Bay of Kaloni |
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The Bay
of Kaloni and in particular the beach town of
Skala Kaloni is the nature capital as well as the
sardine capital of the island. The economy in
based upon agriculture, the nature tourism from
vistitors who come to see the many birds who stop
in the marshes on their way to and from northern
Europe, and from the sardines and other fish and
seafood that comes from the rich and beautiful
bay. The town of Kaloni sits in a lush and
enormous valley that borders the bay of Kaloni.
This valley is home to many different species
of birds and
wildflowers
and in
springtime the hotels are full of bird watchers
from all over the world. The bay itself is a
marvel to behold. More like an inland sea then a
bay, it is ringed by mountains on two sides and
the fertile valley on another opposite a small
channel that leads to the sea. It is full of
sardines which Lesvos and Kaloni in particular are
famous for. It is said that the sardines from the
bay are the healthiest in the world due to their
high mineral content. The reason as explained to
me is because the rains wash the oil from the
olive groves into the bay. Whether this is true I
leave others to debate but I will testify that
Sardines from Kaloni are delicious, grilled, fried
or eaten as
Sardeles
Pastes
. Even in the
main market in Athens you can hear the fish
merchants calling out proudly that their sardines
come from kaloni and in the summer trucks travel
all over the island selling the magical miracle
sardines.
The
town of Skala Kaloni is both the port, beach and
tourist center of Kaloni. The water is shallow and
almost never rough and the beaches are very sandy.
There are several restaurants along the shore and
in the town square, along with supermarkets,
hotels, tourist shops etc. The port, which is home
to the island's sardine fishing fleet is colorful
and active but to see them unloading their catch
you have to get there pretty early in the morning.
If you do you can buy a container of sardeles
pastes.
Perhaps
because of the surrounding mountains the bay of
Kaloni is a great place for wind-surfing and
Manolis of the wonderful Medusa restaurant right
on the beach is an expert, though during the
tourist season he really has to fight for time to
pursue his passion. But if you are a windsurfer or
want to become one than Manolis is certainly the
person to talk to.
T
he above photo is taken on a rare rainy day in
July when we arrived just in time to help Manolis
put his boat into the water by sliding it down on
pieces of wood placed perpindicular to the keel of
the boat like railroad
ties. |
One
of the most well known craftsmen of the village,
at least to fishermen and sailors is Panagiotis
Psaradellis, the master boat builder of the
village. His shop is in the harbor, just next to
the Medusa restaurant and he can be seen working
there daily, either restoring an old caique or
building a new one. He uses simple hand tools,
though is not against using power tools when it
makes his job easier.
For someone who wants
to learn the vanishing art of wooden boat building
there is probably no better teacher than
Panagiotis and an afternoon watching him hard at
work is time well
spent. Kaloni
itself is the crossroads for the western and
northern villages of the island. It is a regional
capital and has a great deal of commercial and
cultural activity. There are shops of all sorts,
supermarkets, a computer store, electronics
stores, fruit markets and a street lined with
cafeneons. In the market street of Ermou, off the
main street, there is an excellent CD and record
store where the woman will let you sample the CD's
before buying. There is a computer shop called
Delimitrou where you can buy software and even get
help if you are suffering from laptop problems.
The EIPMOS bookstore which has books in English
and other languages as well as Greek, of course,
is centrally located on Hania. You can buy a copy
of
Wild Birding in Lesvos
here.
There is a camping and fishing shop on the road to Mytilini right outside the town where you can buy a mask, snorkel, flippers and anything you need to enjoy the sea. In the winter the town is lively with music and nightlife which many young people come down from the mountain villages to enjoy. 
Usually
around the forst weekend in August they celebrate
the
Skala
Kaloni Sardine Festival
in the
village square featuring free ouzo and sardines, a
live band and traditional
dancers.Along the coast are marshes filled with wildlife. The fish practically leap out of the sea and standing on the shore looking out at a bay so large that the entire island of Sifnos could fit in it, gives one a feeling of awe. Walking along the bay past the tidal pools full of crabs and fish, is very enjoyable in the spring and early summer, when a vast assortment of wild birds can be seen. Bring binoculars if you have any. The valley gets very hot in late July and August, when most people stick to the beach or the hotel pool. But for those who venture out this is the time to see the flamingos. I know it is hard to tell these are flamingos from this picture but trust me that they are. 
