Tavuk Sis To Souvlaki: From Turkey To A Greek Island
What in God’s name possessed us to decide to leave the waterproofs at home? How on Earth did seasoned travellers like us make the conscious decision to leave them out of the backpacks until next time? Well somehow that’s what we did, which is how we come to be heading to the ferry in the early morning light by lurching from shop doorway to shop doorway in order to keep out of the worst of the rain. Mercifully it eases off just as we reach the open territory of the dock and we can pick our way through the puddles without getting a dousing. Just.
An hour later – though actually at the same time due to the disparity between Greek time and Turkish time – we are picking our way through puddles which speak a different language and reflect a different world. Our ferry takes an hour but the more expensive catamaran can do the same crossing in just 20 minutes – it’s really strange to think that there’s only such a short time between these two places yet the difference in culture and heritage is so plain. Five minutes of walking from passport control to the town and this is indisputably, unmissably Greek.
We have arrived on the island of Kos and it’s just after 9am on a November Monday. Much of Kos Town is closed, more so even than Fethiye or Bodrum – the doors of big restaurants are padlocked and the chairs are on tables indoors, tills and card machines switched off for the winter. A-boards are stacked behind windows, menus removed from the now empty lecterns, chequered tablecloths resigned to hibernation and there are even ATMs which are sealed off and out of bounds till next April. The season is well and truly over, the locals have their town back for a few months. It’s chilly, it’s cloudy, mopeds splash through puddles – Greeks are not renowned for early starts at any time of year but on a grey November morning it’s as if nobody is smelling the coffee yet, let alone climbing out of bed.
“What are you doing here?”, asks the lady in the grocery store, and frowns when we tell her our reasons. “But it’s cold now, why come now?”. As we are very soon to discover, there are real bonuses to be had by coming here now, not least the fact that those establishments which are still open are the genuine tavernas, those where the locals come out to eat and the village wine takes the value-for-money factor to a whole new level. Another 5 euro carafe with your souvlaki, Sir? Oh, go on then.
Kos Town has a legitimate claim to be the birthplace of medical care as we know it. Beneath the plane tree in the centre of town, the legendary Hippocrates, born on the island, taught lessons in medicine to eager pupils. A descendant of the plane tree, now an ancient being in its own right, stands supported by scaffolding in Kos Town centre. A few miles inland from the town lies the Aesklepion, an extensive ruin on four terraced levels, believed by some historians to be the World’s very first site of medical education and treatment. Mind you, some of those early treatments were a little, erm, interesting. Playing tricks on people doped with opium smoke to make them believe they’d had a visitation from God, and locking patients for a night in a pitch dark chamber filled with snakes were just two of the treatments designed to “shock the sufferer into good health”. You can’t get those on the NHS.
Kos the island has to say the least a varied history in terms of occupation and ownership, passing through Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Genoese, Ottoman and Italian eras, in that order, until occupied by the Germans during WWII, briefly becoming a British protectorate upon cessation of the war and finally ceded to Greece in 1947. Despite this changing history and the relatively short time it’s been held by Athens, Kos absolutely feels Greek.
Mornings are heralded now by the chiming of bells rather than the call of the muezzin, it’s souvla instead of ocakbaşi, Mythos in place of Efes, kalimera rather than merhaba.
One of the consequences of this long and varied history is that Kos has more than its fair share of archeological sites and spectacular ruins – you don’t have to travel far from one to explore the next. For the third time on this short trip, after Fethiye and Datça, we collect a rental car for a few days in order to take in the island, and there is much to see.
Mountains run down the spine of Kos, quaint bougainvillea splashed villages dot the hillsides, peace reigns supreme. In addition, there’s gushing cold water springs in the mountains and thermal springs pumping hot water into the sea as a result of past volcanic activity on nearby Nysiros. There are many more miles of sandy beach than most Greek islands can lay claim to, too. Some of these beach towns are weird places in November: there is absolutely nothing left. Not only is everything closed down and boarded up for winter, but, because these are ersatz villages catering for in-season vacationers, they are devoid of permanent population. There is, literally, nobody here in these strange temporary locations, probably not until pre-season preening time arrives. Tigaki, which looks every inch a lovely holiday destination, is the ghostliest of the ghost towns. After the gold rush, indeed.
