely gardens that one soon feels a part of the island, and the superb food is probably the best on Lemnos.

On your own: According to Homer, Lemnos has been inhabited since 5000 BC, so the island is a maze of archeological sites: Poliochni, Hephaistia, Kavirio, Kotsinas and of course Myrina, with its Venetian castle and Turkish battlements. Myrina’s archeological museum holds collections from most of these and other island sites, and it’s a good place to start for a quick overview of Lemnos’ colorful and turbulent history.

GUIDEBOOK: Lemnos, Greece

Getting there: Fly TWA or KLM to Athens, then Olympic Airways on to Lemnos. An advance-purchase, round-trip ticket to Athens is $1,088, the Olympic flight $49 one way.

A few fast facts: Greece’s drachma recently sold for 185 to the dollar, making each worth about .0054. Spring to late fall is the best period for a visit, when the weather is generally glorious.

Accommodations: Nefeli (in town, $70 double with kitchen); Castro (Greek Beach, $70 double); Sevdali (in town, $55 double); Akti Myrina (Greek Beach, $175-$200 double bungalow, half-pension for two).

For more information: Call the Greek National Tourist Organization at (213) 626-6696, or write (611 W. 6th St., Suite 2198, Los Angeles 90017) for a 32-page booklet on the Dodecanese and northeast Aegean Islands, with maps and hotel listings, another on general travel information for Greece and a map of the entire country.