Sigri (village)

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Sigri is a small fishing village near the western tip of Lesbos Island. Its name derives from the Greek word for security, based on the fact that it has a safe harbour. Sigri has a Turkish castle, built in 1746 during the Ottoman occupation, which looks over the bay and the long island of Nissiopi, which stretches across the mouth of the bay and acts as a buffer to the prevailing winds. The port of Sigri is able to accommodate large vessels, even cruise ship-size ferry boats coming from the mainline. Almost all shipping to Lesbos, however, comes into the east of the island.

There are quite a number of restaurants, specialising naturally in fish, but also in the local delicacies such as a type of spinach, called 'horta', which is boiled and served with lemon and salt.

Sigri is home to the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest which was established in 1994 to study, research, promote, preserve, and conserve the Petrified Forest of Lesvos. The forest itself is a few kilometers to the east inland from Sigri.

This is the dry end of the island of Lesbos fairly lacking in vegetation and agriculture. Its beaches have the most sand of all of Lesbos, contrasting with the rockier and pebble beaches to the east. This area is sparsely populated and only frequented by a small number of tourists. It is quite windy relative to east Lesbos, but has not yet been discovered by wind surfers. The sea is not that safe, although within the large bays the waves and currents are gentle.

The village beach, a glorious near-180 degree sweep of volcanic grey sand, is normally safe for children, shelving very gently out to the rocky floor of the shallow bay. Inflatables should ideally be tethered, or their users closely supervised, because of the breeze.

There are six clothes-optional sandy beaches within walking distance of Sigri.

[edit] External links

• Sigri
• The Natural History Museum