2006: The year of Skala Eressos' renaissance.
Skala Eressos on Lesvos (Lesbos) has long been a place of pilgrimage for lesbians (after all where can we find so many of our name sakes?), but like many Greek resorts is subject to the winds of change. You may have heard about the closure of the Sappho Hotel and Fuegos bar, but this doesn't mean the place is dying. Far from it, for six new women's businesses have been set up in this year; a massive investment of women's energy, expertise and talent! Add these to the existing women's businesses and enterprises in Skala Eressos and you get a holiday makers heaven that is lively, thriving and again the premier destination for women travellers!
Eressos is the birthplace of the poet Sappho who established a school for young women on Lesvos in 600 BC. Sappho's legacy has bought women to Eressos since the 1950's when members of Natalie Barney's Paris Salon came here. It's no mistake that the place is home to many artists and craftswomen and as a hotbed of creativity has produced a new women's arts centre and a women's artist collective. Other new businesses include a women's bar, a launderette, an animal sanctuary and women only accommodation to add to that already here and fill the gap left by the loss of the Sappho Hotel.
This is an outline of what you will find here. Read on, and tell your friends.
Bars and cafes
"Aqua is a bar for everyone," says owner Vicky Lyberopoulou. The first women's bar you'll find when you come off the beach, the terrace is shady in the day, open to the stars at night, and geared for lounging around - the chairs have magazine pockets. Aqua has a more up market Athenian style than Vicky's previous bar Fuegos, which had a reputation for wild nights on the dance floor, and she hopes Aqua will be an all day meeting place. There's a small menu of freshly made pizzas, juices, snacks, and cocktails. A range of dj's will provide the music, but the ambience will be more spontaneous: "If the mood goes up at night we'll have dance parties," says Vicky, "if the crowd is chilled, we'll keep the vibe."
The Tenth Muse is the oldest women's bar In Eressos, located right on the Skala's central square, and frequented by everyone. Much loved, relaxed and friendly, the Muse cooks the best crepes in town, and its famous sofas have ten years of stories to tell; love, pain, politics, humour, and tavli tournaments, the Muse has seen it all. At night, and especially on the themed Friday night parties (you can see last year's Pink and White nights on the web site), the Muse develops a street party atmosphere and women crossing the square get inevitably drawn in. There is a pool table in the private courtyard beside the bar, use it before their fresh fruit cocktails kick in!
The Arts Scene
A holiday on Lesvos is not just sea and sun, it's a cultural feast. 'Come! Enjoy! Celebrate! Participate!' is what Sappho Garden of the Arts is all about. This elegant gallery cafe has an outdoor theatre stage and hosts exhibitions, workshops, performances from mime to monologue, and a cabaret that's open to all, so bring your magic box, tutu and slap, and join in.
This year sees the establishment of the Pleiades, a non-profit organisation who run cultural, educational and spiritual events. The five member group includes painter and poet Gerbien Fricke who offers life and landscape drawing classes, and poetry performance workshops; shamanic therapist Susanne Schwing; writer and photographer Karolina Denning; translator and sociologist Marianthi Lianou who teaches Greek through Sappho's poetry, runs creative writing groups in Greek, and programmes Skala Eressos' outdoor film screenings; and Joy Marlow who teaches women's creativity and writing workshops, and led the Women Writers of Eressos group in 2005.
Writer Felicity Yates also lives in Eressos, basing her poetry and fiction on her responses to the landscape, Greek culture and navigating the diverse communities of an island village.
Greek sociologist and traveller Alexandra Glossoti puts her experiences on film; telling stories from her journeys in Latin America, India and Greece in lyrical and emotionally powerful images.
Those interested in handcrafted arts can enjoy the work of two local jewellers. Christine Leitloff closed her Berlin jewellery shop to move to Lesvos three years ago. Also a photographer and painter, Christine is a professional goldsmith who makes classic rings and enameled pendants using precious stones, top quality silver and gold. She accepts comissions and sells at Sappho Garden of the Arts.
Viennese designer Victoria Pock makes dramatic original bracelets and extraordinary necklaces from glass, ceramic pieces, silver and semiprecious stones. Her work can be found at the lesbian-friendly gift shop Opsis.
