Tuesday 19 October 2021

Rhodes, 2021 - Back to the Old Town

Kalispera! Blogland can collectively breathe a huge sigh of relief, it's the final instalment of our Rhodes adventure. 

An hour after boarding the bus from Lindos we arrived back in Rhodes Town, where we'd decided to spend our final 24 hours. 

Keen to make the most of our last day, we checked into our accommodation (a heritage hotel booked online before we left the UK), deposited our bag and headed straight back out, keen to reacquaint ourselves with the Old Town, although I couldn't resist snapping this gorgeous ormolu mirror and the exquisite chest of drawers on the landing outside our room, featuring brass reliefs of Achilles and bearing what has become the symbol of these strange times, a bottle of hand sanitiser!


After a bit of shopping, my bespoke turquoise necklace (seen HERE) and a cross-body bag for Lord Jon (Rhodes is renowned for its fine quality leather), we headed off to The Museum of Decorative Arts. No photos were allowed but you can see some of the amazing displays of ceramics, needlework, metalware and wood carving HERE. I was a bit disappointed to discover that their celebrated display of women's clothing was undergoing restoration but it is a perfect excuse for a return trip to Rhodes!


The museum is located within the former First Hospital of the Knights, built in honour of the French philosopher, Roger De Pins (1294 - 1365), a member of the Knights of St John. Jon's enjoying a drink from a water fountain, also built by the order, wondering if his 13 x Great grandfather, the Blessed Adrian Fortescue, ever sought refreshment here.


We returned to The Island of Lipsi for al fresco salads, homemade pitta bread, tzatziki and bottles of icy-cold Mythos.


We continued on to the seafront, horrified and mesmerised in equal measure by the monstrous size of the cruise ships docked in Mandraki Harbour. 



We followed the ramparts back into the Old Town, getting lost in a maze of cobbled streets we'd not encountered on our first visit and, for future reference, made a note of some of the gorgeous pensions and hotels tucked away in Medieval alleyways.









As you can see, I had to wear my new turquoise necklace immediately. 


After showers and a siesta back in our tiny room, we poured ourselves a rum, sat on top of the fridge and watched the world go by beneath our window.



We walked back down to the harbour to watch our last rosy-fingered Rhodian sunset before heading back to the Byzantine-era bar kitted out with vintage and upcycled treasure we'd loved on our previous visit, for a Mythos or three.





We returned to Archodiko Dimitri, the roofless restaurant set within a ruin, lined with statues of Greek gods and heroes. The waiters, thrilled to see us again, brought us glasses of mastika, a local spirit made from the sap of an evergreen tree, with a peppermint flavour. The perfect digestif. Yammas!


After dinner we popped into a bar we'd spotted earlier, which had been serving refreshments to thirsty travellers since the 13th Century. 


Back at our room we repacked our bag and had a fitful night's sleep, the nearby nightclub and the rock bar downstairs pumped out music until 4am. Of course, we could have just shut the window but both of us loathe air-conditioning and knew we could catch up with our sleep on the flight home.


Breakfast was taken on the cobbled streets outside a traditional bakery around the corner from Domus, tiny cups of strong Greek coffee and piping hot cheese pies, straight from the wood-fired oven. A procession of locals on their way to work stopped off to fill paper bags with all manner of baked delights.


We walked to New Town, caught a bus to the airport and took our time over frappes in the cafe. The Ryanair homeward flight, just like the outbound one, was bang on time with mask-wearing rigorously imposed throughout. Back at home the lads took around 5 hours to forgive us and haven't left us alone since. 

See you soon!

53 comments:

  1. No sighs of relief here, maybe a tear or two that there will be no more glorious pictures until you and Jon escape again!

    Some of the medieval streets in the old town are quite stunning, makes me fantasise about a world where so much has not been destroyed 😢😢. The alleyway with those arches is just something else . . . sighs happily.

