Rhodes

I am overwhelmed by the history of Rhodes. The old city, a UNESCO site, is much bigger than I would have expected. Pretty much the entire city within the old walls has been restored. It is heavily dedicated to tourist shops but when you get beyond one or two streets you start to see courtyards, offices, and museums that are tucked away into the restored buildings. It must be an incredible place to work. There are some boutique hotels in the old city that I can only imagine being a great experience.

We found a couple restaurants that were a courtyard oasis away from the hustle and bustle. There were fewer tourists as they are on a boat schedule and may not have had the time to search out the less occupied spaces. 

We had a couple trips into Rhodes the city – both old town and “new” town. We found some great spots to enjoy including a great barber shop with a bar across the road for waiting ladies and a marvelous butcher – a couple great BBQ’s followed. ;)

While Harry was with us, we visited Lindos. Lindos has a tremendous castle built around the Helenistic ruins. To get to the castle, the kids opted to ride donkeys. We dutifully followed, not too closely, and made our way to the top. Much of this trip has been exploring antiquity. It is interesting to see the magnitude of former epocs. You get a real sense of the size of the economy and society as you wander through these structures from ages ago. Again we found a great little courtyard to have a coffee. I’m truly inspired by what we might create in our backyard in Toronto. These places have very little space but do great things to create an atmosphere you want to relax in. Perhaps the sunshine and climate helps too.

Back to Rhodes we visited the palace of the magistrate (from the order of St Johns) which housed some artifacts from 2500 years ago as well as more recently, say 500 years.

We stayed in Rhodes for a few days, first to get the battery replaced which was done on time and on budget (far surpassing my expectations) and then because we wanted to shelter from the winds for a couple days. We had a bit of a swell in the marina which was less than desirable but by Wednesday, we knew it was time to leave when a tractor was leveling a field behind the boat. This on top of leaf blowing at 9pm the night before we took as a hint.

Our next stop was a sail to Symi where we relaxed in a very scenic seaside village before heading out the next day to Nimysos where we hope to see a volcano!

The sailing part is increasingly becoming comfortable. We completed our med-style berthing (stern to with ancor off bow) with little fuss and muss. We navigated without much difficulty. We handled the sea conditions and wind as needed. Every day is a learning experience but we seem to be climbing the curve quickly. Not to get cocky, however, as I’m sure the sea will humble us if we get that way.

Kevin