Escape to a Greek Island

Turkish Coast

January 7, 2011 - We awoke to a clear crisp morning in Marmaris and took a short taxi ride to the ferry terminal. From here we would make our return to Europe and hopefully enjoy the peacefulness and pleasant weather of the Greek Island of Rhodos in the off-season. After 2 months of traveling through Europe and Turkey we needed to recharge our batteries before heading to Africa for our safari and visit to Egypt. Our research suggested that January was a good time to visit Rhodos, the weather was comfortable, few tourists were around, good off-season rates were available, but the city of Rhodos was big enough so not everything would be shut down.

Site of Colossus of Rhodes

The ferry ride to Rhodos was not unlike one I remember taking from Burgeo to Ramea in our home province of Newfoundland. Like the ferry to Ramea, this one was small and rocked easily even in a small swell. Upon leaving the harbour we were leaving behind the rugged Turkish coastline that was forested and sparsely settled. And as at home in Newfoundland, the trees on the exposed cliffs had the familiar windswept look we call tuckamore. Ahead of us lay our destination, the large and mountainous island of Rhodos which would takes us 2 hours to reach.

Castle of Rhodos

As we entered the harbour of Rhodes we passed by what is believed to be the site of the Colossus of Rhodes (one of the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World) before docking in front of the walls of the large Crusader castle of the Knights of St. John. No matter where we went in this part of the world we encountered the remains of ancient and famous civilizations. These and other sites would become the boys playground and the focus of their explorations for the next week.

City of Rhodos

Our hotel was located in the old section of the city of Rhodos. It was a short walk to restaurants, shops, beaches, the waterfront, and of course the castle. We spent our first few days catching up on school work, eating at sidewalk cafes, walking along the beach, geocaching, exploring the castle, and just enjoying the weather—sunny and 20 degrees. In our explorations, we found more Greek ruins for the boys to explore, an ancient stadium and the Temple of Apollo. Susan found herself a nice path and enjoyed a few morning jogs. Our hotel room had a small kitchen and I cooked a few meals, including the Kraft Dinner that Santa Claus had brought the boys. Rhodos was living up to our expectations.

Aaron testing the waters

After a few days of taking it easy in the city, it was time to explore more of the island. Twenty-five Euros in cash rented us a car for the day and we headed towards the historic town of Lindos on the east side of the island. Along the way we stopped off at a sheltered beach. We all tested the water and Aaron even went for a swim! As we continued down the coast towards Lindos, we put behind us the numerous resorts and typical touristy shops and restaurants, that were all closed for the season. We now were passing through a rugged and sparsely vegetated landscape with the occasional herd of goats.

Town of Lindos

Our first view of Lindos came from a top a high hill. The town is a tight maze of white buildings nestled at the foot of a steep hill between 2 small harbours. The streets are narrow and steep, too small for cars so it was pedestrians and motorcycles only. Today the town is made up of mostly small inns catering to summer tourists but its history goes back to the ancient Greeks. As Niall informed me, even Heracles (Hercules) is reputed to have visited Lindos after completing one of his 12 labours. On our return we headed west across the island, crossing the islands mountainous terrain and passing from the dry sparsely vegetated landscape to to pine forests of the island's western side. It was a pleasant day of exploring the country side. With a bit more time it would have been nice to do some hiking.

Enjoying Rhodos

On our last day, Susan enjoyed some shopping while the boys and I visited a small aquarium displaying some of the local marine life. We truly enjoyed our week on the island of Rhodos. Here we had the opportunity to combine relaxation with some explorations of the area's history and architecture. I can easily understand why people would like to retreat here in the winter but given the number of resorts on island, the summer is probably a lot different. That would be something we would not be experiencing, for us it was off to Athens for the next leg of our journey.

For more of our photos of Rhodos, check out our Web Album.