The town of Astypálaia overlooks a fine harbor at the western edge of the Dodecanese islands. The upper town has the remains of a crumbling medieval Venetian fortress. One of these windmills houses the tourist information center.

Astypálaia is a place where you can have lunch at a table right on the beach, with your toes in the sand. Yet, the archaeological museum in town is filled with artifacts. When we were there, a crew of archaeologists was digging right in front of us in the main town.

This is a typical local fishing boat, and we see them in every harbor we visit. The yellow nets are dotted with brown or blue floats as the fishermen try to coax sea life from the Mediterranean. The fishing itself is hard, and the nets require a lot of care. We often see fishermen out on the docks, repairing their nets and getting them ready for their next voyage.

Sými once thrived on its two industries, wooden shipbuilding and sponge-diving. Fiberglass boats and plastic sponges nearly ruined the economy. Smi doesn't have the beaches of some of its island neighbors, so it didn't lose its identity to concrete hotels and tour packages.

Its good harbor attracts lots of cruisers like us, and it can handle huge ferry boats. Day passengers, especially from nearby Rhodes, fill the harbor from mid-morning until late afternoon, buying souvenirs and drinking coffee frappés. Its neoclassical architecture is unlike most of its neighbors, and there's a monastery on the other side of the island that attracts both pilgrims and sightseers.

The island of Kos is the birthplace of Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine and the presumed author of the Hippocratic oath taken by today's physicians. It's also the site of extensive ruins, from the Mycenaean period, the Geometric period, and the Roman period.

This statue of Hygeia, the goddess of health, and the second-century mosaic on the floor, were found in a Roman house in the area. In the mosaic, Hippocrates and another local Kos man are entertaining Asclepius, the god of medicine, supposedly an ancestor of Hippocrates.

There's more history on the island. Near the main town of Kos, there is an ancient medical complex inspired by Hippocrates, complete with a school, a hospital, and several temples. The main harbor is protected by a huge fortification built by the Knights of Saint John when they were based in Rhodes.