After visiting all
these exotic ports in developing countries, I find that there’s always
something reassuring in coming back to Europe. There’s plenty of fascinating
sights on offer, but you just know that the hassle factor will be less, you
know that the price in a shop is not an inflated one that needs to be bargained
down, and there’s a refreshing feeling of familiarity and civilisation that’s
not always apparent in Asia or the Middle East.
This was particularly
true in our first European port – Rhodes, a place where the history is all
around you, where the people are friendly (particularly at this time of year,
before the tourist season hits full swing), and a place which really couldn’t
be any more convenient for sightseeing. We dock right next door to the medieval
Old Town, with its formidable walls looking as good as ever in the early summer
sun, and there are car hire companies just outside the port for you to do a bit
of exploring on your own.
We hired a car for the
day (25 Euros from 9am till 10pm), so went off on a drive around the island.
Having been on so many tours where you’re constantly looking at your watch to
make sure you’re back to the coach at the appointed hour, there was a real
feeling of freedom as we zoomed down the coastline, up mountainsides, and past
olive groves, making up our route as we went along.
We first called in at
Tsampika to do a trek up to its hilltop monastery (having climbed up 300+
steps). The monastery itself is small, but you’re visiting this place for the
tremendous views it provides – over some gorgeous sandy beaches, washed by the
gentle waves of the dark blue Aegean.
Next, we went for a
coffee to the small town of Haraki, where the setting couldn’t have been much
more idyllic – its picture perfect bay overlooked by a ruined Byzantine Castle.
We thought that we had stumbled across this place by accident, but as soon as
we saw that bay we recognised it as exactly the same spot that we had stopped
in at, last time we hired a car here, 10 years ago – fate must just keep
driving us to this beautiful spot.
After a photostop
across to Lindos, we then drove across the island, from its touristy eastern
coast to the more unspoilt western coast. As we drove along these winding country
rhodes, the tourist crowds melted away and we were met with wide open
landscapes of pine forests and mountains, with scarcely a trace of humanity.
After calling in to see the spooky remains of an abandoned Italian village at
Eleoussa, we stopped in the tiny village of Dimylia for lunch. As we were the
only customers at this rustic taverna, the owner couldn’t have been more
pleased to see us – it felt like we must have been his first customers of the
season.
Next we called in at
the ancient site of Kamiros, a really well preserved site of an ancient city
that got destroyed and covered over by successive earthquakes. Not many of the
buildings were above waist height, but the remarkable thing was that you got a
great understanding of the actual street layout of Kamiros, with its streets of
shops, temples, houses and cisterns. Much better than I’d expected.
Our final stop was to
take the extremely winding rhodes that led up to Mount Filerimos to see its
combination of ancient Greek temples, Byzantine fortress, Knight’s castle,
Italian restorations and Orthodox monastery – aside from the great views, this
sight really encapsulates the long succession of powers and history that this
unique island can boast.
To round off an
excellent day, we went to a lovely restaurant just outside the city walls
called Nissa. Super-friendly service and simple but tasty food – again, sums up
everything that’s good about Rhodes.
Since we first came
here when we were just 19, I don’t think that I’ve ever had a bad day in Rhodes
– a wonderful island.
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