We departed Isle Nisyros and headed north for the island of Kos, the wind was fair and we had a pleasant sail arriving in the port of Kardamena on Kos’s southern coast in the early afternoon.

We were hoping to meet up with John on La Gabriella (a fellow live-aboard from our winter in Marmaris) who we had been advised through the grapevine had serious gearbox problems with his boat and had sailed into Kardamena to affect repairs. On our arrival he was out to meet us, taking our ropes and happy to see ‘a well kent face’. His gearbox was out the boat and had been sent to England for a major overhaul and wasn’t due back for another couple of weeks.

A view of Kardamena Harbour

Kardamena was not our usual type of stopover, it being a very noisy tourist resort mainly for the 18 to 30 age group who in the words of Rod Heikell ‘want little to do with anything Greek and frequent any establishment that remotely resembles the ‘local’ at home’.

The main street Kardamena

However in their defence all the loud music stopped at mid-night and there was good shopping in the town. We hirer a car to tour the island and John kindly offered to come along as our guide as he had previously wintered in the marina at Kos and knew the island well.

Filling our bottles at the spring

Kos is a very fertile island and there is an abundance of excellent fruit and vegetables all grown locally. The reason for its fertility is a spring of crystal clear water which flows from high up in the mountains and irrigates the whole of the plain. It is said that this spring has been flowing continuously for 3000 years (that’s a lot of water). No need for bottled water here, just take along your bottles and fill them at the spring.

Looking down on the plain, Turkey in the background

A view from up in the mountains looking down on the plain all of which is irrigated from the spring.

The statue of Hippocrates at Kos

Kos is also famous for Hippocrates the father of modern medicine and although we may not know the history we will all have heard of the Hippocratic Oath. The statue in Kos harbour shows Hippocrates receiving a patient with some of his students gathered round.

Legend has it Hippocrates taught under this tree

This is reputed to be one of the sites where Hippocrates taught, in the shade of the trees with a cool meltemi wind blowing. A most pleasant place to be on a hot summer’s day.

Lunch in the village of Zia with John

John was most insistent that we visit the small village of Zia up in the mountains where he said existed the best restaurant on Kos. And he wasn’t wrong! The village is now a busy tourist attraction, but the restaurant is up the hill at the top of the village and most tourists don’t bother to climb that far. The view was as good as the meal!

The village church at Zia.