Trip Report - Rhodes Greece July 2008 (pics really)

[blueton]

Thought I'd post a few pics of my trip to the Greek Island of Rhodes.

We had booked for the Iberostar Varadero in Cuba, but job uncertainty and some bad reviews made us change our mind (Maybe another time).

We chose to stay at the resort of Pefkos on the East coast as a good base for everything.
So on to some pics:
Road to our hotel:


Fig trees:


Apartments:



The beach


The apartments had a viewing balcony overlooking the beach. I took these pictures of the 'Sunset Cat' here. (sung to the tune of smelly cat by phoebe).









I like how the sun makes the light appear lit in the above shots - but it is just the glow of the sunset.

LINDOS
Pefkos is just a few Kilometers from the ancient town of Lindos.
This is old town is a maze of narrow streets with shops, roof-top tavernas and bars.

The town is dominated by the medieval acropolis and also boasts an amphitheatre as well as three good bays. Many weddings take place in the small St Pauls bay which has its own small chapel.

The Byzantine fortress was extended by the Knights of St. John (more about them later).

Sunrise over Lindos (One of my favourite pictures)














Lindos roof-top taverna restaurant


St. Pauls bay with white wedding chapel


Beaches
There were several nice beaches on the East coast which we alos visited.
Our favourite was probably Agathi as the sand was very soft and the water very shallow and war with lots of fish around the rocks for snorkelling:


Another local beach:


Ladiko bay:






Anthony Quinn Bay:

This is so called after the film 'The Guns of Navarone' (based on the Alistair McLean book) which was filmed here and starred Anthony Quinn.



Prasonisi - where the two seas meet.

This is the southern tip of the island and is actually a sand spit that is under water in winter or high seas.
The right hand side has the windy seas of the Mediterranean Sea ideal for advanced kite surfers. To the left is the calmer Aegean sea.

Monolithos
The castle of Monolithos ('Single Rock') dates dates from 1476.
It was a fortress of the knights of St.John and is 250m above the coast.








I think the following shots are the remains of a Basilica that are to be found within the castle walls.










Petaloudes - The Valley of the butterflies
This is a very famous area. Thousands of Jersey moths (Butterflies sounds better for the tourists ) swarm each summer to breed.

Apparently there were not that many when we went but we still found a few!

(When they are in full swarm they just cover everything in sight in the whole valley).

North Entrance:













Church of Dormition of the Virgin

The village of Asklipeio hosts this 10th century Byzantine church. At first the church seems nothing of significance but closer inspection reveals its delights.











The church is covered with 17th Century frescos depicting New Testament stories.
(E.g. You can see the crucifiction, Jesus riding into Bethlehem on a Donkey and Rising from the dead in the following).






Sani Church
Whenever going to Greece and her islands always make sure you visit the churches and look inside if possible. Even what may appear to be the most unassuming of churches from the outside will hold treasures within. Even the poorer communities take great pride in their church and have built up gold and silver treasures over time.

The church at the village of Sani announces itself splendidly and is a central attraction of the village.















Rhodes Town
Rhodes Town was a highlight for me.

The town is a world heritage site. There is the new town and the old town both with lots to see.

In the time available we chose to concentrate on the old town.

The old town is contained within the castle walls and is steeped in history.

The Order of the Knights of St. John set up base on the island in the 14th century after fighting in the crusades but being repelled from the holy lands by Muslim forces.

The occupation of the Knights is evident all over the island in Castles, forts etc.

There is also theThe Knights quarter in the Old Town.

Despite fierce resistance the Knights were eventually ousted from the Island in the 16th Century by the Ottoman Empire and retreated to the island of Malta.

The Muslim influence within the town can be also be seen in the form of Mosques and minurets etc.

If you go to Rhodes you must vist Rhodes Old town.

Here is a selection of pictures.





Ipoton - the street of the knights.











A typical courtyard and house off the strret of the knights.
There would have been livestock in the courtyard:


Other streets




Artisans at work


The Clock Tower


The Mosque of Suleyman:

(Suleyman the magnificant who ousted the knights in 1522)



Muslim Library (nice paving)



Nice scenery




Hippocrates Square:




Fountain in the Old Jewish Quarter:




Remains of Catholich Church - 'Our Lady of the Burg'



One of the Gate Exits



Pictures of the outside castle walls and inner (dry) moat.



















