Day 4 - Tuesday August 8th 2006
After our memorable trip to Symi, we got some rest and then got ready for the Black and White gala dinner at Varkarolla Restaurant. The night theme was Black & White.... I decided to dress in total black - I hardly ever do so - just for a change from the total white look. And I thought Alkis should be ...in white. Unfortunately ... I had packed for him just a pair of white trousers and a pair of white loafers ...but no white shirt or T-Shirt. OK , fair enough ..the shirt was azure blue AND white...so I can say he was almost in white. Of course , I suggested him going downtown and buying a brand new total white outfit just for the Black and White theme night !! ...But he said that he didn't need any more clothes and that no one would really notice the light blue of his ...almost white checked shirt !
At 9:00 pm we were down to the restaurant and were glad to see that the Maitre d" had booked for us a rather remote table. It was such an exquisitely romantic evening ... A superb red by Lazarides was elegantly served in the correct temperature - 17-18 degrees Celcius - and we were having a great time when ....the accident happened! I reached out for his hand when ..by mistake ...I spilt his glass of red wine on the sparkling white linen trousers ! I was on the verge of tears ... I thought the evening would end in disaster ...but then again I saw that broad smile and he said : " In Northern Greece this means ...luck ! So ..let's dance !" I've known Alkis for almost ...soon 30 years. I am very glad he can still surprise me. And we danced away the hours...till early morning.
Day 5 - Wednesday August 9th 2006
LOVE MEANS WATCHING AEK PLAYING SCOTLAND WHILE ON HOLIDAY !!!!
I'll start ...backwards. In the evening we had dinner at a touristy restaurant in the bay of Ixia - Demetrios. The food was ..ok but we watched AEK playing Scotland. Believe it or not ... I watched the match as well even though I hate football! He was so sad , so disappointed when Scotland scored ( I forget the name of the Scottish team ). I tried to cheer him up telling him that every cloud has a silver lining ... and started explaining the phrase in Greek when he said : " Enough is enough ! " I sympathised with his frustration and added: " You will see...in the last 5 minutes AEK will win ! " He frustratingly added: "Will you please ...shut up ????" I was in the Ladies' room when AEK scored ! I was so thrilled !
As soon as I came back from the ladies' room he hugged me and kissed me and I said that AEK would score a second goal ...No sooner had he reduced me to silence than AEK scored again ! Needless to say .... we celebrated the victory till the early morning hours.
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Day 6 - Thursday August 10th 2006
Just another lazy day spent on the beach and at the swimming pool sunbathing, swimming, reading, playing in the pool and talking away the hours. We spent the evening at our favourite pub and tasting the local cuisine at a nearby tavern.
Day 7 - Friday August 11th 2006
It was such an exciting day ! We decided to visit the island today, so we got up early, had a huge breakfast on the terrace of Iliades Restaurant on the 10th floor, overlooking the spectacular bay of Ixia, went for a walk at the almost deserted beach and set off at about 08:30.
We followed the west coast of the island and after about 8km we reached Trianta - a village which stands among orchards, very close to the sea.. The whole bay here (approximately 10km) is packed with modern hotels - almost half of the hotels in Rhodes are concentrated on this bay. At the village of Trianta, we turned left, thus going inland. At about 5km, in a dense pine wood, we reached the archaeological site of Ialyssos. The area of Ialysos was inhabited at an early age - in the Minoan period at around 1550 BC - and flourished during the period of the Mycenaeans. Evidence of this is provided by the cemeteries at Moschou Vounara and Makra Vounara in the foothills of Filerimos.
A peculiarity of Filerimos is that its top does not consist of a peak but of a kind of platform of some 600 hundred square metres. The archaeological site extends to a higher point of the mountain, which we can reach by following a stepped roadway flanked by cypress trees. On the left we can see the foundations of the temple of Athena Polias in Doric style. The destruction of the temple must have occurred in the early Christian period when a basilica was built over the greater part of it. Much later, a monastery was built by the Knights as well as another church on the site of the Byzantine church.
After a short coffee break in the shade of the pine trees, we continued our way inland and reached the Valley of the Butterflies. Here, we enjoyed a delightful stroll through the evergreen valley among the plane trees and the cool running water, which sometimes flows in streams and sometimes forms little waterfalls. There, on the trunk of the trees, from July to September, tens of thousands of butterflies from the Calimorpha family find refuge, charmed by the balsam produced by the trees. As you can see on the photos, when they close their wings, the red colour of the inside is not visible and thus they do not form a contrast with the trunk. The rhytmic sound of the water accompanied us throughout our stroll. At one point, it forms a small lake, the home, among the water lillies, of ducks and geese.. tradition has it that if the visitor who comes here for the first time throws a coin into the lake and makes a wish, this will be granted.
