In July, we spent a week in Greece, specifically the island of Rhodes; there was plenty of time to feel the Greek vibe, but not enough to explore the whole island. Rhodes is a beautiful Greek island located in the Aegean Sea, only 19 kilometres off the Turkish coast. It’s the largest in the group of twelve Greek islands of the eastern Aegean Sea called the Dodecanese.
It’s an island where Greek (Hellenistic), Byzantine and Ottoman art intertwine, and the Knights Hospitaller also left a mark. It is Rhodes very tumultuous history that makes it interesting to explore, as you can walk the mighty walls of the medieval city and then explore the ruins of a former majestic ancient temple just a stone’s throw away. The island also has numerous coves with crystal-clear water that are a true paradise for some summer relaxation and holidaying. We spent the first four days exploring the medieval Rhodes and walked a lot (from 2 to 8 kilometres a day), and then rented a car for the remaining days, driving around the island.
The medieval old town (listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site) developed inside mighty walls that still stand, as do the former city gates. The most beautiful of the streets is the Street of the Knights – a cobbled street with tightly packed stone houses on both sides that leads to the palace of the grand master knight. Just a stone’s throw away, the neighbouring street bustles with vendors and tourists who walk past the shops, restaurants and pubs in the evening. Waiters woo with their “Hey, friend!” and “Where are you from?”; it became quite annoying after having walked down a couple of streets, so we decided to rather choose less touristy streets instead. Which led to us to the discovery of a charming square full of pubs for young people with music and lights, completely by chance. A top place!
We visited the former Acropolis a few kilometres above the city, which was the temple of Pythian Apollo, though the ancient theatre and stadium are even better preserved. There was no entrance fee or any tourist crowds. Somewhat lower was a surfaced car park and a nicely maintained path leading to all the buildings, like some kind of a park. We weren’t aware of that, though, so we drove all the way to the top and parked our car across the street. Which is no big deal in Greece.
Approximately 50 kilometres from the city of Rhodes, in the eastern part of the island, likes a picturesque, cultural and historically rich town of Lindos, characterised by white houses, which are terraced into a hill. We navigated the narrow streets that are surrounded by shops, pubs and restaurants, and headed to the Acropolis that offers a gorgeous view of the town, the coves and the beaches. The entrance fee is 12 euros. The crowd was massive; we had to wait to buy our tickets for quite some time, but then people suddenly dispersed as it’s a large complex. Despite the Acropolis having quite a few buildings from the ancient times, Byzantines and the Ottomans lived here in the later periods, which makes for a diverse blend of cultures. The most beautiful, though, were no doubt the Greek temple with Doric columns, dedicated to the goddess Athena, and the monumental staircase.
10 kilometres from the city of Rhodes, above the town of Ialysos, lies Filerimos, a lonely mountain. A paved and well-maintained ascending road with a few hairpin bends leads up to the mountain. There’s a monastery hidden among the conifers and cypress trees at the top, which was founded by the Knights Hospitaller in the 15th century. The entrance fee is 16 euros. The gothic church has a lovely hallway with typical Byzantine mosaics. There were peacocks causally walking around during our visit.
Lindos, Ialysos and Kamiros are said to be the island’s three oldest towns that founded Rhodes. We stopped in Kamiros to visit the ruins of the former Hellenistic city. You could see the remnants of the acropolis, which was dedicated to the goddess Athena, and the house with a fountain. The city was once quite large; the stones that remained have been protected and there are now paths and benches, too. The entrance fee is 6 euros.
The former fishing village is now one of the most popular towns for partying. The same street where you rarely run into anyone in the morning gets overrun by the locals and tourists in the evening. Pubs, entertainment centres, restaurants and streets are filled with people, and there’s a different kind of music coming from each pub, and various food flavour intermix in the air, but the town has its special vibe, which really has to be experienced in the evening. We drove through Faliraki almost every day twice; but came back in the evening for the best gyro pita.
Greek food is heavenly. All we ordered was great. We tried to pick among the various Greek and sea food dishes, so there almost wasn’t a day without the famous tzatziki. We tried the gyro pita, the gyro plate, the Greek wraps, various barbecued meats, salads, cheese balls, feta cheese with tomatoes, gratinated cheese from the oven and sea food. While street food, such as gyro pita, is cheap (3.5 euros), food served in restaurants and other establishments are more expensive. We usually paid 40 to 50 euros for lunch with drinks.
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