Kos, Friday, June 8, 2007

This morning at 5:00 we were awakened to disembark in an hour on the island of Kos. The sun was just rising, and the mountainous islands loomed in the distance as we slowly pulled into the port of Kos.

A taxi took us to the Yiorgos hotel, near the marina in town. In this small hotel there is no 24-hour reception, and all was dark inside, but since it was already well past 6:00 AM, we rang the bell. After all, the hotel would have to prepare breakfast shortly.

The proprietress leaned over her balcony and said she would be right down. She knew immediately who we were, even though we had not yet presented our documents. The beginning of June is still relative light, and the hotel has few guests at this time. She was able to give us our rooms at this early hour, and the girls went straight for a nap. I went to explore. Of course, nothing was open in this vacation mecca, as vacationers don't get up so early.

I woke everyone up at about 9:00 so that we could go to breakfast. At breakfast we met a Danish guest who was very animated in his recommendation of the hotel and of the island in general. He has come here twice a year for nearly 8 years for a total of about 6 weeks each year. “I come back to the same hotel every time.”

He suggested that we take the bus to the seaside town of Mastihari, about 35 kilometers away (about half the length of the island). He knew the bus schedule and told us when to catch the bus and when we would have to return not to miss the last bus back to town.

In the meantime we decided to rent bicycles. We pedaled around town seeing all sorts of commercial and historical sites as well as enjoying the picturesque setting by the sea. The city is full of Bougainvillias in blossom at this time of year. It is also apparently known for its hibiscus plants, which blossom earlier. The terrain is quite flat between the coast and the very high, steep mountain range that is the backbone of the island. Literally hundreds, if not thousands, of people were out bicycling today.

We saw an ancient ruin next to the square in which grows the Tree of Hippocrates. The tree is said to have been planted by the father of medicine more than 2 centuries ago. The tree is supported by a metal structure to keep it from collapsing under its own weight.

The girls did some shopping and then we rode to the bus terminal to catch the 1:00 bus, and where we locked the bikes and boarded the bus for Mastihari. We drove through the countryside dotted with vineyards and olive groves, arriving at our destination after only about a half hour. We parked ourselves on the beach and barely moved until 5:00. As the day progressed, the winds got stronger, until by the time we left, it was barely possible to stand the weather conditions at water's edge. It was about 80 degrees, and the wind was blowing at about 30 miles per hour. The dry air evaporates moisture quickly; therefore, it felt quite cold.

We sat at a taverna across from the bus stop, drank a local dry white wine, and waited for the bus.

At the beach, I had ventured out to find a grocery store to buy yogurt and fruit for a snack/lunch next to the water. I came back with some regular yogurt and some goats milk yogurt. But we had forgotten to bring spoons. Yoyi inventively fashioned spoons from a styrofoam cup that we had brought for water.

The goats milk yogurt was so good as to be impossible to describe.

We picked up our bikes when we returned and began to look for a restaurant on the water. Among the 3 of us we divided two “fixed price menus” and still had too much. At the Krabousanos Nikolaos restaurant, near the crusader castle we enjoyed fried cheese, tzatziki, and Greek salad to start. Then we had moussaka and chicken souvlaki. We shared a carafe of local red wine. By the time we were ready for dessert, we noticed the time. We had only 15 minutes until the deadline to return the bikes. We asked the waiter to pack up our leftover Greek salad and the dessert that was included with the meal, and we took off. What a nice meal, served by a nice waiter. Generally, the waiters, receptionists, and others have been very cordial and helpful.

After a hard day at the beach and bicycling, it's time to get a good night's rest.