Tag: Kos Town (page 1 of 2)

Where to go in Greece: A video guide to 25 beautiful places

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25 most beautiful towns to visit in Greece is a 27-minute film from Lifestyle Hal

 

So many pretty places:  A new video from a popular travel blogger might prove inspiring and helpful to people who are hoping to visit Greece for the first time, but don’t yet have a clue where they would like to go.

25 most beautiful towns to visit in Greece was released January 22 by U.K.-based photographer/videographer Hal, whose Lifestyle Hal travel channel on YouTube has nearly 32,000 subscribers.

We think the film is worth checking out by would-be Greece travel newbies since it provides a good introduction to some of the country’s leading island and mainland tourist destinations.

The video clocks in at just over 27 minutes, profiling each place in its own distinct and succinct segment of approximately one minute apiece. Beautiful aerial and ground-level video footage is accompanied by a voice-over narration in which Hal describes key features and attractions which distinguish each destination.

We feel the video’s title is a bit of a misnomer, though, since the film focusses primarily on islands, rather than towns, with a pair of major archaeological sites — Delphi and Delos — included in the list, along with the magnificent monastery-topped rock formations at Meteora, and Sarakiniko beach on Milos island.  

The film doesn’t reveal any off-the-beaten-path hidden gems or secret hideaways — all of the places that Hal highlights are long-established, well-known tourist draws reachable on regular ferry or flight schedules or, in the case of a handful of spots on mainland Greece, along major roadway routes.  But all are beautiful and well worth visiting as we can personally attest, having been to 16 of the spots on Hal’s top 25 so far.

And even though we’re familiar with all of the destinations, we still enjoyed watching Hal’s video of gorgeous sights and scenery, and hearing his personal perspective on each place’s attractions and attributes.

 

Evening colours at the Kos Town harbour

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fishing boat on Kos

A fisherman works on the boat Maria at the Kos Town harbour while other fishing boats and excursion vessels (below) catch the glow of the evening sun

 

 

boats at Kos Town

 

Monuments and houses in Kos Town

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Houses overlook an historic archaeological site in the center of Kos Town on Kos island

History and archaeology buffs will enjoy visiting Kos island. In Kos Town, you don’t have to walk far to find monuments and historic ruins — they’re practically all over the place, right along residential and commercial streets as well as in the main tourist district in the center of town.

 

What we can’t wait to eat in Greece next week …

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Greek salad

A delicious Greek salad we enjoyed at Maria’s House restaurant in Kos Town

 

 

Feta fans: We will be arriving in Greece for our 2013 spring vacation in just a few days, reaching our first island destination around lunch time. And I can tell you right now what we’ll be ordering for lunch: Greek salad.

I make Greek salads often, but they never taste even just a fraction as good as the ones we eat in Greece. The ingredients simply can’t compare. The cucumbers sold at my neighbourhood grocery stores generally have no flavour, the green peppers are usually bitter, the tomatoes tend to be bland and mushy, the olives are sour and rubbery, and the over-salted feta typically has a spongy texture.

It’s a whole different story in Greece, where the vegetables are packed full of flavour and the olives and feta are divine. Just the thought of ordering a Greek salad in Greece practically makes my mouth water.

Can’t wait for our first lunch!

 

Maria's House restaurant at Averof 80 in Kos Town

Maria’s House at 80 Averof Street in Kos Town. Maria’s was our best — and favourite — dining experience on Kos during our Dodecanese island hopping holiday in May 2010.

 

 

The Castle of the Knights in Kos Town

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Castle of the Knights

The exterior wall of the Castle of the Knights of St John, viewed from the opposite side of palm-tree-lined Finikon street in Kos Town …

 

 

Castle of the Knights of St John

… and part of the castle interior, viewed from the elevated walkway that extends along the perimeter of the castle’s tall stone walls. Visible in the distance is the Bodrum area of Turkey.

 

 

Seaside stronghold: When I was a little kid, my friends and I used to build makeshift forts and treehouses and compete for control over the territory. “I’m the king of the castle, and you’re a dirty rascal” was a familiar taunt back in those days. It’s too bad our parents never took us to Kos, because we would have had the time of our young lives visiting the Castle of the Knights in Kos Town.

One of the most popular tourist attractions in Kos, the castle was constructed sometime in the 15th Century by the Knights of St. John, who used stones and marble recovered from the ruins of an ancient city that was devastated by an earthquake. It took them more than 120 years to finish building the stronghold, which was the second castle to be built on the site. (The first one was built in the early 1300s and later got completely destroyed). There actually is a castle within a castle — the outer wall was built between 1495 and 1514 to provide extra fortification for the original castle built more than a half century before.

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Palm tree towers on Finikon street in Kos Town

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Finikon street in Kos Town

Palm trees cast their shadows onto Finikon street in Kos Town

 

 

Finikon street

The elegant, tall trees line both sides of the street outside the 15th Century-era Castle of the Knights of Saint John (also called the Castle of Neratzia) at right.

 

 

Finikon street

A view of palm trees on both sides of the elevated entrance walkway to the castle. The bridge originally passed over a moat that was filled in and replaced with a street many years ago.

 

 

Finikon street

A row of graceful palm trees stands sentry next to the castle

 

 

Finikon street

Another view of the palm shadows on the road. Finikon street starts at the seafront and winds its way west past the castle. It turns into Akti Kountouriotou street, which wraps around the bustling Kos Town harbourfront

 

 

Greece holiday pic of the day

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table linens shop in Kos Town

A proprietor inside her table linens shop in Kos Town on Kos island

 

 

Greece holiday pic of the day

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bougainvillea in Kos Town

Bougainvillea cascades over a tall stone wall in Kos Town on Kos

 

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