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Published: March 25th 2007
Betsy, Mary and I
Travelmates for a month!
(Each day is compiled from the handwritten diary I'm keeping.) Sunday, March 25 Twenty-four hours ago (including losing 3 hours due to time zones and Daylight Savings) I was impatiently waiting in the Winchester McDonald's for the bus to take us to Heathrow. Now, I am sitting in a posh suit at a beautiful island resort in Greece. The view out the window, beyond our balcony, is of the pristine swimming pool, palm trees and the unrivaled beauty of the achingly blue Aegean Sea. Past that are the dark, misty mountains of Turkey. I can't believe I'm here!
Yesterday was a long, dull and bittersweet day. Got up early to finish packing not only for my trip, but my
Sun Beach Resort
On the island of Rhodes, in Greece entire room, since we have to completely vacate our dorm rooms over break (before noon) and keep everything in storage. It was sad saying goodbye to my English friends who are going home and the other Americans who are heading off in a dozen different directions over break. I'm traveling with Mary and Betsy, and have been a little apprehensive about getting along with them 24/7 for a whole month, since we'll see each other at our best and worst, not to mention dealing with the stress of traveling.
Waiting in Wincester... taking a bus... waiting at the airport... finally time to take-off! Our plane to Athens didn't leave until 10:30 p.m., so it was a lot of downtime. I was supposed to have a window seat, but some Greek guy begged me to let his wife/girlfriend sit there, so I was stuck in a middle seat, squished between two strangers. At least we got a hot meal. Our connection from Athens to Rhodes left 3 hours after landing, so we had more downtime in the early hours of the morning. I conked out on an airport bench, but the other girls got hardly any sleep last night. A
tiny bus took us to our small plane, which was my first time boarding a plane from the actual runway. Again, someone stole my window seat! But I still glimpsed the beautiful views over the sea and islands in the rising sun between the clouds. Disembarked outdoors into the sunny, balmy weather and air that held the scent of the sea.
We took a 12-euro taxi to Sun Beach Resort and checked in with gifts of fresh roses. A spiral staircase takes us up one floor to our suite, which has a living room, bedroom, bathroom and full kitchen. The only English-speaking channel on the TV is BBC. We stocked up on groceries, ate canned ravioli for lunch, and decided to carry pillows and blankets (it's a little chilly by the water) down to deck chairs to nap facing the sea. What a luxury! I can't wait to leave with an actual tan, as soon as it warms up.
We walked around the village of Trianta, which is about 10 km from the Town of Rhodes and has Ialyssos Beach running in between. I noticed a ton of stray cats and dogs, which I feel so sorry for,
despite the other girls' disgust. Motorbikes seem to be the most popular mode of transportation (I think it's an island thing) and you can tell it's a tourist town, with all the restaurants and resorts, and it's very run-down once you get off the beaten path. And the tourist season doesn't kick into gear for another few weeks, so it felt a bit like a ghost town in places, with establishments in various stages of being fixed-up for the summer. We found a bar that had Internet access so we could let our families know we were alive, and the guy gave us an invite to his club (Club BO) the following evening. Maybe we'll make an appearance...
Monday, March 26 After waking up late and eating breakfast on the balcony, we decided to explore the Town of Rhodes (Rodos is the Greek way to say it.) The bus is 1.80 euro for a one-way trip, and we caught the one that should have come at 11:10, but late buses are something we need to get used to. I enjoyed a coastline view on one side and hills on the other.
We spent most of the day in
the area where the old walls meet the modern city... or rather, the tourist zone! The streets with tourist shops are clean and pretty, and the harbor is beautiful to walk along. I bought a heart-shaped necklace with bits of seashell in it (3 euro -- probably could have bargained!) and a handful of postcards throughout the day. The ancient wall remnants are so historical and picturesque on this sunny day against the blue, blue water, despite the chilly breeze. We climbed on some boulders down close to the water, and up a wall that was called St. Paul's gate -- did he come here??
Despite the efforts of a half dozen restaurant owners emploring us to stop at their indoor/outdoor cafes, we picked just one for lunch. I was adventurous and ordered Pita Gyros, served with tomatos, onions and french fries. The meat was... OK. I little too chewy, and the taste made me sick after awhile. I enjoyed the spices, the pita and the veggies, however. We later got fancy ice creams -- more expensive then our meals, but worth it to satisfy the craving! Mine was the Chicago, with chocolate ice cream and whipped cream in
a pretty dish.