Just along the coast from Kefalos, the lengthy expanse of sand known as Paradise Beach does its best to live up to its name – of course it’s quiet now with just a handful of people dotted along its length, but its calm beauty is undeniable. In hot summer sun this place must genuinely be a little piece of paradise. Even now we’re tempted to take a dip in its clear waters, maybe we’ll make a return if the weather plays ball.
It’s near Paradise Beach that we first hear it. Somewhere inside the closed down restaurant, there is a continuous, repetitive miaowing which is both drawling and plaintive. Somewhere in this rambling, empty building, a cat is in distress. Animal lovers – and particularly in my case cat lovers – that we are, we can’t leave without seeing what we can do to help. Eventually I find him, cowering beneath large leaves, miaowing over and over again and barely taking a breath. But he seems fine – his coat is silky, he is walking OK, he lets me pick him up and caress him. We can’t understand the reason for his distress. Then suddenly Michaela remembers a similar tale from her childhood. “I think he’s deaf”, she says. I go behind him and clap my hands – no reaction. I make that hissing sound which cats hate – no reaction. Michaela is right, he’s deaf, and he doesn’t know he’s making all this noise. As we drive away, his eyes are fixed on me, his little mouth opening and closing with plaintive cries which only he can’t hear. And I’ve just left a little piece of my heart at Paradise Beach.
Our road trips also take in the remains of Antimachia castle, the attractive town of Kefalos with the remains of its clifftop fortress and the winding roads leading to the mountaintop village of Zia. Zia is also closed and nigh on deserted, save for a group of old ladies chatting over a wall. From this high level vantage point, the clear views across the rest of Kos and on to dozens of other islands and the Turkish mainland, make the drive to the top worth every minute.
Central to the island is the small town of Pyli, split into its newer and older halves, where it seems half the population is dressed in black and heading for the church from which bells chime slowly and solemnly. A village character has clearly passed away. Unable to take what would be intrusive photographs of the picturesque church, we wander instead around the fountains of the gushing spring, past quaint chapels and silent homes, to the modest village square where the taverna is being prepared to receive the mourners. As with all funerals, it’s starting to rain.
As we make our way around Kos the island, we can’t help but wonder what life is like for the islanders once the holidaymakers and the summer sun is gone. What do all the restauranteurs, chefs, barmen, boatmen etc all do in the winter? Michaela takes the opportunity to practice her Greek and ventures to ask a group of ladies precisely that question….how do you fill your time in winter?
“Easy”, says one, smiling, “we stay indoors and eat cake”.
33 Comments
Jenny Woolf
Greece is great and your post made me want to make another out of season trip. I have never actually been there IN season, come to think of it although I generally go after Christmas when the new flowers are coming up.
Phil & Michaela
It’s so good, Jenny. Plenty of days full of warm sunshine, very few visitors and joining the locals in the tavernas. You could argue that this is Greece at its best 😄
Heyjude
Ah, Kos. I was there in November 1978 with the ex and two tots in tow. It was cold then and also pretty much everything was closed. No public transport either so we remained I Kos town where there is a rather splendid fort I think. Knights of St John?
Phil & Michaela
Yes there is a rather splendid castle right at the port. Evenings are just a little chilly but the sunny days are absolutely lovely, still quite warm. It’s fascinating seeing how these places operate out of season.
Monkey's Tale
It really does look charming in the off season. I had forgotten that’s where Hippocrates is from. I often find it funny that but just crossing a border, or a short ferry ride, how different two cultures can be. So by waterproofs, do you mean rainjackets?
Phil & Michaela
Rain jacket, yes…we simply didn’t bring them and we really can’t recall the rationale! Mind you, the sunny days far outweigh the wet ones, and the weather generally has been absolutely lovely for November.
Helen Devries
The locals’ caffs are always the best!
Phil & Michaela
Always. Everywhere!
restlessjo
I know a few people who would endorse that last idea. Friends were there in a deluxe holiday hotel earlier this year and it didn’t look my idea of fun, but I’ve always loved the Greek Islands. Out of season Kos looks fine by me and I would be interested to visit Aesklepion.
Phil & Michaela
Probably the best time of year to visit – the sunny days are still lovely and warm, and everywhere is nicely quiet.
