Lesvos: Plomari-Ouzo Capital of the World |
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Stin Agiassou y Plomari (Translation:From Agiassou or Plomari neither woman nor mule).
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There are several ouzo factories
and also the Barbayiannis ouzo
museum on the road leading into
town and it is obvious that the
people of Plomari take great pride
in their ouzo . None seem to take
a greater pride then George
Kabarnos and his son who have
taken over the traditional
distillary of the famous (in
Plomari) Ouzo Giannatsi. While
many of the other ouzo companies
have sold out to the big companies
and perhaps sacrificed some of
their traditional methods in order
to keep up with demand, Mr.
Kabarnos still uses the old wood
burning kasani (still) that he
uses to distill the ouzo. His shop
right in the main market area of
the town is the best place to buy
his ouzo since not many of the
cafeneons outside of the village
carry it. And where else can you
get a lesson (in English or Greek)
on what makes one ouzo better than
another and why distilled ouzo is
the healthiest.For more on Ouzo Giannatsi and Ouzo in general see my Lesvos Ouzo Page
Places to Visit Near Plomari
Ten Kilometers north is the
village of Megalochori formerly
the site of Plomari and now known
as the Switzerland of Lesvos
because of it's high altitude,
healthy climate, orchards and
abundant water. There is a
beautiful platia with several
restaurants and cafeneons. The
town has a number of
Greek-Americans, Greek-Australians
and Greek-Africans, some who have
come for the summer and others who
have returned to their ancestral
home to live for the rest of their
lives. The Platia has an old
Platanos that died many years ago
but has now been turned into some
kind of shrine. Just beyond the tree is an old
church in a beautiful flower
filled courtyard that should not
be missed. There is a dirt road
that leads from Megalohori
to
Agiassou
which I don't advise using unless
you have a jeep. But should you
decide to take the trip it is a
journey through forests of olives
and chestnuts and a large area
which had burned several years ago
and even destroyed several of the
houses on the outskirts of
Megalohori.
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Forty-two kilometers from
Mytilini on the southern coast
of Lesvos, Plomari, the
Even though I actually received an
e-mail from a knowledgeable and
well-intentioned gentleman from
Plomari telling me that by
publishing this slanderous little
poem I had insulted the village
and actually caused a drop in
tourism with more cancellations
coming in daily, I tend to think
he over-reacted or even
misinterpreted the little song
which could actually be seen as
complimentary to the women of
Plomari. Because after all who
wants a weak-willed woman except
for temporary purposes? On the
contrary I think that publishing
the song points out that the women
of Plomari are indeed something
special and any man looking for a
wife as an
equal partner
might do well to begin his search
here where the women are also as
attractive as the
architecture.
The architecture of the town is
pretty amazing with giant old
mansions and decaying factories,
olive presses and tanneries
amongst the houses of all
different size shapes and colors.
The town itself straddles each
side of a ravine which in the
rainy season turns into the
Sedountas river. Some of the
houses are built right on the
river and their walls form the
banks, keeping the flow contained
and moving down towards the sea.
While Plomari is impressive in the
summer it must be a spectacular
place when the river is rushing
down the mountain. Plomari was originally up in the
mountains where the beautiful
village of Megalohori now stands.
Both the mountain village and the
port were destroyed by fires from
1841 to 1843, after which the city
we now know as Plomari was built
and became an important center for
industry and commerce. There are a
number of Turkish fountains in the
village as well as many houses
with the Turkish-style
architecture and if you come here
on a cool day you can spend hours
walking around looking at the
different buildings in the various
neighborhoods. Sometimes Plomari
reminds me of Venice without the
water.
If it is a hot day there are nice
beaches at Agios Isidoros which is
one of the best areas on the
island for swimming with a mixture
of sand and a stone shelf and open
sea. Agios Isidoros is actually
the area where most of the hotels
are located, including the
Greek-American owned
There are some great restaurants
in town and of course many
cafeneons which serve ouzo and
mezedes to the young and old men
of the village as well as the
occasional tourist. The main area
for eating is around the large
Platanos across the bridge over
the river. There are several
churches of interest in the area
including Agios Nikolaos, near the
market, with it's interesting
icons of Saint Demetrios and the
Archangels Michael and Gabriel.
The church of Agia Paraskevis is
also lovely with it's iconostasis
of white marble. Plomari has a hardbor
full of fishing boats and pleasure craft and people prominade
down the sidewalks and the coastal road in the early evening.
Take a peak inside this cafeneon on the waterfront. It is one
of the best in Lesvos. The town has an active marketplace
and it's inhabitants are known for
their high level of culture,
distinguished as sailors and
active nationally.
There
are several cultural centers
including the old soap factory
which has been restored and the
building which houses the Benjamin
of Lesvos cultural society. There
is a large number of Greeks who
have returned from abroad and
English is widely spoken with a
variety of interesting accents. It
is hard to imagine a town which
combines the traditional Greek
culture with that of our
contemporary society as
comfortably as Plomari does.
Combine this with the architecture
and Plomari is as interesting a
town as Corfu or Hermioupolis in
Syros. Among the Greek Americans, Canadians
and Australians living in Plomari are the family who own the
Hotel Pebble Beach.|
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Megalochori |
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