I returned to Greece for 10 days in September. This time I stayed on the island of Lesvos, very close to the Turkish border. It has been very hot, but the traditonal womens' dances are not energetic, and the occasional breeze has helped cool us.
The island is beautiful and not so over-run with tourists as other Greek islands. The vegetation is mostly olive groves and pine forest.
Our accommodation for the dance workshop was at Milelja Inselgarten, a beautiful retreat centre that has been lovingly created over many years by two women. It has a wonderfully relaxing atmosphere, and the dance space is superb.
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| The main building at Milelja. Accommodation down stairs and dance room upstairs |
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| View from the dance room, looking out to the small town of Molyvos with the castle on top of the hill |
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| Other accommodation is in gypsy wagons. I was lucky enough to stay in this one |
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Inside the wagon was extremely comfortable, with a kettle, fridge and en-suite bathroom.
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| Dancing in the octagon with views all around. Sometimes we had live music played on traditional Greek instruments |
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| Some mornings we danced outside in the shade of the oak trees |
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| In Molyvos there were restaurants down by the harbour. Up in the old town, you could sit on the restaurant balcony with wonderful views. |
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| Not enough room to dance in the restaurant?? No problem, you just spill out in to the street |
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| The Mansion of Varelrsidena |
In nearby Petra we visited an historical house. The Mansion of Varelsidena, dating back to the late 18th century, was influenced by the Ottoman period. The upstairs living areas were ornately decorated and had high vaulted ceilings. The furniture was simple and easily moved, allowing spaces to be used for both daily living and sleeping.
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| Half way down the stairs was a platform where the matriarch of the house would give daily instructions to the workers. The women were usually in charge of the house and land as the men were often away. |
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| Mansion of Vareltsidena, central hall and musicians area |
We visited a local home. This is an example of some very fine embroidery, using a special technique. It can be viewed from either side of the fabric, and is perfect either way. Apparently the technique only works if you start in exactly the right place.
This is the Sanctuary of Messon, dating back to 4th century BC, in the centre of the island. They also discovered building remnants here from the Archaic period and the time of the poets Sappho and Alcaeus. The very first 'beauty contests' were held here. Young women were judged on their dancing, singing and poetry reading, and the best was chosen to be priestess of the temple for the coming year.
The temple was devoted to the Blissful Gods, Hera, Zeus and Dionysus.
It is thought that the temple was destroyed by an earthquake around 3rd or 4th century AD. A small church was built on the ruins in 5th century AD, and the area was used as a burial ground.