Lynette d'Arty-Cross
I’ve only ever been to Greece or Turkey in the early spring, so it has always been quieter and yes, you get to enjoy much better exploration opportunities and authentic food as you rub elbows with the locals. Right now, we’re like the Greeks. It’s grey, it’s November, and until the skiing starts in a couple of weeks, the tourists have gone home. We’re not moving too fast, either. 😉
Phil & Michaela
It’s really not a bad time to visit if you’re lucky enough to get some warm sunny days like we have now. Although it looks like it’s getting much colder from tomorrow. Your winter, however, will be a tad more harsh! 😄
Lynette d'Arty-Cross
Oh yes, in many parts of Canada, especially the north, the winter will be 🥶. But much of coastal British Columbia and additionally our little valley here is quite temperate during the winter. 😊 So great.
Alison
Apart from the rain, looks like you’ve chosen a good time to travel. Those villages are postcard perfect and the sea looks very inviting
Phil & Michaela
We’ve had some lovely warm sunny days as well as the rain, Ali, so it’s really not been a bad time to come here.
Alison
That’s surprising as I thought Greece was not great in November
Phil & Michaela
I think we’ve got lucky.
WanderingCanadians
It was neat to learn more about the history of Kos and how it’s considered the birthplace of medical care. Even though it was a bit rainy and chilly and many of the restaurants were closed, there are definitely perks to visiting during the off-season. Sucks that you left your rain jackets back home though.
Phil & Michaela
It’s been great – mostly lucky with the weather and a quiet island off season
Toonsarah
A shame about the waterproofs but looking at your photos you would only have made use of them on a handful of days? This sounds a great time of year to visit on the whole, having sites like Aesklepion to yourselves (or so it seems) and enjoying evenings in those ‘real’ tavernas with prices to match!
Phil & Michaela
Absolutely, on the whole we’ve been really lucky with the weather…some lovely warm days this late into November is pretty good. Definitely been a good time to visit.
leightontravels
Why on earth did you decide to abandon Storm Bert Britain at this lovely time of the year? Kos you could! Sorry, that was crap. Sladja and I really enjoyed reading about your Greek island experience. We both love Greece (Sladja is even learning Greek at the moment!) and treasure the three months we spent living on Naxos (not so far from Kos) last year. Would love to do another island stay someday and in many ways Kos ticks a lot of boxes, especially those with spectacular archeological ruins and the landscapes in and around the canyon. The food… wowza… but the cat story is indeed a heartbreaker and one that would have also left a lasting impression on us.
Phil & Michaela
Yeah that’s crap 😂 but crap jokes are fun. It’s an interesting time to visit, that’s for sure, and of course there’s always lots to love about the Greek islands. Of course, we’ve been lucky with the weather too, even the locals are saying winter is slow to arrive this year….and sunshine always helps huh.
Miriam
I love it!! In fact I had to read Doug that last line. To eat cake as a pastime in off season sounds like such a Greek (and Italian!) thing to do to pass the time.
Loved your whole post though guys. Seriously, travelling in off peak season sounds perfect to me, you’re getting the real deal, ridgy didge, authentic experience. As for the story of the deaf cat, it melted my heart!
Phil & Michaela
Ha ha glad to give you a smile or two. 😃. It’s definitely had its benefits, seeing touristy places out of season is an interesting experience. And adorable cats everywhere, but that little fella actually looked sad as we drove away 😞
Andrew Petcher
It is a lovely island for sure.
Phil & Michaela
Definitely. We really enjoyed our few days exploring.
Annie Berger
Don’t you love that a quick ferry ride transported you both to another land, language, and culture? Steven and still marvel at that even with all our traveling. The city and island of Kos looks charming and beautiful. What were the temperatures like in the early winter! Was it too cold to brave sitting on the deserted beach?
Phil & Michaela
Temperature kept dropping day by day, and now has recovered to low 20s. You could sit in the sun as long as you were sheltered from the wind.
grandmisadventures
Stay indoors and eat cake sounds like a fantastic way to spend the cold days of winter. She is brilliant! Loved seeing Kos with you. I’ve always been fascinated by Greek mythology so I loved seeing the place of Hippocrates and the birth of medicine…even if at the same time I feel grateful that medicine has evolved a great deal since those practices 🙂
Phil & Michaela
Yeah I think you could call those treatments “brutal”! It’s been a good trip, helped by the late autumn sunshine.
Latitude Adjustment: A Tale of Two Wanderersl
You can’t beat off season.
Phil & Michaela
Very true!