Back home (it doesn't take long for me to call a place "home") Betsy and I took naps out by the shore, though the stray cats scared her indoors. My heart just goes out to them! I watched a windsurfer do his thing, wipe out, and then come into shore right in front of me. I want to try some kind of water sport while I'm here, if possible! It looks so fun.
After a supper of leftovers, we chilled and planned the rest of our week with the travel info provided by the hotel. Mary curled my hair and we all put on "going out" clothes, leaving the hotel around 11... time for Club BO!
I didn't have to pay for any drinks all night, since the owner was super-generous and there was also a guy, Nikos (Nick), that kept buying me drinks. He turned out to be a pretty nice guy and we talked a lot -- he also studied in England but is now back in Rhodes and is an artist. The club never got very full, and we three girls (plus Nikos) were the only ones who danced, but it
was still a great time. We were out until almost 4 a.m.! Nikos and his friend walked us back, though we didn't let them walk us to our room so they wouldn't know where we lived, and we made plans to maybe meet them the following day.
Tuesday, March 27 After another long day of treking about in the hot sun and exacerbating my blistered feet in flip-flops, I'm exhausted! But Rhodes (same place as yesterday) was totally beautfiful and I'm very glad we went back for a second day.
Same bus (11:10+ lateness) to Rhodes, where we paid closer attention to the signs and actually found some historical sites, though we didn't pay to go in the museum. It was too nice of a day to spend inside! Instead, we found our own beautiful road -- practically private this time of year, without tons of tourists -- through the middle of the ancient wall, since there's actually two walls that surround the Old City.
Gorgeous wildflowers speckled among ancient stones with the sun and shadows playing off the rough surfaces and delicate petals -- a photographer's dream! Mary and I were adventurous and tried climbing in
and around all these tunnels and up the walls, even finding a rickety ladder that took us partway to the top of a section of wall. Using stone to get the rest of the way up, we found ourselves with a panoramic view and more things to discover. I found what looked like teeth (human? probably not) and spotted little lizards. We took cool pictures of each other and timed pictures of the group all during this midday walk, even on a modern stage inside the walls. My favorite pictures, however, are of the old walls and interesting plants, including palm trees and wildflowers.
We had started the day with ice cream cones (orange chocolate for me, mmmm) and found a deli for lunch. Very cheap! Instead of plain meat and cheese, I tried salami with cheese and tomatos and this interesting-tasting white spread -- the lady didn't speak enough English to explain what it was, so I just pointed. We ate at a fountain facing the sea. I then bought a GORGEOUS print of "typical Greece" and two smaller, panoramic postcards for only 6 euro, total. I chatted with the clerk about the photographer, though I should know
better than start a converstation, cause he wouldn't stop going on and on about Florida!
Despite mixed-up directions, we found an Internet cafe to check e-mails and upload pictures, though my camera didn't work. We ate with our bought groceries and the other girls went to bed early. I stayed up and finished the sole novel I brought on this trip (500+ pages) -- now what to read??
Wednesday, March 28 We took an early bus (well, 10:25 is early) to Rhodes and caught a coach to the village of Lindos today. I completely fell in love with the white Greek houses at the base of the hill, where a majestic Acropolis reigned above the pristine Aegean Sea. There are beaches there, too, which I imagine are packed in the summer but were nearly deserted today. We arrived at the same time as hordes of Greek students who are on holiday right now, but by the end of the day, we had the town to ourselves.
The bus ride was longer than expected and I ended up sitting next to a creepy old man that kept brushing against me. But the view coming down the hills to
Lindos made up for any inconvenience! The village hugs a hill before dropping away into the sea, with many islands dotting the near surface. Atop the hill sits the Acropolis, which is kind of like a fortress and holds temples to various Greek gods and goddesses from ancient times. Old and beautiful views! We seemed to be the only ones to stop and pay the 6-euro entry fee, but the price was worth the sites. We took a ton of pictures of our group and thoroughly explored the ruins. Coming back down (we passed on the costly donkey ride up/down the 20-minute walk) we wove through various tourist streets similar to everything we'd seen in Rhodes.
Though we'd had pastries in Rhodes earlier (mine was cream-filled...yum), we had lunch at one of the many crepe shops where the guy makes the food right in front of the window facing the street. My thin pancake had shredded chicken, cheese and tomatos wrapped inside.