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    1. Thanks so much, Jayne! I'm so glad you enjoyed revisiting Rhodes through our eyes! xxx

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  2. I agree with Jayne your posts always "take us with you" and are lovely to read. Stunning pics as ever. Loved the line sat on the fridge and watched the world go by. Bet the lads will be keeping a close eye on you two for awhile. Bright spot in a dull day your post. Shazxx

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  3. I enjoyed your series of travelogues enormously, so no sigh of relief here! And what a perfect final day you've had. Those cobbled streets are delightful as are the setting of those bars and restaurants! I'm sure you've got more than one reason for wanting to return. I'm glad to read the lads forgave you in the end ... xxx

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    1. Thanks so much, Ann! Writing a few travel-inspired posts really does help extend the holiday, doesn't it? xxx

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  4. That looks like a most marvellous place to visit. I'd never really considered Rhodes before but I definitely would now! I loved you in the dress with the thin straps and new necklace is beautiful. I also never got the impression it was particularly crowded which is always a bonus...
    xxx

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    1. Thanks, Vronni! Rhodes is such an interesting place. It didn't dispoint after my third visit. xxx

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  5. What glorious weather and such lovely photos - could you not have brought a teeny tiny bit of it back with you? 😊 never mind - welcome back (to autumnal !)
    Thank you for sharing your lovely holiday with us🧡

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    1. Thank you! I wish I could have stolen some of that heat and sunshine and brought it back home. I know it's not been awful here but it's not the same as 30° and constant sunshine. xxx

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  6. Have really enjoyed all your holiday photos x

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  7. Thanks for sharing your holiday snaps. It's been refreshing to see another part of the world again when travel has been so restricted. Arilx

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  8. Goes without saying how much I've really enjoyed your travelogue. I love the fact that the streets were practically deserted too. Perfect in every way, except the high temps - I'm useless in the heat! Also, you might like a book that I've been reading about 'Olympus, Texas' set in modern day America but paralleled with Greek mythological figures.

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    1. Thank you so much! The buildings and alleyways were surprisingly cool, those Knights knew what they were doing. I'm surprised that the direct flights from the UK to the Greek islands stop in November, I reckon Rhodes would be a brilliant winter getaway, there's so much to see and do.
      I shall add that book to my list, we do seem to like the same books! xxx

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  9. I certainly enjoyed your recap of your adventure. The food, the views all seem magical.

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  10. I've enjoyed so much these posts!, love your photos, love the alleys and taverns and the atmosphere!
    Thanks for this!
    besos

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  11. I enjoyed the travelogue. I'm impressed that you managed to drink the mastika-that stuff is like ingesting a pine tree. Well, it IS ingesting a pine tree, but you know what I mean. You can buy the gum for cooking or making your own booze if you start missing it.

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    1. I thought I'd hate mastika but it tasted really good after a meal (might have something to do with the wine and beer we drank with it!)
      I've watched documentaries about the harvesting of it but haven't seen mastika in shops here, might be another good excuse to go back! xxx

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  12. Vix, thank you so much for this wonderful adventure. I can feel the sun on my skin and the smell of the warm salty air! Oh, the cruise ships - my city is a destination for them too, and we are considering banning them. It's a dent in the local economy, but they are such massive bastard boats, and wreak havoc on the local marine life.

    Glad the lads have forgiven you. :)

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    1. Wow I didn’t know that!! We don’t have many and I was surprised we accepted the covid ship as everyone was scared. My husband calls the, floating bacteria disasters on the sea as so many people fall sick. Japan hates them.

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    2. Sheila, those bastard massive cruise ships are monstrous, I've read about the enviromental damage they cause and can totally understand your beautiful part of the world wanting to ban them.
      Allie - I always think of those ships as being huge disease carriers, too. Before Covid they used to be rife with Norovirus, didn't they? xxx

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  13. Thank you for sharing your holiday with us. I meant to ask did you try the local supermarket food? We always do that when we are away. It’s a bit of a habit as I cannot eat big meals so I eat local bakery goods and items purchased from the supermarkets . I love it.
    It seemed such a clean and litter free place like here. Paul really wants to visit now.

