When the ferry arrived on Kos island it was a short stroll to my hotel in Kos Town. Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese, after Rhodes and Karpathos. Tourism is the main industry nowadays, its beaches a primary attraction.
Kos Town however was founded in 366 BC and some archaeological sites are the prove of that. The ancient physican Hippocates is thought to have been born on Kos and in the center of Town there is a Plane Tree on where Hippocrates is supposed to have taught. Since then, Kos has been influenced by many cultures. In the 14th century Neratzia Castle was built by the Knights of Saint John. The last few years Kos island is one of the main arrival points in Greece for refugees coming over in small rubber boats from Turkye, 3 nautic miles away. During a long beachwalk around the northern Cape Skandari I noticed some life jackets and rubber boats from refugees arriving the night before. It was a sad contrast to the holidaymakers enjoying Lambi beach. After 3 nights in Kos I moved to Tigaki, a small beach resort town, to enjoy my last days of this trip on the beautiful white sand beach. Unfortunetly it rained and stormed on one of days (for the first time since six months). At least it added some water to the Aliki Salt Lake, where a few white flamingos where feeding themselves.
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My transfer from the island of Rhodes to the island of Kos was by ferry. On sundaymorning the ferry took off in the harbour of Rhodes Town and after an hour it made a stop at the island of Symi. Symi island is one of the gems of the Dodecanese island chain. It is mountainous and includes the harbour town of Symi and its adjacent upper town Ano Symi. The economy of Symi was traditinally based on shipbuilding and sponge industries. Nowadays tourism is the main industry and the island stands out for its beautiful architecture and colorful houses.
After 15 minutes in the harbour of Symi the ferry continued for another hour to the island of Kos. It was already late in the evening when I arrived on Rhodes, the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. After Crete the island is the most visited destination in Greece. The island is at a crossroads between Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The capital of the "island of the Knights" is Rhodes Town and it is located at the northern tip of the island. Rhodes Old Town itself is a main attraction. It is one of the best preserved and most extensive medieval towns in Europe. Medieval buildings mosques, Byzantine and Gothic churches are scattered throughout the Old Town within the city walls. Still 6000 people live and work in the same buildings the Knights of ST. John lived 6 centuries ago. Just outside the Old Town on the highest part of the city lies the Acropolis of Rhodes. There are still a few monuments to see like a stadium and a theatre. After spending 2 days in Rhodes Town I went to Faliraki for a few days. Faliraki is the primary seaside resort village of Rhodes. It has a 5 km stretch of sand and blue flag waters. As the beach is well-organised, there is no shortage of restaurants, shops, hotels and water sports activities along the main beach. At the south of the main beach, on the other side of the small harbour, there are two more bays/beaches that a bit less crowded (Kathara and Mandomata, the only legal nudist beach on the island). A rocky path over the hill leads to the Anthony Quinn Bay. This scenic spot has a small beach and is frequently visited by day-trippers. From Faliraki I returned to Rhodes Town for a night, to take the early morning ferry to Kos island the next day. |