An
enjoyable car journey is to follow the coast on
either side of Kaloni. On the western shore of the
bay is the village of Parakila and below it in a
field is the ruins of an old mosque. Nearby there
is a lovely old stone road and bridge that crosses
a stream. There
are a few tavernas along the coast and some places
to swim.The tiny town of Apothikes is no more then a cafeneon and some houses at the mouth of the bay, but it is a beautiful place to stop. If you continue on the coastal road past Agra and Mesotopos you will eventually find yourself in Eressos . There is a small road that goes from Agra and will connect you with Xidera and Pterounda but unless you have a jeep I don't advise taking this route. 
If you follow the southeast coast of the bay you
will see an interesting variety of landscapes,
from salt plains and marshes to forest and
streams. You will eventually wind up in Skala
Polichnitou, a wonderful place to stop for lunch
(sardines of course) with a small harbor full of
fishing boats. If you go inland from here you can
make a visit to the
thermal
springs
, the hottest in Europe in the main town of
Polychnitou. From there you can take a swim at the
beach of
Vatera
that
stretches for miles, or drive through pine forests
and Alps-like terrain until you get to
Agiassos
, the spiritual capital of the island and one of
the most beautiful villages in all of
Greece. If you
follow the coast beyond Skala Polychnitou you will
come to the resort village of Nifida just before
the mouth of the bay of Kaloni. There are several
tavernas here and a long beach. For shell
collectors try the coast between Skamoudi and
Achladeri. They say there is a sunken city here
and if you swim or have a small boat you can
actually see the streets and the roofs of
houses.
Within
the valley of Kaloni there are plenty of places to
visit, not least among them the town of
Agia
Paraskevis
, not only one of the wealthiest on the island but
in all of Greece. The town is known for a festival
in late June in which horses are raced through the
streets past cafes full of people drinking and
eating while bands play live Greek music at nearly
every restaurant. If you join the festivities try
to remain alert. Things can get pretty wild with
horses riding into the cafeneons. Some say the
riders give them ouzo just to liven things up a
bit. Nearby are the ruins of an Achaean and
classical temple to Apollo at Klopedi and the
Kremasti bridge, made entirely of
stone.
Kaloni
was one of the most flourishing towns of medieval
Lesvos. Ruins have been found in the area from
ancient, Byzantine and medieval times. The nearby
sanctuary at Mesa (photo) is worth a
visit.
The
Limonos Monastery, consecrated to the Archangel
Michael is open to visitors. It was built in 1523
and during the Turkish occupation, was the
intellectual center of the island. The library
contains approximately 5000 books from 1502 until
the present and manuscripts, patriarchal bulls,
sultanate firmans, official decisions and other
documents dating as far back as the 9th century.
There are countless pieces of jewelry, holy relics
and sacred icons. The festival day for the
monastery is the eighth of October.
When the Limnonas
monastery has its festivals the whole area is full
of people selling religious items and other things
that are not religious in
nature.
Don't miss the
Medusa restaurant in Skala Kaloni, perhaps the
best in all of Lesvos. Owned by Manolis and his
wife from Holland, Dorien and featuring a cast of
dozens of family members, you can count on good
service and the best and freshest fish on the
island. The restaurant has its own fishing boat
that goes out every day. During the season they
have the best sardeles pastes. They are so good
they are served plain but I usually ask for a
little olive oil, and lemon to go on them. If you
are driving from Molyvos or Eressos and have to
return then go easy on the ouzo. But if you are
staying in Kaloni then there is no reason to hold
back and an afternoon and evening at the Medusa is
a good enough reason to stay overnight in Skala
Kaloni. Of course if the idea of raw sardines does
not excite you then you can order them grilled or
deep-fried like in the pucture.
There are a number of hotels and rooms in Skala
Kaloni including several that are popular with
bird watchers. You can ask which ones are the most
popular by contacting Sappho Travel or Eressos
Travel. And a visit to Skala Kaloni is not
complete unless you have met their pelican who
spends his time wandering among the sun beds on
the beach or relaxing in the shade. Like several
villages in Lesvos, Skala Kaloni has adopted a
pelican or perhaps it is the Pelican who has
adopted Skala Kaloni.
They come from North
Africa and some of them decide that instead of
making the long journey back, to take the easy
life in Lesvos where fish is plentiful and food is
cheap, much like many of the tourists who decide
to make their home on the island
do.For more on Kaloni read this excerpt from my book In Search of Sardeles Pastes |
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