After a lovely sunset ferry ride from Rhodes, Thor and I embrace the beauties of Kos, the healing island.
NOTE: Since our recent trip to Greece to research more settings for my novel-in-progress, THE ARIADNE DISCONNECT, Thor and I knew we had to return to this magical region. My first entry in this new blog series posted here on Saturday, 10/20/2018. It gives an overview of our rambles from Athens to seven islands in the Dodecanese and Cyclades groups, ending our ferry-hopping pilgrimage on the anciently sacred island of Delos.
After thoroughly enjoying our second visit to the historically rich island of Rhodes, Thor and I boarded a huge Blue Star ferry that took us close to the rugged coastline of Turkey, heading north toward Kos.
Both islands are in the Dodecanese group, but the trip took several hours. Since I grew up on Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve taken ferries my whole life, and really enjoy them, especially when lucky enough to spot Orcas. In the Aegean, I hope to spot dolphins, but no luck this time. Since Greece has 6,000 islands, 227 of them inhabited, the ferry system is incredibly complex and includes all sizes of vessels. For this long-haul ferry, we had paid a small extra sum for business class, which gave us access to a plush lounge area where we sat at a bow window for wonderful views.
The restaurant didn’t open until an hour before our scheduled 8:00 pm arrival on Kos, but as we were starving, we cajoled the gracious waiter into seating us and expediting a delicious dinner that we enjoyed while watching the sunset over the sea.
Our hotel had arranged for a rental car to be waiting at the ferry terminal for us, but we forlornly watched all the arriving passengers and vehicles disperse, and the phone number I’d been given for the hotel reached only a closed office in Athens. Finally, Stefanos pulled up in our car (apparently there had been a mixup in times), and offered to drive us in the car to our hotel an hour away at the other end of the island. Yes! We arrived late that evening at the White Rock of Kos, with an impressive view we would fully appreciate the next morning.
I had booked this luxury hotel as a splurge to have a real R&R, and it turned out to be a good idea. My hip injury had been worsening throughout the trip, pain making it difficult to sleep on the usual Greek beds that are about as soft as a slab of marble. I was looking forward to this hotel’s advertised “premium bedding,” but hadn’t expected the treat awaiting us: they were giving us a free upgrade to a truly luxury suite! The huge, cushy bed was heaven.
The all-white, stark decor and extra sitting room were rather overwhelming and not to our taste, but we managed to cope, especially when we saw our private infinity pool overlooking the bay and islet below.
The enormous bathroom was about the size of our previous cozy room on Rhodes, and it even had His and Her shower heads in the all marble space! Definitely over the top for “our little lot” (you must see “A Room with a View” if you haven’t already), but we decided we could cope.
In the morning, after a sumptuous breakfast buffet at the hotel, we headed down the steep road to Kefalos bay below for a lovely swim out to the tiny islet offshore. Kastri island has a small chapel, and tradition holds that if you ring its bell, it will bring you luck.
At one end of this town beach, the ruins of a 4th century A.D. Christian basilica, Agios Stefanos, perches on the seaside boulders.
At that time, Christianity was officially accepted in the region via the Mediolana Decree, and many basilicas — apparently the term means a church where King Christ is beloved — were built to serve the believers. This one incorporated Doric columns.
Surprisingly, visitors are free to walk around in the site, and here again we found lovely mosaics exposed to damage. No idea what the lettering means! Anyone?
As we were leaving, a Greek diver emerged from the sea, climbing over the ruins with his catch, an octopus. Since my scuba diving days when I made the acquaintance of several of these intelligent creatures, I can’t bear the thought of eating one, but they are certainly common on Greek menus.
And back to our private pool for a refreshing dip and a pause to appreciate our own Room with a View!
Next week: a day trip to the nearby volcanic island of Nisyros and a hike into its active caldera.
*****
You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s latest novel from Book View Cafe is available in print and ebook: The Ariadne Connection. It’s a near-future thriller set in the Greek islands. “Technology triggers a deadly new plague. Can a healer find the cure?” The novel has received the Chanticleer Global Thriller Grand Prize and the Cygnus Award for Speculative Fiction. Sara has recently returned from another research trip in Greece and is back at work on the sequel, The Ariadne Disconnect. Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com
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