Kos, the town

Our last full day in Kos is so leisurely that I think it makes my leg muscles twitch from inactivity. Expecting cloudy skies (we got 'em!) I left this day wide open. If it rained, I would not be disappointed. In the end, it did not rain and we concentrated on giving ourselves a closer inspection of Kos, the town.

So, appreciating the mostly cloudy but nonetheless beautiful sunrise...






...we slowly went down to breakfast (a repeat of all the others we've had here)...






...and then I proposed we visit the Casa Romana -- the largest Roman villa in Greece. Mosaics, fountains, that kind of thing. At least that's what the guide book tells me. It also tells me that it reopened in 2009 after a period of restoration and that it is open to the public from Tuesdays through Sundays.

So explain to me, please, why it is, in fact, closed. You cannot, I know you cannot. In the same way that the desk clerk could not explain to me why the Ciao pizzeria was closed a couple of days back, and in the same way that no one could explain to me why the ad hoc skating rink in the middle of the town square here is closed today. Nor when it would reopen. Maybe at 11. Or the afternoon. Or the evening. Or maybe not today. (Yes, I surely would have skated in the middle of the town square here, what with fifty degree temps and no sign of snow anywhere, not even in the mountains. Instead, we watched the poorly insulated compressor work its tail off trying to keep that ice on the rink in a skateable condition. With no one skating on it.)

Some things just cannot be explained.

So what photos do I offer you? Well, of our walk through town. I seem to have focused on pairs of men, pairs of women. In the first photo, do take note of this unusual feature of Kos sidewalks: trees take precedence! Walking can be a challenge if you stubbornly want to retain the right of way and someone is coming from the opposite direction. A second thing to note -- the prevalence of black attire.





















The last photo well describes our own walk through the ancient agora: or, the ruins of the ancient agora. I have mixed emotions about this place. The old stones, pillars, foundations are so overgrown with grass and weeds that on the one hand I want so say -- get some goats out here, quick! -- but from another perspective, I'm thinking -- maybe this is how I should take it in? Crumbling, overgrown, a pile of rubble with grasses threatening to cover it completely. Something so insubstantial as blades of grass with a few dandelions, covering an entire site of a civilization that is no more. Isn't that a more accurate rendition of a historical reality?











We walk back to our hotel with the perfect view onto the sea and I do yoga by the window, keeping my focus on the still waters.


In the late afternoon, we venture out again, this time along the shore, away from Kos town center and toward the rather stately marina. As usual, Ed takes the time to describe to me the various boats and their idiosyncratic features. I want to tell him -- no more travel means no more admiring boats in stately marinas, buddy! But I stay silent.






We cover the whole terrain, every boat, every last rich person's sailing dream and then we continue on to the repair center, where boats are whipped up into shape, paint job and all...






Contrast this wealth-driven paradise with a photo of Kos strays...






And, too with this photo of a man on a bench by the water. He sensed that we were English speaking. When we passed him, he shouted out a greeting. His dog wagged his tail. We petted the dog. The dog wagged his tail more forcefully. The man's face broke into a wide grin and he said with pride: Demi. Name is Demi. Demi wagged as if there was no tomorrow.







In the evening we say good bye to Greece by going across the street to Avanti -- a nice Italian pizzeria. I know. It makes no sense and I will surely miss the fresh fish when I leave this place. Still, a pizza tasted so good...





Ed can't resist it either and so we eat for once together, in step, as if this was like any other meal on any other day back home.


Tomorrow (Saturday) we ferry over back to Turkey and then we fly back to Istanbul and then we hope for just two days to get decent weather because we have some more outdoor stuff to do and it just wont do if it rains crazy rains (which are indeed in the forecast). I know my posting schedule is off. You'll forgive me. You always do and I'm so very grateful for it.