On a larger scale, sculptor Beatrice Anlauff uses Lesvos marble, soapstone and sandstone to create work that explores line and emotion in organic form. Beatrice is a Master of stonemasonry and stone carving who takes a studio in Eressos every summer.
Treats
Eressos has its pamperers too. In a white room draped with Tibetan wall carpets you have professional Shiatsu treatments from Helga Fuxa, who has been practising in Skala for twelve years. Helga also offers five day seminars, at basic and advanced levels, with teaching partner Victoria Pock.
Chaya Volpi is a Reiki practitioner who integrates healing sounds and precious stones into her treatments. She also makes beautiful, finely hand painted ceramic mandalas, that are inspired by Tibetan and Peruvian traditions but go way beyond them.
Susanna Schwing specialises in shamanistic healing and Hawaiian massage. She also teaches Hula dance at a site overlooking the harbour in the morning sun.
Reiki healing and therapeutic massage (Holistic, Arudevic, and Rebalancing) involving breath and voice techniques are offered by Sofia Dimoulea.
Exploration and more
It is well worth it to hire a car to take a trip around the island of Lesvos, but if you wish to explore locally, Patricia's Walking in Eressos tours are full of botany, archaeology, history and mythology, plus recipes and local gossip, and are both entertaining and popular.
Another place to explore is the Animal Sanctuary near Eressos village Run by Ann and Jean. EreSOS for Animals is a charity that relies solely on donations. You can play with the puppies, who all need rehoming, and find out about how they rescue and care for animals all year round.
And when you come home tired and dusty from your adventures, the Eresos Laundry can service wash your clothes. No one wants to do washing on their holidays - go to the beach instead!
Places to stay
The Antiopi is a traditional Greek hotel built around a shady courtyard. "Everyone who stays here says they feel like part of the family," says Teresa Maragou, co-owner of Eressos' oldest established women only hotel. A short walk from the sea front mayhem (think fields with horses under the moonlight), the Antiopi has views of the mountains, the sea and spectacular sunsets over Sappho's Rock from its rooftop bar terrace. Here guests can relax, read, have a drink or snack, and take an open air Jacuzzi. Gay men are welcome as guests in June and September.
The Mascot Hotel offers top quality air-conditioned rooms right in Skala Eressos. Located only three streets from the beach in a quiet location, the Mascot is known as a truly superb hotel for women; 'a chance to enjoy a little lazy luxury'. Managed as a 'No Stress' zone, it's made even more special by hotel hostess Sofia, who serves a wonderful selection of breakfasts on its outdoor terrace and will deliver these to your room with champagne, chocolates and flowers to celebrate special occasions. All ten rooms have private balconies, fridges, direct dial telephones, and individual safety deposit boxes for guests.
Also in Skala, the Eressos House Domatia has four pretty double rooms with a shared sea view kitchen that can be booked by parties of six to eight.
The Heliotopos, lesbian and family friendly, has self catering apartments with balconies overlooking a lush garden. Set in open countryside close to the beach, it's a peaceful retreat a few minutes walk from Skala over the Halandra river bridge that offers prime viewing of bird life, frogs, and native turtles who beg for bread like ducks.
Sappho Travel
The first port of call for many women planning holidays to Lesvos, Sappho Travel have an informative web site and a busy downtown office in Skala Eressos. Joanna, Wendy and Viktoria are full of local knowledge and pride themselves on maintaining personal contact with all their clients. They offer a wide range of services; accommodation for women, car hire, bookings for ferries and flights, and co-ordinate special services like sunset cruises, boat trips and excursions.
During September each year Sappho Travel organise the Eressos Women's Festival, which draws women from all corners of the world to share music and arts events, lectures, workshops, sports tournaments and parties. They launch it with a huge fireworks display on September 9.
So that's it
Expect delight for your aesthetic sensibilities, your taste buds, your dancing feet and your laughing muscles in a revitalised Eressos this year. Bring lots of sun block - you'll be so busy you'll be falling asleep every time you sunbathe. Expect to find loads of positivity from all the women who've created the new renaissance of Eressos, and a warm welcome under the sun: Kalostes!
Press
This article is copywrite but may be used as a press release.
Should you wish you reprint this article in a commercial publication or post it on your business web site please advise Felicity Yates: felicityyates@gmail.com. Felicity is a professional journalist and published travel writer available for commissions.
