Tuesday 3rd May – Rhodes, The largest and most fertile of the Greek Islands
I didn’t get a bad sleep, waking at most of the stops but getting back to sleep very easily Not sure if the others were so lucky but I tell them it is because I don’t have a conscience.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We arrive in Rhodes around 11am We decide coming by ferry was really a good choice as the alternative had been to fly back to Athens and then back out to Rhodes. The ferry was only E34 and saved a nights accommodation against what we suspect would have been close to E500 for flights. We had a really nice breakfast on the boat almost by ourselves. When we spoke to the purser about how quite it was he mumbled something about them changing the schedule and it not working.
We birthed at the furtherest point in the harbour from our hotel. A lack of taxi’s caused some loud Greek squabbles amongst the locals and a Taxi driver that could of just driven off with a fare that had obviously pre booked him but chose to slug it out verbally with others. We suspect he was trying to get additional passengers going the same way. We ended up walking to the road and waiting on a crowded bus stop before eventually hailing a cab. It was only E7 to the hotel but the driver didn’t know where it was and had to call in somewhere and ask. A real surprise because The Best Western Plaza Hotel was a reasonably large Hotel in the centre of town. A great choice Renee and we ended up scrapping over whether we should give it a 10 or a 10+. I was on the side of a 10+ as although it was reasonably old it had wi-fi and free internet in the rooms, fantastic. The minus was they wanted to charge an additional E2 per day for the use of the safe. We dropped our bags and were off to explore the city. Really noticeable when we came in was the huge walled older city. However we headed off down the waterfront first which as only two minutes away from our hotel. Margaret was keen to find Colossos but we were only a few thousand years to late as apparently he had been destroyed in an earthquake shortly after he had been erected in 293BC. We were able work out where he once stood but the thing we did notice is that the Greeks seem very non appreciative of their heritage. Most of it seemed as though it was being left to deteriorate. The good thing for us was it wasn’t commercialised and you just came across it where ever it was, normally covered in long grass. The harbour area was very pleasant with a huge number and variety of boats We found a nice place for lunch and a beer before venturing into the old city. This was fantastic to a Kiwi boy like myself. Walls moats and fortifications all very impressive but still being used today. Cars and bikes passed through and the place was full of little shops and cafes. Hundreds of them. Margaret slipped into a jewellery and came out with some bit of stuff. When we finally came out of the old city we had somehow lost our bearings and were at the furtherest point from our hotel again. We did a lot of walking. We stopped along the way for cold drinks. I ended up with a litre of beer in a glass boot.. Not really what I thought I had ordered. We headed back to our hotel for a bit of a rest before going out in search of dinner.
We found surprisingly a Greek place called Zobra the Geek up a side street. There were heaps to chose from. I had a pasta dish which I couldn’t finish, Margaret & Noddy had ham & bacon crepes and Doug spare ribs. All very nice but we were not that hungry.
Home and off to bed. All the walking had worn us out. It is hard work.
Wednesday 4th May – Rhodes, A walking tour of the city
We woke up Wednesday morning to a beautiful day, slightly windy but warm. The breakfast at the hotel was superb with a very wide range of different things. We thought we were on continentals, but managed to have bacon and eggs without getting told off.
Then we were off walking. Ngaire had done a bit of work and had a plan all mapped out for us. It was off to an old Greek Stadium up on a hill. This was quite fantastic and you could sit there and try and imagine what it would have been like back in its time. I decided the bend at the end made it unsuitable for chariot racing but not everybody agreed with my assumptions. It must have been close to 200 metres long. We then came across a theatre with some fantastic acoustics where (we observed this from watching a tour party) if you stood on a specific spot and spoke your echo came back at you. It was quite an open theatre so I was very impressed that the ancient Greeks were able to make stuff like this. Then up the hill to the acropolis (not sure what a acropolis actually was but they were all over the place). Some old ruins but also about four restored columns with stone work across the top.
