ALL ROADS LEAD TO RHODES

Kevin Thursday, October 24th at 18:32

I am happy to report that we survived the marathon ferry trip from Santorini to Rhodes. Against my better judgment, we decided to eat dinner on the boat in the midst of the tumult. It was both entertaining and challenging, oh, and surprisingly tasty! I wouldn't usually report about ferry food, but we had a delicious Greek salad and some sort of lamb stew with potatoes and eggplant. And, it was cheaper than most meals we eat out. Anyways, we arrived, past schedule of course, in Rhodes City, in the far east end of the island of Rhodes, or Rodos in Greek, at about 23:00. We have been conditioned to somewhat dislike evening entries into unknown territories. The Gods seem to have smiled on us, yet again, and provided us with a smooth transition into our new location in exchange for a grueling sea passage. We exited the ferry and noticed that surprisingly, there was again only one cab, and oddly enough, the driver seemed to be in no hurry to secure a fare. In fact, he even rejected our offer. Idalis then found a transport shuttle that would take you to the taxi station and just as she was inquiring with the shuttle driver, he closed the door and began to drive away. We tossed up our hands and decided to just walk. After all, how bad could it be and after surviving a night landing in Morocco, we could do anything. We had a hardy laugh when we realized that the shuttle to the taxi stand was already headed back towards us after its, I don't know, two hundred yard journey, at best. As it turned out, the taxi station was right outside of the port gates. We hailed a taxi with a very friendly driver, no sarcasm here, and were escorted to the Gate of San Francisco, also known as Saint Atanasiou Gate. This was the landmark that we needed to find our way to the Pink Elephant Pension, where we had our reservation. We learned that the taxis, and most other vehicles for that matter, were not permitted within the walls of the medieval city of Rhodes. So, we exited the cab after our five minute, six Euro ride, and began our entrance into the city of Rhodes.

First, sight of the solid twelve meter thick wall, next, a blast of incredible energy, then, a view at the historic mote, and last, an entrance into the medieval city of Rodos, an entrance fit for a King, and probably used by one. A quick right on the first cobble stone street then a left on the third little cobblestone street and we had arrived at the Pink Elephant Pension. The Pink Elephant resides in a building that is 800 years old. Try to digest for a minute, as Idalis and I did. This building has been in existence longer than the United States of America! Anyways, the owner, Maria, stayed awake long enough to meet us and see us in safely. Maria is originally from Italy and purchased the pension five years ago. As she explains, it was her escape from the corporate world of marketing and advertising in Milan and a way to attain a clean bill of health. She gave us our key with the elephant pendant key chain and invited us to breakfast the following morning.

After a wonderful sleep in a stationary bed, we awoke to breakfast on the terrace consisting of fresh yogurt with honey, grapes, plums, tangerines, and a selection of various breads and cookies with jam, and dare I forget, fresh coffee, a whole liter of the good stuff. We slowly enjoyed our meal and then headed out to explore the medieval city. The streets are incredibly narrow, you can touch buildings on each side at the same time, and lined with flat smooth river type stones that are laid on end, side by side, so that just the tops serve as the wearing surface. Those surfaces are polished, usually in the center, by the generations of feet that have brushed against them. The city of Rhodes has two areas, one known as the new town and one known as the old town. Several people display stickers and signs that pledge their adoration of the old town. Either way, the old town is VERY old and the new town very new, cosmopolitan and bustling.

The old town is completely surrounded by a series of up to three walls, in some sections, that per my estimation, are at least fifty feet high. These walls are separated by a moat, that never actually contained water but still contains stone spheres used as weapons when the Turks invaded. One tradition says that the island of Rhodes is said to have emerged from the sea, by order of Zeus, as a present to Apollo. Another says that it was inhabited by Telhines and named after Helios' wife, Rhodes. It was said to be the most fertile of the Greek islands and blessed with beautiful weather. Archaeologists say that it was first inhabited during the Neolithic period (6000-3000BC), while in the second millennium BC the Achaians settled on the islands. In the 10th century BC, the Dorians arrived and established the three main cities, Lindos, Kameiros and Ialisos. In the 6th and 7th centuies BC, it was controlled by an aristocracy headed by one of the seven wise men of antiquity, Kleovoulos. In the 5th century, the Persians, the 4th century by either Athens of Sparta, in 332 BC by Macedonia, then defended from Demetrius the Besieger, which prompted the construction of the “Colossus of Rhodes”, which was one of the seven ancient wonders of the world and only survived a few years to be toppled by an earthquake. Then came the Romans and the Byzantines, the Arabs and the Moavias and then the Venetians, who have been everywhere and left walls, fortresses and lighthouses to prove it. In 1309, the Order of the Knights of St. John took over and perhaps had the most influence in what is visible here today, but were also eventually defeated and forced to surrender at the hands of the Turkish Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent. The history continues from here, but this is just a small history lesson to demonstrate the amazing amount of history that is so typical of Greece and the overwhelming amount of influences that can be witnessed.

When walking through the streets of Rhodes City, one finds it hard to believe that they are even in Greece. It is the oldest inhabited medieval town in Europe and it is not hard to picture horses trotting down the narrow pebble streets, or knights returning from battle with metal armor clanking. This city has a new harbor that accommodates visiting cruise ships as well as an historic port that was one of the most powerful and sought after in the Aegean sea. There is a sense of magic and mystery that permeates this town and it has so much to offer. I almost feel ashamed at my ignorance when I think that Idalis and I only considered this island as a convenient jump off point for our arrival to Turkey. Our stay here has been incredible and has included strolling through the narrow, winding streets, walking along the top of the defense walls and at the base of the mote, eating incredible Greek cuisine with tastes of varying influences and even taking some sun at the local beach and jumping of the diving tower that emerges from out of the water a few yards off shore.

What was originally intended to be a mere week's stay in Greece has turned into a month. This country is so incredible and has so much to offer. The variations in characters, sites, climates, excursions and landscapes is mind boggling. We have truly enjoyed our stay here. This will be our last destination in Europe as we leave for Turkey on Friday afternoon, on yet another ferry. As sad as we are to leave, we are also happy to move on and continue our journey. To all of the incredible people we have met and amazing adventures that we have experienced, we would like to say “efharisto”, or thank you, it has been a life changing experience that we will not soon forget.
Oh yes, and by the way, there is one more reason why I will not soon forget Greece, and more specifically, Rhodes. It is because it is where I met Anestis and his magical shears. As a result of his artistry, the landscape of my head has gone under a drastic reformation. I no longer belong to the tribe of the longhairians. Please see below...