From Turkey to Greece in one day
The reason that served to recall the events of pre-Covid 2019 turned out to be a banal misunderstanding related to the fact that on TurPravda, in the profile of site users, the countries you have visited are marked, only those about which you wrote reviews or stories. But what about my Greece? I was there, at least one day, but I was. Looking at the chronology of stories about Fr. Kos on the site, I saw that there were practically no publications about him in recent years, it would be a sin not to refresh the memory of my trip to this Greek island.
When we chose Bodrum as a holiday destination in Turkey in 2019, one of the good reasons was the proximity of Fr. Kos from the Turkish coast, and the possibility of getting there by ferry in the form of a one-day excursion. By the way, oh Kos is visible from almost all elevated places on the southern coast of the Bodrum Peninsula, but it is closest to the Turkish village of Turgutreis, from which the ferry reaches the island in 20 minutes, and then it cost $ 17, from Bodrum itself we got 40 minutes, and the cost the trip was $ 20. A pleasant boat trip soon gave way to the outlines of the city of Kos of the same name, which is essentially a small resort town, but with a large number of historical sights, the excavations of which continue to this day.
The sea gates of the island are a small picturesque harbor and, on the side of it, the ancient defensive fortress of the island, which, unfortunately, was under repair and could not be entered. On the embankment there is a monument to Hippocrates, whose name largely determines the popularity of the island, not far from the monument is the beginning of several routes around the city on tourist trains. Twenty-minute pleasure with colorful Greek music cost 8 euros, tourists are transported past places for shopping and some archaeological sites.
Within walking distance from the pier there are other sights of the city, including the plane tree of Hippocrates, which is said to be the oldest tree on earth, as well as the modern agora, the central square of the city with the market adjacent to it, where you can buy Greek gastronomic delights - spices, olives, oil, wine, etc. Among the tourist trains there is one route that takes tourists to the ancient Asklepion, the temple of health, where Hippocrates, the father of European medicine, studied and worked. It would be unforgivable not to take advantage of this opportunity, the ruins of the temple are located on a hill 4 kilometers from the city, so hiking is unrealistic.
The entrance to the territory of Asklepion is paid 8 euros, it is surrounded by coniferous trees, and since it is located on a hill, it is an excellent viewing platform for the city, the Aegean Sea and even Turkey. One hour is allotted for exploring the ancient sights of the temple, after which the train brings you back to the city. It would not be right to be in Greece and not try a Greek salad, so a visit to one of the restaurants in the city should be a must in the program for visiting the island. A distinctive feature of their serving of Greek salad is that everything is cut into large pieces, including cheese, you flavor it yourself with butter and spices.
Since the day turned out to be hot and eventful, we spent the last 1.5 hours on the island at sea, in Greece the water in the sea is also salty, so there were no peculiarities waiting for us here, but in general we felt a very significant difference between Kos and Bodrum , although the latter was Greek territory in the recent past. This difference was determined by the national color and composition of tourists and prices. The island of Kos was the first step in the study of Greece, I hope the next ones are not far off.
Kos Island from the ferry deck
Sea Gate of the Island
Pier near the embankment
Tourist trains
During the tour
Monument to Hippocrates
Asclepion Ruins
View from the upper platform of Asklepion
Greek-style Greek salad
The famous plane tree of Hippocrates on props
