Palm trees on the airport. I'm
definitely in a tropical climate.
My enthusiasm was apparent. She just laughed.
Ροδος
One thing
you need to know about planning your trip to Rodos or, anywhere actually. You
can flush all your lovely plans down the toilet if you have a greek grandpa who
made his own plans for you already.
Now,
something about the wonderful sights.
Kamiros
Do you like
ancient stuff? Roman city foundations make you excited? Or maybe you're crazy
about greek temple remains? Kamiros is the place to go. There's a big archeological
site you can explore with remains of temples (they loved the goddess Athena!),
baths, houses... so we strolled down the city and went house-hunting.
Butterfly
valley
Πεταλούδες, meaning butterfly, was the greek word of the day. A green oasis in the
middle of the island is home to an astounding number of butterflies that
attract tourists every year... but they are quick and timid creatures so
catching a photo of them is not as easy as one would think. Narrow wooden
bridges and winding paths, a stream going through the valley – all of it gave
the place an elvish feel.
Rodos
The city of
Rodos is an interesting mixture of different cultures that influenced it over
time. First, you have these AMAZING medieval fortifications, then you see
mosques and eastern-influenced buildings from the ottomans, then scattered
around some ancient greek remains and then surrounding the old city – the new
part with modern buildings. The castle and the archeological museum (with a
feautiful garden) left me in awe! Also, it seemed like they just took all the
mosaic floors from the island of Kos (really, now I'm wondering is there
anything left on Kos at all?). You can always just go around the city and try
to pass through all the entrances, climb on every wall you can and pretend
you're a princess living there (that's what I did, of course, all that was missing
was a long flowy dress).
Lindos
You know
those little sparkling white houses you see on postcards from Greece? Well some
of those photos must have been taken in Lindos. After you get enough of the
white labyrinth, and move towards the higher areas of the city, you will start
seeing donkey droppings and that's your cue! Follow the donkey shit up to the
ancient acropolis (at some point you will see the donkeys as well). As you go
up, the view gets better and better until you reach medieval fortifications.
Same owners as in Rodos. But, there's a twist! I did mention that you were
going up to the ancient acropolis and indeed, on the top, there are parts of
ancient temples! Passing through the propylaeum and climbing up the stairs you
reach a plato with a wonderful view in which ever direction you look.
These are
just the major sights I visited. There were also a couple of hills with nice
views around the island, beautiful beaches and foresty areas.
I totally
get it why so many foreign people retire in Greece. It's a happy place. A
beautiful tropical place and Rodos is a true jewel among the treasures of the
country.
