Mesochori in Karpathos

From the mountain village of Lefkos (not to be confused with the seaside village of Lefkos) it is about 7 kilometres to Mesochori. The road gets steeper, the mountains gets higher and the woods gets denser. Large areas have sadly been hit hard by forest fires. Two large forest fires ravaged in the area in summer of 2004, one in May and one in June. The fires did not reach as far as to Mesochori, and even better is that the forest has been recovered in parts.

The village of Mesochori and the fantastic mountains that surround the village.

This is what it looked like around Mesochori after the forest fire in 2004.

Mesochori is in my eyes the most beautifully situated village on Karpathos. It is impossible to get tired of looking at the panorama over the village and the fabulous mountains in the distance. Every time I gaze out over Mesochori I think of the movie Lord of the Rings. You will understand why when you get here.

The village is completely free of motor vehicles, so you can park where the village begins. There are several tavernas, a few shops and pensions. To aimlessly stroll around in the narrow alleys with worn beautiful houses and lush gardens is a balm to the soul.

One of the "streets" in car-free Mesochori.

At the bottom of the village there is a large festival area around two smaller churches, both of which date from the 18th century. The square where the festival site and the churches are located is called Platia Skopi. The views over the sea and the majestic mountains are breathtaking and completely adorable from here. An even more delicious view is from Kafe Skopi, which is right next door.

One of the churches at the Platia Skopi festival site.

The view from Kafe Skopi is astonishingly beautiful.

If you are thinking of getting married, I can recommend you to visit the church of Panagia Vrysiani in the village. There is a natural spring under the church, and it is said that if an unmarried woman drinks the water from the spring, she will get married in the not too distant future. However, there is a minus (or plus), the man must come from Karpathos. :-) Panagia Vrysiani is one of Karpathos most important churches and is celebrated with a big festival every year on September 8.

The church of Panagia Vrysiani in Mesochori is on the left in the picture.

WHAT YOU MUST NOT MISS WHEN YOU ARE IN THE AREA

Do not miss Lefkos, which you can read about here »

READ MORE ABOUT KARPATHOS