Believe it or not, this eerie, all-white landscape is actually a lagoon that is full of water and flamingos all winter!

In the summer, because of the fierce heat, it turns into a desolate, yet stunning, landscape that is covered with precious, organic salt. The locals benefit to the full, as one would expect. This salt flat is on the island of Limnos, Greece.

During my summer vacation there with my hubbie, we didn’t miss the chance to harvest salt. My father used to do that occasionally during his long vacations on the island. He used to bring back to Athens many kilos to share with us and others, but somehow, he never got to share with us the whole process of harvesting and drying up the salt. I only knew I needed a small plank of wood to scrape the hard salt off the ground, but asking a local friend what to do proved fruitful, and we set off to conquer the salt flats equipped with all the essentials.

We took with us two small planks of wood to scrape the salt off the ground (being careful not to pick up sand with it), a large spatula to pick it up, a bucket and… an all-cotton pillow case! The latter serves to store the salt in overnight. I left it upright inside the bucket cover to drain fully from the excess water.

In the morning, I laid out the salt on two wooden chairs (on a folded bed sheet) and left it on the porch in the strong summer sun. Every day, I used a spoon to stir it gently, and each day, the salt got drier and drier. On the forth day, it was ready. My personal preference was then to put it through a blender to make it fine, but you could also leave it coarse, as is.

In case you ever get the chance to harvest organic salt, please note that it’s best to do it in the evening, close to sunset. This way, it won’t be too strenuous a task in the heat, and the salt will be softer, thus easier, to harvest. It also makes sense to be among the first who harvest the salt in the summer. The earlier you go the better. We visited the island early September, and it took a bit of effort to find a spot where we could harvest some salt that wasn’t soiled or trodden on. Therefore, we could only manage to gather a kilo or so. Next time, we intend to visit as early as June 🙂

The salt flats of Limnos (aka Alykes Lagoon) are on the east of the island, near the Moudros-Plaka road. To get there, follow the signs to the villages of Romanou and Kontopouli. After passing through them, you will arrive at a fork in the road without any roadsigns. Take the road on the left, then turn right at the t-junction.

You will soon find a small stone church on your right hand. It’s the church of Agios Panteleimon (here’s the pin on Google maps). Turn right into the dirt road, just before the church, and it will lead you to the salt flats (or the lagoon!) in under a minute. If you visit in the winter or the spring, even as late as May, you will see flamingos in the lagoon for sure!

Are you a bird or nature enthusiast? Go here for more info and to see all the bird species that frequent the Alykes lagoon.

 

Visit Facebook to see more of my photos from the salt flats.

While you’re on there, check my other posts on Facebook too! If you enjoy what you see make sure to hit follow. I’ll appreciate that very much!  

Interested in more info on Limnos? Check out these posts next:

Myrina, Limnos. A capital with an imposing castle and two very different shores. Sometimes, with deer swimming in the water!

The legend of a brave girl, a church with a secret, and endangered lilies in Kotsinas, Limnos 

The Neolithic settlement on Kastoria lake in mainland Greece, and the rugged beauty of the island of Limnos

 

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