Lesvos: Eressos and Skala Eressos

Lesvos: Skala Eressos On the southwestern end of Lesvos is the village of Eressos and Skala Eressos. The birthplace of the poetess Sapho, the beach town of Skala Eressos once a Mecca for International lesbians is also a popular family destination, not to mention a favorite place for honeymooners. It has one of the most beautiful and dramatic beaches in all of Greece and a line of cafes and restaurants on the waterfront that may remind you of an Atlantic seaside community without the commercialism.

Skala Eressos, Lesvos In antiquity it was an important commercial center and was also home to the philosopher and botanist Theophrastus and the philosopher Phanias who was a pupil of Aristotle. There are still remains of the ancient city and walls and somewhere off the shore is the wreck of the Turkish warship Moving Mountain, sunk by Dimitris Papanikolis during the war for Greek Independence in 1821. The town is alive with cultural events and activity during the summer. The beach itself received the blue flag award from the European Council on the Environment as the cleanest and best cared for in Greece. In my opinion there are few if any beaches in Greece that have what Skala Eressos has to offer. The water is clear and the sand seems to go on for miles.

Skala Eressos, Lesvos The streets of the town of Skala Eressos which border the beach are closed to all automobile traffic and one can walk without fear of being run over. More importantly you do not have to worry about the safety of your children. The town ends at the beach road but cafes and restaurants have built bamboo covered decks that extend out on to the sand so you can sit in the shade and watch your kids playing in the Aegean and not be more than a few feet away. Some of the hotels provide bikes for the customers and even if they don't, they can be rented cheaply in the village. Because Skala Eressos is on a flat plain, riding a bike is easy. You can also go horseback riding. Motorbikes are available and cars can be rented to see the rest of the island.

Lake in Skala Eressos, lesvos There is a spring-fed lake full of hundreds of turtles, frogs, fish, strange birds and even storks, which nest in bell tower of the church in the upper village. Children save the left-over bread from lunch and bring it over to the lake which reaches almost to the sea, and the turtles come right up and take the food from their hands. The valley is green and fertile with trails and paths that can keep you walking for hours, past small farms, villas, orchards, tiny churches, ancient ruins, and all manner of wild and not so wild life, including sheep, goats, donkeys, cows, turkeys, foxes, hedgehogs, chickens, and horses.

Fishing boat in Skala Eressos, Lesvos There is a small harbor of fishing boats which supply the village with plenty of fresh fish. These are sold in the restaurants and include, shrimp, sardines, delicious red-mullet, tuna, swordfish and some fish that I have never seen before but taste great. Unlike the more popular Cyclades islands, seafood here is plentiful and cheap. There are also fish trucks which arrive from all over the island with other fresh fish that may not be available in the waters around Erressos. Like many places in Lesvos, the restaurants take pride in their Sardeles pastes as well as their lakerda pastes (tuna) and gavros (anchovies), all caught locally. The fishermen in this boat are actually women, not surprising in Sapho's home town.

Eressos, Lesvos The people are friendly and generous and merely by waving hello you may find yourself engaged in conversation about your life in your own country or their life in Lesvos. You will be surprised at how many people speak your language, particularly if it is English. The old man sitting next to you in the cafeneon may have spent fifty of his eighty years in New York, Toronto, Montreal and very likely Australia. If you look carefully sometimes you can find little hints that will tip you off. Perhaps a baseball cap from your favorite team.

The surprising thing is that what at first glance appears to be an upscale tourist resort is actually a very inexpensive, authentically Greek place to spend your vacation. Imagine the quality of Mykonos or other more well known islands, but at a fraction of the price. If you like, you can drink capuccino in Eressos and not go broke. You can eat seafood that has been caught locally and drink ouzo and watch the sunset on the beach.The bars are low-key and the clubs are far enough out of town so people won't be bothered by the noise, yet close enough to walk to or stumble home from.

The beach on the other side of the harbor is excellent for snorkling and the small beach within the fishing harbor is useful for days when the wind is blowing and your children want somewhere sheltered to swim. Fish and octopus are abundant along the coast. There is a small church there with shaded benches where you can relax and read, paint, meditate or write. Beyond that is another beach for even more privacy. You can spend your days on the beach or walk for hours in the green valley, past farms and orchards. There are archeological sites too including the cave of the Poetess Sapho and the ancient church of St Andrew.

In the cafes are foreigners who have come for the history, the romance or just to be close to the sea and conversation is never a problem, nor is making friends. Many of these are former tourists who have fallen in love with the village and if they have not bought a house of their own, they still return year after year, staying in rented homes or rooms. The beauty of this is that they now have a regular place to go for their holidays where they know people and for a few weeks a year their children play with the children of other people who have become regular visitors too.

You can eat fresh grilled sardines and the best fried potatoes that are grown locally, in a traditional cafeneon like Kostas, surrounded by old men playing cards and backgammon. Try the strapadsa, his specialty.	Kostas is the former owner of the Mascot Hotel which has now been taken over by Joanna of Sappho Travel and is for women only. He has been known to take friends in his boat to see the rare monachos-monachos seals, of which he says there are only 25 in existance.
You can eat some of the best home-Greek cooking imaginable at restaurants like Adonis, Soulatso, and a dozen others that overlook the beach. They also serve ouzo and mezedes including sardeles pastes. (Adonis were the best). See the Restaurant Guide .	Rooms are very available and prices are low. A quiet little house surrounded by flowers and trees, a grand full service hotel with a swimming pool yet a few steps from the beach, pensions, single rooms, you can find whatever you want. See Hotels . To inquire about renting a villa or house see www.greecetravel.com/villas
The town is also home to many artists who come for inspiration or escape including the famous Belgian painter Paul Maes who sometimes invites promising students to his villa to learn more. For more info click here .	The Cine Sapho shows movies in English with Greek Subtitles. It is a traditional summer outdoor movie theatre and has a snack bar and unlike movie theatres in the USA, a real bar.
If you tire of Greek food there are other choices of restaurants which serve not only Greek food but Italian, vegetarean and Chinese or the cafes in the platia where you can even eat omelets and pancakes and American style breakfast.	A few miles down the road on the way to Sigri is the petrified forest , a wonder of nature and the only one in all of Europe. It is estimated to be around 20,000,000 years old and is actually much bigger then the more well known petrified forest in Arizona. The site is almost 3kms long and some of the trees are several meters tall.
And if you are looking for tradition the upper village of Eressos has plenty. It is an unspoiled village with great restaurants and interesting old houses and shops.	And even a stork or two. These are 3 babies who live in the church tower. The mother returns every year to give birth to a new batch.
Few places in Greece or in the world offer the visitor so much and yet remain relatively unspoiled.	Whether it's a one-time visit that you will never forget or a visit that will begin a relationship that will last a lifetime, Eressos in my opinion is one of the best destinations in Greece.

For Hotels and more information on visiting Eressos see the Travel Agents page or visit Sappho Travel located right in town between the parking and the main square. The 10 Muses Cafe in the main square has free WiFi so bring your laptop.