We had a change of schedule as our boat was supposed to be leaving during the afternoon but had been moved to an 8.00pm departure. So after Mass we went back to the Hotel. Some went out exploring while others, including me, stayed back to check emails, etc.
We were back on the bus at midday and made our way to the ruins of Asclepieion which Hippocrates began. This was very interesting as the guide not only explained where the building stood and the different parts of the 'hospital' in relation to the Temple and main Altar, but he also explained Hippocrates' philosophy. I was able to draw parallels with what still exists today in the way doctors work with their patients. Many of the Greeks here pride themselves on their ancestors having invented everything but in this case the influence of Hippocrates on modern practices in medicine seemed obvious.
After this exploration, we then went back to the town square and had some lunch. We were in a small cafe and the waitress was Australian. She was from Sydney. After some more conversation she told us she was from Padstow. I told her I was from Maroubra and she said that her husband was from Storey St, Maroubra. Amazing how close we lived as we were growing up!
After lunch we then went had a look at the Tree of Hippocrates. This seemed to be a tree that had not been the same tree as the one that Hippocrates taught and advised from. It was way too young. The guide said that it was more likely to be a grandson or great grandson of the original tree!
We then walked through the Old Town. The boys went off somewhere while the girls did the only thing to do ... shop!
There were some cute little shops. We had a look in each of them to kill some time. They were all much the same. We walked down to the water and bought a drink and then sat there for a while enjoying the picturesque view. We noticed this lovely timber boat near us and at the back of the boat at the bottom there were three painted icons! This reminded me of the dashboards on the buses in Malta that are turned into a shrine dedicated to a Saint or even the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
We were having dinner at 5:30pm as we had to get down to the wharf by 7:30pm. We had dinner at Zorba's at the top square of the old town. This was a nice place to eat and we had a bit of fun as well.
We got down to the wharf and waited for the boat. It was a bit of a scramble to get on. There were trucks and cars getting off the boat, people with bags getting on and off the boat, a few dogs scrounging around and of course the military there protecting the boarders. This was all happening as the sun started to go down and I wasn't really sure what was going on. I just did what everyone else was doing.
We were on the boat for three hours. It wasn't a bad trip. It was just a shame that it was dark because it would have been nice to see the islands we passed.
We finally arrived in Patmos. The truck arrived to pick up our bags and then we walked to our hotel. At about 1:00am it was good to finally get into bed!
No comments:
Post a Comment