20. August 2014 4 min read
Day 4 of Greek island Kos advanture - Kos city, Asclepius, Therme
We rented the scooter at the hotel so that we could drive around the island to see the main tourist attractions. First stop was main city of island Kos, Kos. The roads toward main city are quite well maintained and what is the most important they are wide and enable comfortable driving even with the terrible Greek drivers.
City Kos
Kos is situated on island Kos, facing Turkey and it is a lively city. Inside city you have an old fortress as well as many Greek ruins. Beside Greek remains you can also see the legacy of Hippocrates, the father of medicine who was born on the island. Also there are some remains of Turkish Bath as well as modern lively port with Riviera. In the port there is a everyday charter voyage towards Bodum (Turkey), but be aware that you will be leaving the European Union, so you are required to show Passport. The voyage towards Bodum lasts for around 20 to 30 minutes in normal conditions and you destination is clearly visible from Kos city.
Asclepius temple on Kos
Asclepius was a Greek half-God, son of Apollo and Koronida, who was killed by Zeus because he was raising dead. He was taught medicine by Gods and started curing people. Because this was against natural law Zeus killed him with his Lightening as human, before he could become a god. That is why he is worshiped as hero, but he also taught all his wifes and sons the secrets of medicine. There is a temple built and dedicated to him on the island just few kilometers into the Kos mountains which are above main city of Kos. Legend tells that many people came to be cured and as long as they donated they were cured of any possible diseases. The temple offers a great view of beaches and city Kos below, and is built in 3 layers-terraces which are connected by stairs. Also on the top terrace there was a church, but now only ruins remain. Within the temple complex there is a modern building which displays multimedia presentations of past events and it is really worth stopping. The entry fee was 4 EUR, but I am now used paying to see the ruins and nothing more (check the Great Britain adventure so that you will know what I am talking about). From parking lot to temple entrance there is a nice shady corridor where various plants are making perfect shade - in case you come there in middle of the day this is a great place to spend few hours to avoid the main sun. Ruins have no shade, but there are trees on side which cover some shade, so additional advice would be to visit the temple and go to left- straight to the multimedia building where you can spend around 30 minutes watching presentations about temple history. After that you will have to step out from shade into the sun.
The next day we have visited Eastern part of the island and you can read all about here