Lomography

Agiasos
written by jelga on April 27th, 2008 (2 votes)

If you go to Lesvos island, you should pay a visit to Agiasos (Αγιάσος), located on mount Olympos (there are actually quite a few mountains with this name in Greece! ;). It is only 26km from the capital Mytilene and yet it feels completely different. Actually, because of its inland location and quiet atmosphere, it has nothing to do with the stereotype of the Greek islands. You can go for a walk from the center (quite touristy) to the upper part of town to enjoy the landscape and see some of the curious boards with local sayings (very photogenic but impossible to understand unless you know the local dialect!). Not to be missed is the traditional kafenio (a kind of café where people from the village mostly men meet up to discuss politics and sports and have a drink, normally ouzo; actually the best Greek ouzo comes from Lesvos!) close to the church of Panagia, famous because of its IV century icone of the Virgin. Actually, Agiasos is the religious centre of the island and, every year, on august the 15th pilgrims arrive from all over Greece to visit the church and then a huge feast a panigyri is organized.

After the visit, you can stop at the taverna on the road back to Mytilene which is under a huge tree to enjoy the shadow and some excellent souvlakia!

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Greece/Prefecture_of_Lesvos/Agiasos-426606/TravelGuide-Agiasos.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agiasos