We chat with a Swiss who's spent most of his time in Turkey. He's intrigued about NZ, kiwis (birds, of the feathered variety), and enjoys practising his English. The National Geographic World Atlas and What Bird NZ iPad apps come into their own!
Assuming I'm technically literate, he explains he's having problems with the new memory card he's bought for his camera. First step change the camera language from Turkish to English, second step format the memory card, third step set the language to German which he prefers, fourth step take a photo! He's ecstatic, and gives me an enthusiastic European kiss on both cheeks. Just goes to show that geeks will soon rule the world.
A couple of stomach-churning hours later we arrive at the picturesque port adjacent to Rhodes Old Town. Customs formalities are a breeze, and we head for Pansion Eleni in the heart of the Jewish Quarter. Yes, they have a nice double room at only €35 per day, and in halting English and German (Schuler Deutsch) we make our requirements known to the landlady, a lovely old Greek woman, completely bald on top.
Suitably settled in we head out for lunch. Traveling is thirsty work, so we settle on a beer - small for Pauline, medium for me.
It's only after they arrive in their elegant boot glasses that we realise that small means 500ml, and medium means a litre! Good thing we're not in any hurry, nor doing any driving in the afternoon.
Wandering the Old Town is a real treat. It's a maze of 2m wide alleys linking a few big squares.
Everywhere you look there's a fortress wall, or a church, or a mosque, or a clock tower, or an arch, or a buttress, or a little peep into a private courtyard. This place is magic - you could wander for hours, stopping off at some of the many cafes for a coffee, or shops for more than just tourist trinkets. And we do.
Wednesday morning sees us with our first problem - the water is only luke warm which makes showering a challenge. Despite the communication barrier we discover the Pansion runs on solar hot water only. Sure enough, our evening shower later was red hot.
We make a more concerted effort to see the sights.
First up we wander up the Avenue of the Knights to their Palace, where the Crusader Knights made their home in the early 14th century, segregated by their seven different languages, but all united by their Grand Master.
The marble statues are amazing, full of emotional intensity.
As are the floor mosaics, with Medusa being a recurring theme. Not a woman you'd want to stumble into in an alley at any time of the day!
On to the Archaeological Museum for more sights, statues, mosaics, and evey imaginable type of bowl and ornament spanning 4,000 years. A lot to take in.
But it wasn't all dry and dusty. The rooftop garden made a nice counterpoint to the exhibits behind their glass cages.
How could you not like this place? No cars, a few bikes to watch out for, but otherwise delightful little alleyways with something new at every turn. By contrast the New Town outside the fortified walls is the pits, full of cars (moving and parked) and no space for pedestrians or cyclists - a bit like central Auckland.
We make the effort to walk around the northern coastline though, but are a bit concerned as the sky darkens overhead. We spot an Illy sign in the distance, and make safety in the cafe as the raindrops turn pregnant and thunder rumbles overhead.
Back on the seaward side of the Old Town we take in another now non-existent Wonder of the Ancient World - the Colossus of Rhodes. Built around 300BC to celebrate victory over a besieging Cypriot army, the Colossus was a 30m high statue of Helios, made primarily from bronze plates. Sadly it only lasted half a century before it was destroyed by an earthquake. All we have in it's place now are a couple of deer, though there are plans to rebuild the Colossus (or something similar) as a tourist attraction. Unfortunately given the €200m cost and the dire straits of the Greek economy, this is likely to be later than sooner.
Thursday, and our last full day in Rhodes sees us heading for Lindos on the south-east coast.
It's a lovely little town with a great beach and spectacular Acropolis atop the hill.
It's a bit of a hike to the top (of course we spurn the donkey rides).
But the views are stunning.
Take care where you step. There are no guard rails, and it's a long way down.
Coffee calls as we head back down the hill, and as per Lonely Planet's recommendation stop off at the Captain's House. More than a caffeine fix, this 400 year old place was once the home of one of Lindos' wealthy ship captains.
The elaborate carvings above the door bring good fortune, while the ropes represent the number of ships owned. The ceilings inside are intricately painted, and attract lots of tourists.
An unseemly jostle for the bus (the Turks do buses better than the Greeks) and we're heading back to Rhodes Old Town. Another good day on the road, capped off by some excellent local food and wine in a nearby restaurant, though we'll have to be careful with costs - it's easy to spend Euros like dollars!
Good Friday morning and church bells ring out across the town. Time for further exploring and a bit of shopping before catching our ferry to Piraeus. Hopefully a better experience than the trip from Turkey!
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