THINGS
TO SEE AND DO
The
main thing to do in Mastihari is, of course, relax.
However there are things that are worth leaving the
beach for (apart from another bottle of wine or cocktail).
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One thing that I would recommend that you may
do is to pop into the church at some time. Greek
Orthodox church services are different to most
other Christian church services in as much as
it is acceptable to pop in for as long or as short
a time as you like! The bigger churches are all
highly and very beautifully decorated with icons,
gold candelabras and intricately carved wood,
whilst the small ones are plain, immaculately
kept and decorated with icons of their patron
saint. |
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You
will always be welcome in a Greek church whether
to take part in a service or just for a look.
The only criteria is to be correctly dressed
i.e. shoulders covered and no mini shorts.
If you
should happen to come in the early part of the
year then it is worth getting out into the surrounding
country side with your camera because the range
and variety of wild flowers and plants here
is amazing. Wild iris, monkshood, orchids, saxifrage,
euphorbia, anemones,chrysanthemums and orleanders
are just a few examples. Also, watch out for
the local wildlife!! |
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| Kos is not called
the 'Garden of the Dodecanese for nothing. |
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A large variety of herbs grow
wild. I pick wild thyme and sage from my garden
whenever I need them. Later in the summer you
can pick wild figs off the trees just outside
the village. In other parts of the island you
can pick almonds, walnuts,quinces and prickly
pears. Towards the end of the season you can
see the olives weighing down the branches of
the trees and start to see the two olive presses
on the island become active as they get ready
for the business of producing olive oil. |
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Also
as you are poddling around, look out for beehives
as a lot of honey is produced on the island.
Every
year in August, there are two local festivals
which you should not miss if you happen to be
here. One is the Wine Festival in Mastihari,
where you can eat, drink and be merry whilst
watching traditional Greek dancing. All this
at the invitation of the local council. |
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The other, in Antimaxia, is
the Honey Festival. You can taste honey jelly;
pancakes with honey; honey and walnuts and honey
with loukoumades (which are small doughnuts
soaked in honey syrup). Again, all is complimentary
and you will have another opportunity to watch
traditional Greek dancing. |
For
those of you with families,in 2006 a Waterpark opened
about 3 kilometres outside of the village with a great
array of waterslides and a small animal zoo.
Since
Kalymnos is now so much more accessible I would recommend
a visit as it is totally different to Kos. Kalymnos
didn't suffer the same devastation as did Kos
from earthquakes and it has retained its totally Greek
character. As you arrive in the port the brightly
painted houses seem to grow out of the rocks which
form the sides of this natural harbour. Have your
cameras ready!
Also,
don't forget that Kalymnos is the sponge divers
island and a visit to the sponge factory just behind
the harbour is very interesting. They still trim sponges
with sheep shears made in Sheffield!!
If
you are into rock climbing, Kalymnos is rapidly getting
a world-wide reputation for it.
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As far as the rest of the island
goes there is a whole host of things to see
and do. Fantastic ancient sites including the
Asklepion which was an ancient temple which
became a centre of medicine. It used many of
the theories and methods of Hippocrates. |
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The city
of Kos is a very cosmopolitan, and a lovely
way to spend an evening is to visit the old
town with its wide variety of shops and cafes
in narrow streets, overhung with bougainvillea.
There are many beaches all over the island which
are worth visiting and many offer a wide variety
of the noisier water sports. There is, literally,
something for everyone. |
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I
am a mine of useless information and I am more than
happy to share all or any of it with you. Anything
you want to know - just ask!
You
can find me at The 'Horizon' Bar Monday, Wednesday
and Satuday evenings from 19.00-20.00 pm. Also there
is a "Mastihari Uncovered' file in the bar
which you can look at at your leisure.
If
you would like to speak to me about anything you can
'phone me on :-
(0030)
22420 59119 or my mobile :- (0030) 6972900984
......... turn over for something wetter
