A Visit to Mesta

When travelling in Greece my preference is to use public transport wherever possible. This at times can be challenging and not always for the faint-hearted, but I love it. For me, it’s a gives a more authentic experience than travelling by car. It forces you to walk further and absorb more of the landscape. To consume the feel and the smell of a place through every single pore. Yes, you can probably get to more places by car but it isn’t the quantity of places that you visit on a trip but the quality of the experience. I have hired a car when pushed especially when the island has little or no bus service but give me a cronky old bus any day!

Today is Monday and the bus service is operational again so we are going to visit Mesta which is 10km North West of Pyrgi. The bus leaves Chios bus station at 1130 so I do a rough calculation of the journey time and ensure that we’re at the bus stop outside Pyrgi village for 12:00. I always prefer to err on the side of caution.

Whilst waiting, several locals gather at different parts of the street. Determining where the correct place to stand is confusing however, we loiter and when the bus comes into view we just follow the crowd of 4! After paying just a couple of euros, we are on our way.

The bus arrives in the square outside the medieval village. From here you can see that the houses on the exterior of the village are all connected to fortify the perimeter. If you look at a satellite view on Google Maps (or the map below) you can see that the perimeter is pentagonal and sitting at its heart is the Church of Megalos Taxiarchis. At 4 of the 5 intersections is a watchtower and along the Western side an imposing gate called Port Kapetanou. In addition to this, there are other entrances into the villages that make less of a statement.

We enter the village through an entrance on the Eastern side which immediately takes us through a vaulted alleyway and then into an open street. The stone houses are built in close proximity to each other forming narrow alleyways. Any piece of land that hasn’t been built upon has been commandeered to create a small garden though this is a rare commodity. Alleyways that get enough daylight are decorated with potted plants, an attractive contrast to the natural stone. Miraculously, bougainvillaea, grapevines and mulberry trees sprout from the concrete ground – whatever is underneath provides them with all the nutrients they need.

We don’t have to walk very far before we reach the Church of Megalos Taxiarchis (Big Archangel) dedicated to archangels Michael and Gabriel. Located in the heart of the village, the entrance is via one of two sets of steps that lead to the bell tower. The church is not only the biggest on Chios but is said to be one of the biggest churches in Greece. Inside this beautiful church, you can see the dedications to the archangels – though no photo’s allowed.

Below the entrance to the church is the village square which is a hive of activity. The tavernas and cafes are full of locals and tourists alike. There is a good selection of tourist shops selling everything from the local pottery to long-flowing cotton dresses.

After winding our way through the alleyways and even perusing the exterior wall of the village, it’s time to eat. We find a taverna at the back of the church called Mestoúsiko Grill House. It is shaded by vines and canopies and is a place very popular with the locals. Closeby is a group of musicians playing traditional tunes so this was a great location for lunch with added entertainment.

I’d previously written about Mesta during my visit 18 months ago so there isn’t much more to add except that Mesta is definitely worth a visit. It’s an attractive village where you can while away a couple of hours admiring the medieval architecture and soaking up the atmosphere amongst the narrow labyrinthine streets. Next time would I stay in Mesta? Probably not, only because I have found the perfect hosts in Toula and Mr Kosta and for me, Pyrgi has a lot of character – and nothing to do with being a painted village. Its character comes out in the evening once the tourists have gone. Maybe I do need to stay in Mesta after all and just see if another side materialises.

Here’s a little reel of our visit!