Maspion Groups: mesta

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i have a serious problem with mesta -- it is so photogenic, i took zillions of pictures and couldn't decide which one to post.... so..... i decided to make my longest photo post yet and show this whittled down selection. i'm so sorry it's so long but i'm unable to control myself!

whenever i go to chios, i make a point of visiting this medieval village. it's built as a maze of narrow lanes, with arches bridged by homes and originally surrounded by a wall. this structure intended to keep pirates away from the important buildings situated in the center.

while walking through the town, one experiences a perpetual play of shadow and light, texture, splashes of color from flowers and bunches of drying tomato, children, animals, scents and sounds.

when i visited the town about 20 years ago, there were many buildings damaged by time and only a few tables on the central square. we knocked on the door of a makeshift taverna and asked if we could, perhaps, have lunch? the older woman there whipped up a potato omelet and salad for us and was very shy about accepting money for her trouble. today there is a proper taverna and cafes, shops, soft ice cream and wireless internet... and the buildings have been repaired.

i chatted with a woman sitting on her chair in the lane, with her cats for company -- she said that life was not easy with these older buildings... and she remembered the woman who had once made us the omelet who has since passed away.

i made a few rounds with my camera -- once with a wide angle and then my 50 and 100. i think there have been enough attempts to photograph the important buildings and the square, so i focused on the details to give a feel for the place.

remember this advice: when in chios, visit mesta.

i've added these photos to the map on flickr.

just hanging