Acropolis of Kos
Acts 21:1 reads “ And so, with the tearful good-byes behind us, we were on our way. We made a straight run to Cos, the next day reached Rhodes, and then Patara.” (The Message)
Faced with three extra weeks in Greece, I am struggling to fill it. I decided to visit a few islands, and for most of them picked islands that were at least mentioned in Paul’s journeys. Attempts to add Samos and Ephesus in Turkey were foiled by ferry schedules disrupted by Covid and, more importantly, the end of the tourist season. So the islands I’m visiting are Patmos, Kos (Cos), Rhodes, Crete (later in Acts, just before Malta) and possibly a couple days in Hydra just before Athens.
Chasing Paul in Kos was pretty fruitless, so I did a lot of hiking. A lot, including one very long day when I hiked to the major archeological site on the island, the Aeskleption, hiked back to town, explored another archeological site in town (the west site, as I’d done the Acropolis of Kos the day before) AND the archeological museum. Looking at healing, exploring Hippocrates and the concept of healing in ancient times was quite possible, so that was my approach.
At the same time, I was completely taken by modern-day Kos! It’s a wonderful island, with lovely beaches, lots of amazing food, an island-wide network of hiking trails, mountain biking, snorkeling, bike lanes throughout town (I have seen this no where else in Greece). And I was in a great little family-run hotel for just 30 euro a night!
Rhodes was almost as enchanting, especially the old town, and I was able to chase Paul to the town of Lindos, where a natural harbor called St. Paul’s Bay is traditionally the place that Paul’s ship docked in Rhodes. It was an hour and a half bus ride each way, but I visited St. Paul’s bay, and the Acropolis of Lindos above that would have existed and looked down on the harbor in Paul’s day. And I actually swam in St. Paul’s Bay.
Both of these islands are places I’d love to return to, to explore as something other than a redirected pilgrim, share with my family.
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