{"id":50231,"date":"2025-07-19T10:45:44","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T09:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ket.brussels\/?p=50231"},"modified":"2025-07-19T10:46:40","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T09:46:40","slug":"eressos-calling-sapphic-spirit-and-queer-joy-on-the-shores-of-lesvos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ket.brussels\/nl\/2025\/07\/19\/eressos-calling-sapphic-spirit-and-queer-joy-on-the-shores-of-lesvos\/","title":{"rendered":"Eressos Calling: Sapphic Spirit and Queer Joy on the Shores of Lesvos"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are places that welcome you like an old friend \u2014 even when it\u2019s your first time.\u00a0Skala Eressos<\/em>, a small village on the Greek island of Lesvos, is one of them. Tucked away between olive groves and the endless blue of the Aegean Sea, this sun-drenched corner of the world becomes, every September, a sanctuary for queer women and non-binary folks from across the globe I didn\u2019t know it when I boarded the plane from Brussels, but I was about to experience something rare:\u00a0a truly inclusive, intergenerational, international moment of queer joy<\/em>: the International Eressos Women\u2019s Festival!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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First Impressions: Between Mytilini and Magic<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trip begins with a flight to\u00a0Mytilini<\/strong>, the capital of Lesvos. The connecting plane from Athens sets the tone: it\u2019s buzzing with a very specific energy.\u00a0Think comfortable sandals, rainbow tattoos, and the unmistakable excitement of reunion. \u201cIt\u2019s my sixth time,<\/strong>\u201d says Marie, a French woman seated next to me.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s the only holiday where I feel completely at ease \u2014 seen, celebrated, and safe.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the wheels touch the tarmac, informal alliances are already forming: travelers sharing taxis, comparing Airbnb addresses, helping each other with luggage. It feels more like arriving at a queer summer camp than a traditional destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By the time we reach Eressos<\/strong>, it\u2019s late. My hotel, the Eressian Hotel & Hammam Spa<\/a>, glows softly in the moonlight. The pool is lit from within, casting dreamy reflections on the whitewashed walls. It\u2019s almost too cinematic to be real \u2014 until the receptionist greets me with a warm \u201cWelcome home.\u201d And somehow, it doesn\u2019t feel like an exaggeration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Village with a Sapphic Soul<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To understand what makes Eressos so special, you have to go back \u2014 way back \u2014 to Sappho<\/strong>, the legendary poet born here in the 7th century BCE. Her lyrical odes to love between women have echoed through the ages, making Lesvos (yes, that\u2019s where the word lesbisch<\/em> comes from) a symbolic homeland for queer women around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet, this isn\u2019t some dusty historical footnote. In Skala Eressos, Sappho\u2019s presence is alive and felt. Her statue watches over the beach promenade, bars carry her name, and her verses are printed on T-shirts and postcards. But more importantly, her legacy thrives in the spirit of the International Eressos Women\u2019s Festival<\/strong> \u2014 a grassroots celebration of queer womanhood that\u2019s been going strong for over 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Festival Days: Workshops, Waves, and Women from Everywhere<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The festival programme is eclectic and vibrant. Think African dance workshops, political panels, poetry readings, art exhibitions, DJ sets, and spontaneous beach parties. I start with an\u00a0empowerment circle<\/strong>\u00a0in a shaded courtyard, where women from Texas to Thessaloniki share their life stories. One participant, a quiet American with sunburnt cheeks, tells us how she spends her weekends by the side of empty roads holding a sign that reads\u00a0\u201cI<\/em>\u2019m here to listen.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0I\u2019m not the only one with tears in her eyes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, I join a\u00a0dance workshop<\/strong>\u00a0led by a German performer who\u2019s been attending the festival for 15 years. \u201cIt\u2019s the only place where I don\u2019t feel like I have to explain myself<\/strong>,\u201d she says.\u00a0\u201cI come for the movement, but stay for the community.\u201d\u00a0Under the sun, bodies move freely. There is no judgment. Just joy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Evenings are for gathering. At\u00a0Kafenes<\/strong>\u00a0of\u00a0Sam\u2019s Restaurant<\/strong><\/strong>, groups of friends, lovers, and new acquaintances share meze: grilled octopus, roasted aubergines, fresh tomatoes, feta with honey, olives that taste like the sea. Stray cats weave around our ankles, adding an accidental clich\u00e9 to an otherwise perfect setting. Later, we dance \u2014 barefoot, by the water, until the stars are outnumbered by disco lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Different Kind of Tourism<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s hard to overstate how refreshing it is to be in a queer space that isn\u2019t hyper-commercial, whitewashed, or exclusive. This is not Mykonos. There are no VIP wristbands or overpriced drinks. Instead, you\u2019ll find gemeenschap<\/em>. Many of the bars and restaurants are run by women who came here for the festival \u2014 and never left. They\u2019ve built lives, opened businesses, started families. In this way, Eressos isn\u2019t just a vacation spot \u2014 it\u2019s a queer village that regenerates itself every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The festival itself is run largely by volunteers and locals. It\u2019s feminist, grassroots, multilingual, and welcoming to all women and non-binary folks regardless of age, body, background or ability. And while it\u2019s not \u201cactivist\u201d in the classic sense, it is<\/em> radical \u2014 simply by offering joy, visibility, and connection in a world that still too often denies us those things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Beyond Eressos: Landscapes of Lesvos<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunday is reserved for exploring the wider island. First stop: Petra<\/strong>, with its whitewashed houses and the church of Panagia Glykofilousa perched dramatically atop a rock. Then on to Molyvos<\/strong>, a fairy-tale village crowned by a medieval castle. The streets smell of jasmine, and the sea sparkles below like a spilled tray of sequins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There\u2019s also Plomari<\/strong>, the capital of ouzo, where we toured the Isidoros Arvanitis distillery<\/a>. I didn\u2019t expect to like ouzo \u2014 anise isn\u2019t usually my thing \u2014 but here, sipped slowly with grilled sardines, it makes perfect sense. Ouzo isn\u2019t a shot. It\u2019s a conversation. And that\u2019s what Lesvos teaches you over and over: slow down, take it in, connect<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Takeaway: Come as You Are<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I left Lesvos, it was before sunrise. The taxi driver sped through the hills with abandon, the moon still full above us. I was tired \u2014 but full. Full of conversations, sea salt, music, ouzo, and something harder to define. A sense of behorende<\/em>, perhaps. Of being part of something larger, older, and wiser than myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eressos isn\u2019t just a destination. It\u2019s a feeling. A frequency. A small place with a huge heart.<\/strong> Whether you\u2019re travelling solo, with a lover, or chosen family, this sunlit village invites you to just be. No performance. No filter. Just you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Sappho? If she were here, she\u2019d be watching us from the bar, sipping ouzo, and smiling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planning your sapphic escape?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n