Today I also bought a beautiful, handmade bowl/dish at an authentic pottery shop that had items in a completely different direction from the tacky tourist pottery that is mass-produced and is available everywhere. You could tell
that each item was handmade, and the painted ones were signed. I love the colors and detail -- it has deep blue glass in the middle that reminds me of the sea that I love to look at so much. The price -- 32 euro -- made the splurge worthwhile, though now it means I have to carry it everywhere on this trip! And, of course, more postcards.
My favorite part of the day was wandering among the winding paths and staircases between the blindingly white, achingly Greek, square houses. I took a lot of pretty pictures of the scenes, including beautiful plants, little chapels and more stray cats that actually looked like they belonged by these homes. Mary picked some lemons and we actually ate part of one and took the rest home.
We came back to the bus area and discovered we'd just missed the 3:30 bus and the next one wasn't until 6 p.m.! So, lots of waiting and goofing around... got free ice cream from a guy... and tried to stay warm in the cooling evening air. Our bus finally came and we had to switch randomly at an intersection, but finally made it
to Rhodes. Cold! Tortellini for supper and then chilled until it was time for bed.
Thursday, March 29 It was really nice just to take a day to laze around and sit in the sun, but in the late afternoon I started feeling antsy, like I needed to be doing something... even though, earlier, I had walked at least a mile or two down the beach and back.
We asked some questions at the info desk in the morning, including water sports. She said windsurfing was available, and suggested we take an organized cruise to a nearby island tomorrow. She also told us where the nearest Greek Orthodox churches were, since I really wanted to go in one. We also borrowed movies and books from the club office.
Down to the deck chairs by the pool! Today was a little more hazy and cloudy, but warmer and without a cold breeze. The not-as-bright sun took a toll on my skin, which burned a little but will be tan in a few days. I was too restless to just lay out right away, so set off down the street in my swimsuit top, jeans and tennis shoes (the
beach is all rocks) and carrying only my camera. First to the left, talked to a fisherman with his poles stuck in teh ground, and then to the right, toward Rhodes in search of the windsurfing stands. The breeze was just perfect -- warm and gentle enough to blow back the hair from my face just right. I picked up two pocketfuls of pretty pebbles and shells and chatted to a fisherman or two along the way. The beach was pretty, close to the water... if you ignored the trashy hotel and restaurant backs on the right. Most are in the process of getting fixed-up for the season and I was whistled at, called to, and openly stared at by the work crews. Seriously, Greek men make it so obvious! We've gotten hit on by men twice our age, even those wearing wedding bands will give us their numbers or ask if we want to go out for coffee. Maybe it's just their way of being friendly, but it's starting to get obnoxious.
The first windsurfing shack, maybe two miles down the beach, had a girl sitting out front and so I asked her about windsurfing -- it's not
available until later in the season! Bummer! But I don't think the walk was totally worthless, since I got some neat pictures and some much-needed alone time. I fell asleep on the deck chair back at the resort -- heavenly!
We wanted to treat ourselves to an authentic Greek meal, so we set off in search of a restaurant on the waterfront. The first one we went in was very posh, but it took us a few minutes to realize the menu only offered drinks and desserts. So we headed further, looking at the outdoor menus and bypassing the one that had a cat run out of it, until we got to Tpaka. They were serving food, though there was only one other table in the large, homey place, so we got special attention from the owner. I had grilled salmon, served with rice and chips, and a glass of white wine. The owner also brought us free shots... that tasted like potpourri. The food was great, not as "Greek-y" as I thought I would order, but delish. We also had dessert -- baklava for Mary and I, something with caramel for Betsy. A long meal, and late, but
that's how the Greeks do it. Exhausted, we headed back and went straight to bed.
Friday, March 30 Today was just tying up some loose ends -- visiting churches, one in Rhodes and one in Trianta (I love the ornate style inside!) and going back to explore the acropolis in Rhodes, as well as buying presents for family and friends.
We got a taxi to take us to the ruins in Rhodes and explored them going down the hill and walked back to town. It was interesting, especially the stadium, where we ate our lunch of store-bought meat and cheese sandwiches. We also looked in the display room with explanations of what we were seeing and what everything used to be used for.
Back home -- torellini with sauce for supper, watched the movie Airplane! and even had ice cream from the grocery store. Tomorrow will be a long day, since we have to check out at noon, though our flight doesn't leave until 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 31 Travel day! I will write more about this when I post an entry about Athens.
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