From the Valley of the Butterflies we returned to the main road and travelled south-westerly. Passing through green hills and valleys, we climbed the grey , rocky mountains, leaving behind the seashore and its deep blue waters. Our next stopping-place was the ancient city of Cameiros. In the middle of the south-western part can be seen the foundations of a Doric temple dedicated to Apollo - the god of music.Excavation has discovered public baths at the northern extremity of the settlement while the houses are situated to the east and west of the central road reached by following 12 steps. In some of these houses, which have survived in good condition since the Hellenistic period (late 3rd or early 2nd century BC), there is an inner courtyard - the atrium - surrounded by a collonade.. Further south, the road begins to climb and brings us to the highest point of the hill - the acropolis - of Cameiros at a height of 120 metres above sea level. This is where the Temple of Athene Polias stood. All that can be seen today are remains of the foundations of the temple and the precinct of the sanctuary. The view from up there is simply awesome !
After this fascinating stroll in... ancient Greece, we left Cameiros and returned to the main road and continued our trip climbing between hills up to the village of Kritinia which clings to the side of Mount Atavyros. That's where we stopped for a delicious Greek coffee at the "Kafeneion" (the village cafe) situated - as always in Greek villages - in the central square next to the church. Four kilometres south of Kritinia, there is a road junction. The road to the left leads to Embonas - the highest village on the island of Rhodes at 850 metres. Here the locals (about 300) still wear the traditional Rodian costume, keep up their tradition of multi-coloured embroidery and wine making, while most houses provide a good idea of the traditional dodecanese architecture. It was lunch time by then and we were starving !!! We enjoyed the local cuisine and tasted the village wine at a traditional taverna before visiting the local winery. Having bought some of the delicious wine of Embonas we returned to the main road driving southwards to the picturesque village of Apollakia where we visited a ceramic workshop and bought lots of souvenir gifts for us as well as for friends and family.
A few kilometres further south we stopped at the Byzantine Church of Agios Nektarios where we lit a candle, said a prayer and drank crystal-clear water. Back to the car shortly afterwards....now driving along the eastern coast of the island. After a coffee break at Faliraki - the former fishing village turned into a major tourist resort - we travelled westwards again towards Paradeisi and back to Rodian Amathus !
We had a shower , got changed and went up to the Rodian bar on the 11th floor where we enjoyed a glorious sunset on the bay of Ixia and... the Happy Hour with refreshing cocktails. Although we had eaten a lot at lunch time at Embonas, we spent the rest of the evening in the privacy of our suite and ordered dinner at the room service !
What a memorable day that was !
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Day 8 - Saturday August 12th 2006
Funny how time flies when on holiday ! This was our last day on the beautiful Island of Rhodes - being the nearest Greek island to Cyprus, capital of the Dodecanese and situated in the southern Aegean Sea.
After breakfast, I spent time packing - the saddest chore after a memorable holiday ! - and then we decided to visit the only part of Rhodes we hadn't visited - the Medieval City and , of course Lindos.
At Chora or Burgo (old city), we visited a couple of churches built in the Byzantine period and in the time of the Knights and public buildings such as the Palace of the Castellan, the Admiralty and the Hospice of Saint Catherine. From the Square of the Jewish Martyrs, Demosthenous and Pericleous streets start out. There are two Byzantine churches in these streets, known , respectively as the Dulapli Cami and the Mihrab Cami as a result of their conversion into mosques by the Turks. We returned to Ippocratous Square by way of Socratous Street, which is today the busiest street in the Old City. Lined with its old, low houses , it has lost none of its picturesque character. As you can see on the photo, the end of Socratous Square is dominated by the Mosque of Suleyman which stands on the site of the Byzantine Church of the Holy Apostles.Socratous Street is succeeded by Orpheous Street, at the beginning of which is the famous Clock - a 3-storey tower which was a gift of Tahri Pasha to the Turks of the city.
We had cold frapes at Socratous Street, before setting off to the east coast of the island with its charming villages and uncrowded beaches. Having driven through Kallithea, Faliraki, Afantou, Kolymvia and Massari, we arrived at Lindos - one of the three city-states founded by the Dorians (Ialyssos, Cameiros and Lindos). A rocky hill rises between two sheltered bays. Its top is dominated by the acropolis (=highest point) of Lindos. The acropolis is reached on foot (hard work ! ) or on donkeys ...We decided to choose the donkeys ! The view from the top is unique ! The bay of Lindos with its fishing-boats on one side and on the other the calm waters of the cove of Agios Pavlos, where tradition says that Saint Paul anchored in 57 AD. According to mythology, it was Lindos - grandson of the sun-god Helios - who first colonised this place and was first inhabited in the Neolithic Age by the Achaeans.
We had lunch at Pefkos - a nearby village - and by 5 pm we were back to the hotel. After a last coffee at the Pool Deck of the Rodian Amathus Beach Hotel, we went for a last walk on the pebble beach just opposite, had dinner at a local taverna and then took a taxi to Diagoras Airport.
At 12:30 am Cyprus Airways took off and yet another great summer holiday had just come to an end.
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