Kalymnos

We took the ferry from Kos to Kalymnos. We got on the boat early and took some pics while we had it all to ourselves:

An hour later, we were in Kalymnos:

We rented another car (we had to leave Agnes (our other car) in Rhodes):

We drove around the entire island in less than 2 hours.

Got lost at one point and a herd(?) of goats started following us!!

It was seriously a lot of goats to have chasing you on a dirt road on the edge of a cliff.  Major props to Aaron for getting us out alive!

We stopped in the village of Masori for the night and watched the sunset:

Then we got some grub at this cozy joint everyone in town was hanging at:

I had The Greek Plate (for like the 20th time):

It was so much food!

Aaron had a lamb stew with rice and fries:

Everything was selfish!  They even gave us free beer and free cake:

Probably the most moist chocolate cake I've ever had.  Free food and beer?? I might never leave!

The next day, we got falafels:

And baklava:

We'd been wanting to try both and we weren't disappointed!  We also bought this homemade hot sauce from the owner of the cafe and it is so good!  It's like a Mariners, but with heat and a good amount of body to it.  The owner said for her mom to make 10 jars of sauce takes her 1 whole week!

Worth it!!  Then we dropped the car off and took the ferry back home.  

Kalymnos was a little out of the way from Rhodes (it took us about 3 hours to get home), but it was really a fantastic experience.  Each island offers something unique and has its own feel and beauty to it, I wish we had time to see them all!

Kos

Aside from the migrant crisis, Kos is a beautiful place.  We didn't do a bunch of touristy stuff or even hang out at the beach, but we did see the Plane Tree of Hippocrates (ever heard of The Hippocratic Oath?), where it's believed Hippocrates taught his students.   

We also saw the ruins of Asklepieion, which was the largest hospital and medical school (founded by Hippocrates).

I also took some shots of the town:

Again, Kos is a gorgeous place, rich with history and culture.  It was just tainted for us with the migrant situation, which was something we couldn't look past.  

We met a mix of people, most locals looked at the migrants as a burden.  We even heard one proprietor (giving an interview) call them dirty and say many of them were sick with diseases.  However, we also met unwaveringly generous people who donated all they could for the cause.  The Dutch organization we met said the entire group was moved from the shady park to the sweltering beach a couple days ago.  It's hard to enjoy a beach day when you hear things like that.  

We decided not to stay in Kos (it left a bad taste in our mouths) and opted to spend the night in the next island over, called Kalymnos.   Next post: Kalymnos!

Displacement...

Today we took a ferry to the island of Kos (it's another hour past Symi).  The island is beautiful with lots of ruins and a nice beach and town, but this is where the migrants fleeing Turkey (Syria) are arriving and it's a really strange juxtaposition to see the immense beauty as a backdrop for such intense suffering.  I can't imagine not only losing my home (btw my hearts go out to all the people in Lake County and surrounding areas in CA), but to lose your country and have nothing and nowhere to go must be devastating.  Not only that, but the place you flee to looks at you like a burden, doing the bare minimum to help you.  It just seems so unfair and impossibly heartbreaking.  

I've seen the pictures online and on the news, but seeing it in person was just mind-blowing.  Walking by dirty rafts and rows of tents in the burning sun filled with people just killed me inside.  I broke down in the middle of the street and Aaron and I looked and each other and knew we had to do something.  I took pictures not to exploit, but to raise awareness because I've seen the affects of this terrorism and the displacement of an entire population is just not something we, as human beings, should stand for.  

Most tourists walk right by without giving these people a second look, going about taking their pictures and buying their souvenirs, even going so far as to have lunch at a beachfront restaurant in full view of hundreds of starving men, women and children.  It's unfathomable!  

On the flip side, huge shout-out to the organizations trying to help.  We met a Dutch group:

And a Greek group:

Aaron and I asked for a shopping list and personally bought over 100 razors, a dozen cans of shaving cream, 30 hats (the store we went to donated 15 more!), a bunch of sunscreen and another nice donation of 3 backpacks.  Super shout-out to the Greek owners of this store in Kos:

They were so sweet and wanted to do what they could to help (it's infectious!), giving us free merch and great deals.  Here's our loot:

Let's give this shit away!

Aaron and I don't look at what we did as being selfless or generous.  In fact, it's rather selfish.  When I look at these people I think what if this were my mother?  Or my brother?  Or my friend?  I would want someone to do the same for them.  I don't even look at it as a choice, it's more like a responsibility.  If I have the means to do something for someone, no matter how small, then I have to.  Life isn't about having a bunch of money or a bunch of stuff.  Sure that's great, but it's really about human connection.  The more we can connect, the richer we become.  People who think happiness has anything to do with money is completely missing the boat.

If there's anything you can do to help, please don't hesitate.  You have no idea how thankful and happy they were for a can of shaving cream and a hat.  We should all try to do our part because if the tables were turned (and believe it or not, no one is untouchable), I would hope someone would do the same for us.

If you have a home and a bed (indoors) and neighbors and a job and food and a shower, be so grateful because there are millions right now sleeping in tents dreaming of a home they might never see again.

Sorry to get so preachy, but we should all be furious about what's happening right now in the world.  

I'll post the rest of Kos soon.

Symi

Yesterday we took a ferry to the island of Symi.  It's right next to Rhodesand the ferry took about an hour and a half.  Here's a visual:

We got off the ferry at the bottom (in Panormitis) and drove to the top (Symi).  Here's a picture of the ferry:

We took our rental car (we decided to keep our car until we leave) and we were able to see the entire island.  Simply stunning!  Aaron's striking a pose:

This is the monastery the town is named after:

They had an incredible temple inside with hundreds of gold lanterns hanging from the ceiling and candles lit everywhere.  It was like no church I've ever seen, and of course pictures were forbidden. 

We drove about half an hour to the other side of the island, called Symi.

They're known for sea sponges:

We found a tiny, almost deserted beach right around the corner from the popular beach:

Symi was beautiful!  I can't wait to explore more of The Aegean Islands!

Random Rhodes

Ville di Lindos:

View from Kritinia's Castle:

Fishbowl:

Old Town Rhodes concert:

Ninja Aaron:

Camel selfie:

Kalithea:

Butterflies everywhere:

Rhode Trip

I still can't blog from my computer because we don't have wifi at our apartment, so I'll just post a few from my phone until I have time to take my laptop to a cafe and blog from there.

Anyway, we drove around the island after we left our idyllic hotel.  Let me just say, Ville di Lindos was the best hotel experience I've ever had.  Not only was it incredibly beautiful with fantastic service and amenities, but it also had a very welcoming, family feel which we completely fell in love with.  For example, they have a hotel dog named Pepe, who just wanders around the grounds adorably:

It felt so good to have a dog around, I can't even tell you.  If you're ever in Rhodes, visit Lindos and stay at our hotel.  You won't be sorry!

So, we drove around the island and here are a few pictures of what we saw:

Kritina's Castle:

Ancient Kameiros:

Random beach:

Butterfly Valley:

Ostrich Farm:

Kalithea:

Rhodes is gorgeous and renting a car to explore on our own was the best decision we could have made.

Once I can get my stupid phone tethered  to my stupid computer, I'll be able to post way more pictures.  I'm working on it (well, in between beach sessions).