Mytilini – On the olive mountain

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Mytilini - the olive mountain

Down memory lane - A story about being in a magical place on the island of Mytilini and harvesting olives in a traditional way

Harvesting the olives

Ana is a friend of ours and her roots lie in Mytilini. She has a family house on the island and an olive grove. Whenever possible, she travels to the island in December to harvest the olives in the traditional way and, also traditionally, uses a donkey to transport the olives to the olive oil factory in the village, where the olives are processed into oil. She is helped in this by family, friends and local shepherds.

In 2009 and 2010, Yvonne spent a week helping out, and in 2011 I joined Yvonne and Ana in assisting. It is a special experience to be up on the olive mountain—a magical place—to harvest the olives. But it is also wonderful to witness the rest of the process up close.

Photo's on the olive mountain

Here below is a selection of the photo’s that we made on the olive mountain. More photo’s you can find on our photo site SmugMug in the Mytilini (please click) series in the folder Greece.

Photo's in the olive oil factory

Exploring the island

Mytilini, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, has a rich cultural history dating back to antiquity and was the birthplace of the famous poet Sappho. The olive trees on Mytilini have been an essential part of the landscape and local economy for thousands of years. The island’s olives are renowned for their quality, and its oil is often considered among the best in the world.

The olive tree is not only a symbol of the region but also of the strength and resilience of the island. The ancient trees bear witness to the passage of time, yet despite the challenges of climate, wind and sea, they continue to bear fruit.

Odysseas Elytis – From “To Axion Esti” (1959)

The olive tree stands silent and wise,

Its roots sunk deep into the earth,

Its leaves, a song of time’s passing,

A promise kept through centuries

Yorgos T. Vafopoulos

You are a tree

And thus you know that trees

Do not travel: they only feel,

And remember

During our time there, we also explored the island and visited several characteristic villages, such as Agiasos, Molyvos, Parakila, Mytilini Town, and Skala Sykaminias.

One of the most impressive sites we visited was the Petrified Forest, a unique natural phenomenon near the village of Sigri. Due to volcanic activity millions of years ago, trees were buried by ash and lava and eventually became completely petrified. This remarkable natural area has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004 and is a protected monument.