The
Southern Lesvos Region of
Vatera...
On
the southern end of Lesvos,
at a distance of 55 km. from
the island's capital,
Mytilene, lies the village
of Vatera. According
to legend, one of the first
cities in Asia Minor that
was defeated by the Greeks
was Thivi. Among the booty
that was taken by the Greek
conquers were two
beautiful girls called
Chrisyitha and Vrisyitha.
Chrisyitha was taken by
Agamemnon to be his wife and
Vrisyitha by Achilles.
Chrisyitha's father, who was
a priest to the god Apollo,
went to offer a ransom for
the return of his daughter.
Agamemnon refused and
ordered Chrisyitha's father
to leave.
However,
the priest's prayers were
heard by Apollo and a
horrible sickness fell upon
Agamemnon's army. In order
to conciliate his enemy,
Agamemnon finally liberated
Chrisyitha. As a result
Agamemnon demanded and
forcibly took Vrisyitha from
Achilles. Because of this
dissension, Achilles left
and took his army with him.
They went through Troy and
then made their way to
Greece to the valley of
Vatera. This is how the name
of Vatera originated. It
takes it name from Achilles'
trek from Troy to Greece.
Vatera
originates from the Greek
word ''Vatos'', meaning
passable, to pass through on
foot. Achilles deeply loved
Vrisyitha and show his honor
towards his beloved, he
named the first village
built in the area, VRISA. A
few archaeological remains
can be found at Ancient
Vrisa today, including a
well named ''Achilopigado'',
meaning the well of
Achilles.
The
majestic beach of Vatera is
one of the largest and most
beautiful beaches in Greece.
It has a length of 10 Km and
a width of 40m, and its
geographical position
protects it from the summer
northern winds. Vatera's
seemingly endless stretch of
sandy-pebble beach, lapped
by the clear waters of the
Aegean, has been repeatedly
awarded the Blue Fag of EU
for its clean, unspoiled
beach and water.
Vatera's
geographical position makes
it an ideal spot for
swimming, sailing, all sorts
of water sports, fishing and
organized boat excursions.
The region is also endowed
with great beauty, making it
ideal for trekking on foot
through the hilly landscape.
The
sun-sea-sand experience that
Vatera has to offer, caters
to a wide range of tourists,
from the young, single
visitors to the family
holiday makers. Vatera has
steadily become a growing
tourist destination with
many accommodations being
built. Due to its
small-sized family holiday
resorts, Vatera can offer
the visitors a taste of the
traditional, Greek pace of
life, a relaxing atmosphere,
uncrowded beaches and
friendly, warm, personal
hospitality.
The
Vatera region is
characterized as
exceptionally rare for its
fossils, unique to all of
Europe. Recent
paleontological excavations
uncovered a very wide
variety of animals, fish and
plant fossils. Examples
include a giant tortoise
about 2,5m long, and the
earliest representatives of
a family of giant apes ever
found in Europe. Thousands
of pieces are already on
display in a small museum
called "Natural History
Collection of Vrisa"
2Km from Vatera.
Eight
km from Vatera are the
thermal baths in the regions
of Polihnitos and Lisvoriou.
The baths are simple,
however renowned for their
therapeutic waters.
Polihnitos Thermal baths is
thought to be one of the
hottest (87,6 C) not only
amongst those of Greece but
also amongst the springs of
Continental Europe. On the
eastern side of Vatera's
beach, hidden in a rocky
cave off the shore, is a
little church dedicated to
the Virgin Mary, called
Cryptis, meaning ''hidden''.
A thermal spring can also be
found at Cryptis. Due to its
geographical position, the
little church can be reached
only by boat.
Three
kilometers from Vatera lies
the little cape of Agios
Focas with its picturesque
fishing harbor and pretty
little church. At Agios
Focas one can see some
archaeological remains of
the first Christian temple
that was constructed upon
the temple of DIONYSOS, the
god of wine, enjoy the
panoramic view of the beach
of Vatera and capture one of
the most breath-taking
sunsets in the Aegean.
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