Pit stop: Cos

Much to our dismay, the ferry to Turkey from Rhodes was full on the day we were ready to leave and the next ferry didn’t  leave for another 5 days. Since we had already spent a week in Rhodes, we decided to hop over to another island instead of waiting. And thus we arrived in Cos, a small island on the way to Turkey. We had no idea where we were staying or headed, but as we got off the ferry, an old woman on a scooter approached us almost immediately. She offered a cheap room and we followed her scooter, her cape flapping in the wind. It was hilarious. We were so close to Turkey that we could see the Turkish coast, and there were some Turkish influences around us (we had a coffee break in a Turkish café). Being our 3^rd Greek island, we didn’t really see anything new and stayed in a dumpy hotel. We stayed just one night (thus the short post) and got on a ferry out to Bodrum, Turkey the next day. It always works out in the end. Goodbye cat-loving nation.

* Julia

Turkey posts start tomorrow! 

Yes this nice man is feeding a herd of street cats. 

 "Filter coffee"-- The filter sits on top of your cup and you pour water in, cover with lid, and wait. 

Lindos

We heard a lot of good things about a little beach town 55 km south of Rhodes Town, called Lindos. So we decided to catch a bus and spend the day there. The drive there was breathtaking in itself-- we passed lots of little towns, mandarin orchards, olives being picked (this was the harvest time for olives), and beautiful scenery of the sea. Lindos is a very popular tourist spot in the summer but when we arrived there it was practically empy, there were only 4 other people on the beach with us. Although the sun was out, the water still felt a little chilly, it took awhile before we got the courage to finally jump in. It was quite the experience to swim in a sea with views of a historic castle from the water. We didn't swim for long but we enjoyed reading on the deserted beach for a bit before heading off to explore the town.

The Acropolis of Lindos sits on top of the highest point in Lindos overlooking all of the town. We unfortunately didn't have a chance to go in because it closed much earlier then we were expecting. But we had a great time walking around it's walls and the cliffs that it sits on. A little history for you: the Acropolis was fortified successively by the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Knights of St. John, and the Ottomans. The original Temple of Athena Lindia, at the top of the hill, was constructed in the 8th or 9th century BC. It was destroyed by fire 500 years later. The temple that now stands on top of the hill was built in the 4th century BC. There is also a little bay on the south side of Lindos called St. Paul's Harbor (the name comes from the legend that St. Paul's boat landed here during the Apostle's visit to Rhodes).

Most of the shops and restaurants were closed by 4 PM and hardly anyone was out but we did find a cozy restaurant where we had dinner. We also tried traditional Greek yogurt with honey and walnuts for dessert, it tasted amazing, and that's coming from a guy who doesn't really like dessert. From there we caught our bus back home to Rhodes; tired and with a little tan. It was a good trip.

-Yuriy

Restaurant highlight: Koykos

We discovered an incredible restaurant in the new town of Rhodes called Koykos. I fell in love with the indoor décor--folksy and woodsy, with old cuckoo cloths, vintage do-dads, and musical instruments like banjos and accordions on the walls. The charm even fills the restrooms, where brass handwashing sinks are laid in wooden barrels and the toilet has a drawstring flusher (and I was crazy enough to photograph it). The restaurant has a wood-fire oven where they make delicious varieties of bread and pastries, which you can buy to-go from the glass case (and smell from the street). Or you can take a seat at a table indoors or outdoors and order from the menu, which has a great selection of gourmet sandwiches and Greek meze plates (appetizers), at very reasonable prices. Outdoors there is a lounge area with cushioned benches and piles of colorful pillows that face a walking street. From our seat outdoors, we peeked through an open window into the kitchen where we had a perfect view of the cooks pulling out fresh food from the oven. We ordered toasted sandwiches and fava. As we sat outdoors for over an hour on a late Friday night, we watched nicely dressed people walking by and groups of scooters speed past with 2 youngsters on each. The restaurant was packed with Greek locals. We couldn’t help but come back another time during the day with our books so we could sample Koykos coffee and dessert. I’d have come a third time if we stayed in Rhodes long enough.

- Julia