Kos
01 September 2012 | Kos town
Enjoying a coffee after a morning ride around Kos
Kos is one of the central islands of the Dodacanese group and a very popular holiday destination for eastern Europeans. The beaches are lined with umbrellas and sunlounges occupied by holiday makers who obviously don't see much of the sun in their home country, as here they seem to spend all day lying out in the heat of the Med sun-they can't get enough of it! We seem to spend our day dodging it!
First Light spent her first night tied up in the inner harbour alongside a group of other yachts and very close into town. However, the afternoon of the second day a strong breeze blew in from the NE which sent a strong swell into the harbour, causing all the boats moored along the wall with us to rock quite violently from side to side. Our biggest concern was our mast or rigging colliding with a neighbouring yacht. Bern witnessed one yacht's wind indicator and aerial connecting with the rigging of the yacht alongside. Fearing the worst we up anchored and motored out of the harbour through the strong chop working its way in and thankfully, with a quick call to the marina about 1 km south, we were able to get a berth there and enjoyed a stable and secure anchorage for the next few days!
Kos is the island where the Cos lettuce originated! It is also the island where Hippocrates formed the moral code/oath that all doctors take as they commence practice as MD's. Hippocrates established a large hospital on the island where people came for various treatments. We visited these Roman ruins and were amazed at the extent of them and how well preserved they are still. The town of Kos bustles with tourists and surprisingly is a very bike friendly town. Extensive bike paths cover the whole town and run alonside pedestrian paths. Most hotels provide bikes for guest so the most common form of transport for getting around town is by bike. The town is very leafy and green with parks and gardens among the retail and restaurant areas. It was a really enjoyable place to spend a few days and of course, we had our bikes out and rode somewhere every day.