For this weeks edition of “Throwback Thursday” I’m bringing it all the way back to last August when I met up with my BBWANEF * on the Isle of Kos in Greece. I’ve known M almost my whole life. From the moment his family got two new kittens and his mom let an 9 year-old curly headed blonde monster into his house to present day, some 16 years later, I’ve had the pleasure of calling him one of my best friends. One of my favorite things about our relationship is our unspoken commitment to make the effort to see each other even when we live across the world. To date we have been to Cabo, Cancun, Puerto Rico, Mozambique, South Africa, and Greece together.

*(best buds with a never ending friendship)

 

In August 2018 we learned that we were both going to be in Europe at the same time. There wasn’t even a question, we were going to find a way to meet up. Being on the same continent was too good of an opportunity to pass up, and so with a desire for “warm weather and blue water” and a quick internet search Greece became our destination. After much discussion we decided to fly to the Island of Kos. Tickets were fairly cheap, and given our short time frame of 4 days we felt like it would be a decent place to spend our time if we decided not to go to any of the other islands.

In 2018, it was much cheaper for me to fly from Birmingham to Kos instead of London. My one way ticket cost about $68 dollars. However, M flew in and out of London. I believe his round trip tickets were a bit over $200.

Location: Kos is a Greek island located in southeastern Aegean Sea.
How to get there: You can get to Kos via plane thanks to the airport located in the center of the island. At this time, flights from Birmingham, England to Kos are about $160 round trip or $68 one way. Keep in mind the airport is in the middle of the island a bit away from almost everything so you will need to find transport to Kefalos. You essentially have two options: you can take a taxi for 30 euros or a 2.5 euro bus . Monday- Saturday the buses run from 5:20 am until 11; Sundays are different I recommend checking this website to confirm times. Unfortunately, I arrived after the last bus and had to take a taxi, thankfully I was able to share the taxi with another woman from my flight.

You can also take a ferry from Piraeus, the largest port of Athens, 4 times per week. The ferry trip is about 11 hours and prices range on the day and the time of year.

Setting: Kefalos is 100% a tourist town. We spent our entire time on the beach or within the one main street running along the water. Most of the nicer hotels and lodging are found at the Northern part of the town as you enter the city. There is one many road that runs through the town with another that follows along the coast ending at the curve of the bay. If you are looking for white house and building perched on hills this is not the place for you. If you’re looking for a quick get away with beautiful water, a cool island you can swim to and Greek ruins, then maybe you’ve found your spot. Something to note: when we were there, there was no nightlife don’t come here if you’re looking to party hardy.

Experience: M and I both wanted an escape and that’s exactly what we found. We didn’t want long days filled with plans or moving; we wanted beach side lounging and Skip-Bo. Thankfully that’s exactly what we got. We stayed at Haralambos Apartments which wasn’t fancy but right by the beach. Mr Gelato Italian Ice Cream we had some amazing gelato while laughing so hard I ended up crying on the floor with the eyes of all the customers wondering if I was crazy. We had 1 euro pita gyros that are the reason I now like Greek food right on the beach at Taverna Zefyros. We swam to the island of Kastri where we jumped off rocks and saw a beautiful view after hiking to the top the island. At night we walked along the water watching the show of lights from storefronts reflecting on the water. Four days is not a long time to do much of anything, and I do really wish we had had more time there. However, this trip still ranks in M and I’s top two trips we’ve taken together. Who knows where we’ll end up next.