Ahhhhh.....the beautiful island of Rhodes. This is a Greek island near Turkey. By "near" Turkey I mean we could see Turkey from the beach!
We flew from Athens to Rhodes and stayed at the Sun Beach resort near the city of Rhodes. Our condo was less than excited that we had 5 people for a 4 person condo, so we had to rent another room for Gramma......and Jan, Ralph, Adam, and I shared the 4 person. What a debacle, to say the least.
This resort was beautiful and had a variety of pools, a health center, restaurants, and activities at every hour of the day. Like clockwork at 10 am the workers would gather together on the pool side and dance to one specific song each day. They did a reprise in the afternoon. They had happy hour each day advertised by the bartender walking around the complex yelling in her Australian accent " happy hour...yiippeeee". It was quite the complex.
Our first night we settled in and went to get a small dinner at a local restaurant...... Zorba's! The next day we relaxed, walked around, and enjoyed another lunch at Zorba's and then had our opening reception in the lobby with food, wine, and karaoke! Karaoke was offered in basically any language you preferred. We heard a lot of tipsy Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian songs that night. It was a really fun night with lots of laughing and great local food! Today we also had a fish spa where Garra Ruffa fish suck and clean the dead skin off your feet. It tickles at first but eventually begins to feel like a vibrating water bath or whirlpool. My feet did feel awesome, but not a miracle cure!
Our next day we enjoyed a leisurely morning....... always......and took the local bus to the old town of Rhodes. Yes, we made the bus.....I know I'm surprised also! Haha!
This town is split into the new town with popular shops and businesses and the old town with a rich history and a ton of artisan shops and restaurants. The old town is inside a medieval fortress where you enter through large stone gates and then inside is this little artsy district. We enjoyed a lunch right inside the gates and I had......Greek salad. If you know me...that is basically what I have everyday. The Greek salads are very interesting.....typically they have tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, onions, olives, and feta cheese. This is typical, but near tourist areas their Greek salads have a tendency to migrate toward "American" style salads with.....lettuce and at this particular restaurant...cabbage mix. It was good, but not what I truly consider a Greek salad.
Following lunch, Adam and I went on a walk through the town. We followed the walking tour suggested in one of our books and it took us to every nook and cranny in the town. Rhodes town is a colorful confluence of cultures. Purchased by the Knights of St. John in the eleventh century, it was invaded and summarily occupied by the Turks, under Suliaman the Magnificent, from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century when it came back into Greek possession. The influence of the three cultures is still preserved today in the ancient temples to Greek deities, the medieval Palace of the Grand Masters, and the beautiful, towering Mosque of Suliaman the Magnificent. It was perfect and walked us past every major building and out of the tourist areas into the local community. It was a lovely walk.
The next day we rented a car to travel to Lindos. Lindos is a very interesting little port town with classic Greek buildings and an ancient acropolis with an absolutely beautiful view off the island. We enjoyed a lovely lunch on a garden terrace and travelled back to the condo.
On our way back we stopped at the 7 springs in this absolutely beautiful wooded forest area. Apparently the thing to do for good luck is to drink out of each spring...so Adam did .....all 7! For dinner: wine, cheese, bread, and olives overlooking the ocean from our balcony.
The next day Jan, Ralph, and Gramma drove to the other side of the island to look at a few other points of interest and Adam and I stayed and spent the entire day on the beach. It was absolutely wonderful. The weather was perfect, the sun was perfect, it was a perfect day to learn the art of relaxing. I've vowed to myself to learn the art of relaxing and this was a great way to practice.
The next day was much the same.....leisurely breakfast, walk into town, followed by a lovely afternoon on the beach. We enjoyed another dinner...our last dinner in Greece at.....Zorba's! We leave tomorrow (May 24th) for Turkey.
Our last morning Adam and I went down to the beach and sat for a while talking and dreaming about life as we looked out at the beautiful ocean one more time. We took a ferry from the old town of Rhodes to Marmaris, Turkey.
"Goodbye Greece".......you did not disappoint and I will dearly miss enjoying your beautiful country, kind people, and unique food and pastries. Until next time.........."Adio!"
Adam & Kristin
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