We then headed back towards the city diverting off when we saw a sign to some ancient burial couches(didn’t know what they were either). We were just ready to give up on looking for them when we saw a sign. We walked over to it to find a bunch of ruins fenced off, overgrown with weeds and the area used as a rubbish dump. Not unexpected but a real disappointment. We walked on, had some lunch at a nice little bakery and then discovered we were completely lost. We asked some ladies in a shop to show us where we were. It took them a heap of time and calling more people over before the worked out where we were and when we asked them which way we should walk they just laughed and said take a bus or taxi. Not much help. We walked to the coast got the trusty compass off the iPhone and worked out where we were. I was too scared of RK to turn data roaming on and use the map function. We did have a distance to go but we had plenty of time. We came back around the tip of the point and past where our ferry had birthed. Just to break the monotony we headed into the walled city and the markets and had an ice cream and wandered the markets a bit without buying anything. Well done girls. We headed back to our hotel and Ngaire & I went off to book us on a trip to Lindos the next day. Quite funny really as we were given this big spiel on why we should take the tour and not the local bus or hire a car. It turned out their tour didn’t go on the Thursday and he then wanted to rent us a car. We booked at another agency and had to be at the Grand Hotel at nine the next morning. On the way back to the hotel we picked up a bottle of red wine for E2.90. The shop owner popped the cork for us. We brought some cheese and nibbles and headed back to our room for a session before tea.
Doug sorted out a place for dinner. These places were starting to look a bit the same. I had lamb chops which were really good. Doug had a pork chop, Margaret an omelette and Ngaire a Greek platter. She didn’t like the stuffed pepper. The stuffing was ok but the pepper itself was bitter.
Back to the hotel for nae naes. To tired to party. Holidaying is tough.
Thursday 5th May – A trip Lindos
Up early with our bags packed and ready for another great breakfast. We were waiting at the Grand for our bus and were the first on. This allowed us to get the front seats and therefore the best view. We spent the next hour picking people up until we had a full bus. So much for the theory that a private tour was quicker than the public bus. It wasn’t really that far, about 44 km from Rhodes and we were there at 10.45 where we were dropped at the top of a hill and had to catch a free bus down to the village. We had to be back at our bus by 2.30 for the home trip. So much for our supposed guided tour. Ripped off again Margaret and I decided to catch a donkey up to the castle, about a 10 minute ride. It was an experience and we did we did feel guilty and sorry for the donkey but placated ourselves by say saying we saved the donkeys from a couple of big fat Americans. Opps I didn’t mean to say that loud. Lindos was really quite an amazing place, so well situated up on the hill with at least two natural harbours. You could see why it developed as an important place in those times. Very very picturesque it was and obviously a lot of history. We spent a lot of time exploring the ruins. It was then time to head down to the beach. Lots of people on the loungers but not too many in the water, that told you something.
The free bus back up the hill didn’t turn up so we grabbed a taxi. A Mercedes 350s for the shortest taxi ride I have ever taken.
The bus had us back at the Grand by 4pm after a long jaunt again around hotels dropping people off. We found a café on the side of the road for a beer and ended up staying there for tea. We weren’t that hungry and were only looking for something light. I had sausage and chips the other three had jacket potatoes.
We headed back to our hotel picked up our bags and were off to the airport for a short trip to Heraklion, the main city in Crete. Still quite a procedure with us having to show our passports on more than one step in the process.
We were staying at the Lato Boutique Hotel at about E9 from the airport. Renee lots of discussion on the rating for this place I would have given it a 9 but Doug only wanted to give it a 5. The rooms were small but it was comfortable, it had free wi-fi in the rooms, a decent shower and a great breakfast. I’m going to stick with the 9.
My team at work wanted me to Skype into our work for the Monthly Meeting which was a 12pm task. All seamed to work well but for once it appears the meeting started early so my prep time was less than I would have liked. I hope it came across ok for them.
Life is tough