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    1. I love a foreign supermarket! We mostly bought fruit, Greek yogurt, booze, tomatoes, olives, freshly baked bread and local cheeses although we tried a "Rhodes Coconut Pie" which tasted like a giant cocnut mushroom but was so sweet we had to chop it into four and eat it over two days!
      Every morning we'd see council employees out litter picking and shop owners and locals would all sweep the outside of their properties and hose them down - a shame more people don't take responsibility for their frontages here! xxx

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  14. You write such wonderful travel guides. I almost felt as though I was walking around with you.

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  15. Those cobbled streets and little alleys and lanes - that's my kind of holiday - I would love to stay in a place right there in the midst of it all - fabulous pictures and I love your turquoise necklace (it's my favourite stone) suits your colouring and I would have worn it straight away too!

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    1. Thanks, Betty! I've been hunting for a turquoise necklace for years, the ones in India are either fakes or in high-priced tourist shops and cost more than a flight. I love that this was completely bespoke, I got to choose all the stones, the clasp and the length.
      Aren't those alleyways wonderful? I love getting lost in them and peeping through windows and keyholes in doorways! xxx

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  16. Thanks Vix for a wonderful travelogue, it’s been nearly as good as being away ourselves. I love the shots of the alleyways and your new necklace is so pretty.
    What a super album you now have to pour over in the winter months.
    Love to you both xxx

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    1. Thanks, Lynn! We were starting to doubt that we'd ever get away this year so when we did we enjoyed every moment even more than we normally do when we travel. Even the flight seemed exciting! xxx

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  17. it was a wonderful travel with you!!!
    the museum front is totally stunning - the ancient stone walls AND the cut in form bougainvilleas. not to mention the pretty lass in a chic dress........
    xxxxx

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    1. Thanks, Beate! Every time I return from Greece I keep meaning to research Bougainvilleas but I've a sneaking suspicion that we don't have the climate for them. xxx

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  18. Thank you for sharing your beautiful trip, enjoy all the history you post with the pictures. Glad ya'll had a safe and wonderful trip!

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    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed travelling virtually with us, Chrystal! xxx

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  19. Fantastic journey. I now have "Vix and Jon's trip" envy......

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  20. What a beautiful place! Lovely pictures!
    xoxo
    Lovely
    www.mynameislovely.com

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  21. Beautiful place! I love your new torquise necklace not to say anything of your gorgeous maxi dresses.

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  23. Hello Vix, it's a Friday night so yammas! Did Jon's blessed water taste good? You are looking very glam on the museum steps (& I am also admiring the knarly, boxy cut climbers!) Aren't those medieval alleys wonderful. I really fancy a stroll around with plaited rustic bread in one hand, frappe in the other. Lulu xXx

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    1. Kalimera, Lulu! He prefered the Mythos, the pleb that he is!
      Aren't those climbers gorgeous? I was watching a lady pruning one in Crete last year. Someone gave me the cutters but I'm lacking the plant! xxx

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  24. Oooh, it looks so wonderful there! You really suit the place! Those cruise ships are monsters- I went on a small one and our one looked like a dinghy next to one! I'm swooning over your food and wishign I was now going somewhere sunny!x

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    1. I wish you were going somewhere sunny, Kezzie. Those two weeks away made such a difference, with India off limits again this winter it was lovely to explore and not have to battle with the weather. xxxx

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  25. I'm so glad you were able to get away, and thank you for another fantastic trip re-cap. Rhodes is beautiful and your photos have made me think I would enjoy visiting there.

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    1. I think you would enjoy Rhodes, Shelley. It's such a fascinating island with loads to see. I loved it as much the third time as I did the first (maybe even more so!) xxx

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  26. Ok so first I misread and thought you said you had snapped up that mirror and was thinking wow how will they get that home on the plane?? Doh
    I remember feeling the same about the cruise ships when they were anchored in the sea at Bournemouth last year truly my idea of holiday hell.

    I have LOVED reading these holiday posts.

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  27. I do always enjoy your holiday posts!

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Thanks for reading and for leaving a message. Please don't be anonymous, I'd love it if you left a name (or a nom de plume).

Lots of love, Vix