Samos

A worthwhile day trip from Kusadasi in Turkey by an hour long ferry ride. Customs procedures at both ends, there and back, but without luggage it's not too much of a hassle. A part of the Ottoman empire until 1912 when the Greeks gained full control at the outbreak of the Balkans War. It's got an interesting history since ancient times being fought over by men in tunics and helmets from all sorts of Aegean, Mediterranian and Middle Eastern cultures.

Mostly mountainous but with numerous vinyards; the port of Vathy and the mostly pretty towns of Kokkari and Pythagoreion provide additional interest.

Rhodes

Variously Byzantine, Greek, Ottoman and Genoese, Rhodes, the town on the northern tip of the island is dominated by the Old Town, one of the largest medieval towns in Europe. Old Town of Rhodes is a mosaic of different cultures and civilizations. Twenty-four centuries of history are contained within its walls. The medieval fortress-like buildings, bastions, walls, gates, narrow alleys, minarets, old houses, fountains, tranquil and busy squares and the Palace of the Grand Master, originally a Byzantine fortress built at the end of the 7th century AD, converted in the early 14th century by the Knights of the Order of Saint John into the residence of the Grand Master of the order and the administrative headquarters of their state; now turned into a museum.


Samos & Rhodes


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