Now that we got into a full marina we thought we would enjoy the time.  First we arranged for the Raymarine technician to come and trouble shoot the navigation electronics.  Second was to get fuel while at the berth.  Simple things are different in some areas.  At first the technician was going to come over.  Then he was too busy to get to the marina but if we took the chartplotter out of the boat and brought it over he would look at it!  Never had such a request before and the issue will not be with the chartplotter but with the connections to the auxiliary equipment.  Finally found out that the technician had a big fight with the marina management and refused to enter the marina anymore.  Now how a person who make a living repairing electronics is not going to go the only marina on the island is beyond me.  We could move the boat over to the old harbor and he would come there.  So we dumped the repair for now and will deal with it in Turkey.

Talking with others in the marina this technician is the best on the island.  The other two are not that good and one boat has been waiting and waiting for new parts that never seem to come.

The fuel delivery went well except for spilling some on the deck.  Good thing we got fuel delivered by truck since the fuel dock is very exposed to the wind and waves and was shutdown several times.  Fuel is 1.49 Euro per liter.

Met a few other boater who are planning to over-winter in this marina.  Not a bad choice as long as no electronics need repairs.  Pretty well protected but does get a bit rolly with northerly winds that seem to enter the marina through the entrance.  Also waves from the south make a little surge through the gaps in the outer wall.  Nothing bad but just surprising.

Enough about the marina what about the town of Kos.  The old town is very old.  Over the centuries many of the great empires took hold here.  The Romans build some impressive buildings that were just buried with the next empire’s stuff.  The great earthquake of 1933 destroyed much of the town and the Italian (they occupied the place until the end of WWII) found the ruins excavated and restored some of them.  Now the town is a mixture of tourism, shops, cafes, tour boats and ruins that tend to be “hidden” and not on the list of most tourist to see.

The largest attraction is the Castle/fort in the old harbor.  It is an impressive sight built by the Knights when they controlled the place in medieval times.  Next to the castle is the plane tree that Hippocrates lectured below.  Now he has been dead for 2,400 years and the tree is about 500 years old but who is counting.  Still an impressive old tree that is held up by scaffolding today.

Another thing that is different on this island is cats.  While other parts of Greece had stray dogs all around here it is cats. Yes a few dogs but nothing compared to the begging cats in all the outdoor dining places.  They see people eating and sit below the chairs and tables waiting for scraps.  These are well fed cats and really a problem, not cute.

Overall the town is a nice place.  I am sure in the peak summer months it is overcrowded but in the fall it is nice.  Restaurants are not crowded but still open.  Streets are walk able without crowds.  Plenty of tourist stuff to buy and many jewelry stores. We did also notice some nice small hotels that would look nice for a few days stay if we did not have our boat.

We did not explore the rest of the island but it is known for its beaches and small resorts.

Waterfront promenade

View from Castle looking out over the old harbor.  Most of its occupied by local boats and trippers boats.  There is space on the eastern side for visiting yachts.  However be ready for the glare of the lights on the castle all night.

One of the town squares

Colorful cafes and street

Roman Agora ruins

The plane tree Hippocrates lectured below, at least maybe a great great great sibling.  The structure is a fountain built by the Turks to supply water to the nearby mosque when they ruled the island.