Pefkos Farewell Sunset
On our last night we went to the appartments viewing balcony and watched our last sunset.







Finally ...
We had a great time in Rhodes.
The people were genuinely friendly and always went out of thier way to help and give a good service. The beaches were great.

The food was just fabulous; Fresh and delicious.
Chees Saganaki was to die for.
Fresh salads and all manner of dishes..
Negatives - none really. It was almost too hot sometimes
.. oh and My wife had to keep an eye out for Japanese whalers just in case...

The end.

[syl]

wow!!!your pics are spectacular!!!!now i have another place to add to my trip list!!!!thnaks so much for sharing!!!how pricey are the resturants??

[Andiline]

Although my sister's bf is half-greek and he has a house on Crete I've never been to Greece. Looks nice though so I think I should go there sooner or later....

Thanks for sharing!!!!

[Trish]

Thanks so much for posting the pictures with your comments. I have a friend from work that will be in Greece for a few days this week as part of a cruise she's taking... Don't remember her mentioning Rhodes specifically, but now seeing your pictures, it really makes me envious that's she's over there.

Looks like you had quite the trip! I especially liked the Sunset Cat, and the pictures of all the butterflies on the trees.!

[monte]

What awsome pics. Now you have made me miss Greece I love Greece. I lived on Mykonos, unfortunately I never made it to Rhodes. Now I sooooo want to go back.

[TAPPY]

WOW - awesome pictures - thank you so much for sharing.

Stunning pics !

[BonnyW]

Very, very nice. Someday I will go to Greece

[Susie Q Roo]

I've been to Rhodes and Lindos, but it was only for several hours on a cruise ship stop. I'm SO envious of your chance to absorb several days of beauty and culture there! Thanks for sharing your pictures with us, Blueton.

[Eileencc]

Wow! spectacular pictures of a very photogenic part of the world! Thanks for sharing!

[MaripositaII]

We were there a long time ago for two weeks and loved it. Brought back happy memories. Did you get to go to any of the other islands? We also spent two weeks on Cos and visited several islands on day trips. Fabulous food, people and sights. Thanks for sharing.

[Jacko]

Thank-you so much for posting your incredible pictures of what must have been an incredible journey...you have inspired me to visit.

So many beautiful and interesting pictures..







]

[rizan22]

Ladiko bay is stunning, and how amazing is the picture of Prasonosi! Your pictures have me yearning for another trip to Greece…..I so love the islands! Thanks!

[Thor Henning]

Great pictures! I have never been to Rhodes, but your pictures make me realize I should.

[Tlyn]

Beautiful pictures and trip report - thank you for sharing with us! Greece is on my list of places to visit.

[blueton]

Originally Posted by syl

wow!!!your pics are spectacular!!!!now i have another place to add to my trip list!!!!thnaks so much for sharing!!!how pricey are the resturants??

Hi Thanks.

The restaurant prices seem a little more expensive than they used to be, but are still quite good and everything is freshly cooked with fresh produce. The food was excellent. The sterling exchange rate was also quite poor for us against the Euro.

I would say that a meal for two including 2 starters (e.g a big greek salad enough for two, plus a cheese saganaki), two main courses (e.g. Pork fillet in honey and mustard sauce, Lamb Kleftiko, Chick ala creme, peppered sirloin steak etc etc etc..) and a half litre of wine and a couple of beers in a the better tavernas would be between 35-42 Euros. It will vary a bit depending on your tastes, and you can get a litre of wine for not too much more if preferred.

Having said that, we found one excellent place with all the above but with a litre of wine and also including two desserts for a total of about 28 Euro.

If you are on a budget there are some places offering 3 course set menus for about 9 euro. We preferred the ambiance of the better places though - we are on holiday after all

You can eat reasonably cheap at even the better places if you want as there are always pizzas, spaghetti bolognaise (my wife enjoyed this once) and excellent cheap local dishes. These are also all fresh and delicious.

If you want fillet steak it will cost a bit more, as will some sea food which I guess is to be expected.
Thanks
B.