Rhodes, 2021 - Reflections on a Marine Paradise (Part 1)

Kalispera! We're back from a fortnight on the glorious island of Rhodes (Rodos), basking in temperatures that seldom fell below 30°C. By day we swam in the warm & crystal clear waters of the Aegean, sunned ourselves on dazzlingly white sand beaches, explored ancient archaeological sites, wandered centuries-old cobbled streets and ate Greek salads in bustling village squares whilst, at night, we feasted on mezes from candlelit tables set within the crumbling remnants of 15th-century sea captain's houses and Medieval ruins, washed down with ice-frosted bottles of Mythos or carafes of local red or the deliciously port-like, sweet orange wine.

But let's start from the beginning, shall we? We flew with Ryanair, the oft-maligned budget airline who, once again, was utterly brilliant. Check-in at Birmingham airport was fast and efficient and mask-wearing strictly enforced throughout the three-and-a-half-hour flight. On arrival, our vaccination status and PLF forms were rigorously checked by the Greek police with a handful of passengers being selected for random testing (not us). Within 20 minutes of landing, we were in a taxi heading towards the first destination of our trip, Rhodes Town, with a population of around 54,000, the island's principal settlement.

Rhodes Town is, in reality, two towns in one. New Town with its high rise hotels, upmarket shops and trendy waterfront bars and the cobbled, labyrinthine Old Town, which lies within, sealed like a Medieval time capsule behind a ring of crumbling stone walls and a deep moat. No prizes for guessing where we opted to stay!

Despite having travelled to Rhodes previously, neither of us had visited Rhodes Town before and, from the moment we climbed out of the taxi and dragged our bag through St Anthony's Gate into the Old Town, we fell madly in love with the mind-blowing mix of Byzantine, Medieval, Ottoman, Turkish and Italian architecture.

As soon as we'd offloaded our bag in our tiny garden apartment (pictured above) booked through Booking.com a week earlier, we headed back out to explore what was to be our base for the next three nights.

The Knights of St John (also known as the Knights Hospitaller) arrived in Rhodes in 1309 and ruled for 213 years before being ousted by the Ottomans in 1522 and resettling in Malta some eight years later. The austere and somewhat forbidding Street of the Knights is said to be the most perfectly preserved Medieval street in Europe and was divided into seven tongues, or languages, according to their birthplace - England, France, Germany, Italy, Aragon, Auvergne and Provence.

Of course, walking in the footsteps of the Knights of St John was all the more exciting for Lord Jon after discovering that his 13 x great-grandfather, the Blessed Adrian Fortescue, beheaded by Henry VIII, was a member - and a celebrated martyr - of the order.

After lunch (Greek salad and Mythos, obviously) in a shady square, we passed through Liberty Gate to Mandraki Harbour, where we gazed out at the impossible azure Aegean.

After a quick shower, we had a couple of rums in the garden and took a sunset walk alongside the imposing twelve-metre wide ramparts.

We couldn't resist a few beers in this 16th-century Turkish Pacha's house. Everything was recycled and vintage including the table I'm sitting at, made from an antique cupboard door and the base from an old Singer sewing machine.

We ate dinner in the remains of a ruined castle, roofless and open to the elements on all sides with climbing plants cascading down what was left of the walls. Unusually, the only vegetarian option on the menu was a Greek salad so, for the second time that day we stuffed our faces with feta cheese, cucumber, peppers, olives and tomatoes - no hardship, really!

We'd planned to spend the following day exploring some of Rhodes Town's museums, stopping for an obligatory Frappe (Greek iced coffee) along the way. What are those ruins? we asked the waitress, I've no idea, she replied, there are so many in Rhodes Town that we don't take much notice of them.

 

The Palace of The Grand Master was our first port of call - although it took us an age to get there as we had to stop and chat to every cat we met. It turned out that we couldn't have timed our visit more perfectly. After donning our masks and showing our Covid vaccination certificates at the booking office, we were told it was The International Day of Culture meaning that admission was free to all of the town's museums.

The exterior of the Palace of the Grand Master is said to look as magnificent now as it did when it was erected by the Knights of St John during the 14th Century. However, during the 19th Century, the interior was devastated by an explosion and was reconstructed by the Italians in the 18th year of the Fascist Era (1940). Lawrence Durrell was not a fan. 

We turned into the famous Street of the Knights at the top of which lay the Castello – that monument to bad taste executed by the latest Italian governor. By now the hideous archness of the restoration work was becoming fully apparent…. We walked from room to garish room, from chapel to chapel, corridor to corridor; wherever you turned you were greeted with ugly statuary, tasteless hangings and tapestries, and the kind of marquetry work that suggested the lounges of passenger steamers. 

Reflections on a Marine Venus - Lawrence Durrell

As much as I adore Durrell's writing, he can be a frightful old bore, his thoughts on The Achillion on Corfu, the glorious 19th-century Summer palace dedicated to Archilles, being a prime example (see my blog post HERE). I'd happily give that Murano glass chandelier, "ugly statuary" and that 3000-year mosaic floor featuring Medusa space in our house!

We left the Palace of the Grand Master and wandered back down The Street of the Knights, stumbling across an exhibition of contemporary mosaics made from pottery washed up on Elli, Rhodes Town's beach, within a 15th-century house.

We followed a friendly ginger cat down an alleyway and sat on a bench in the shade for a while, listening to a busker performing to passers-by.

Time for more culture! The Lonely Planet describes The Archaeological Museum as the best museum in the Dodecanese. Set within the 15th century former Knight's hospital it extends from within the airy interior to the stunningly lovely gardens. 

The treasures within are breathtaking, excavated from all over the island and ranging over 5000 years.

Time for lunch! 

Restored with a Greek Salad and a bottle of Mythos, we continued to the 11th Century Our Lady of the Castle church, also home to the town's Byzantine Art Museum.

After showers, a change of clothes and a couple of rums back at our apartment, dive-bombed by pipistrelle bats roosting in the banana trees overhead, we negotiated the cobbled streets once more, finding our way to a bustling tree-lined (and cat-filled) square where we downed a few Mythos beers.

Dinner was served in another roofless ruin, filled with interesting artefacts including a larger than life bronze cast of Medusa.

The food was spectacular, a vegetarian platter for me (spanakopita, Plaka Gigantes, pilaff with orzo, tzatziki and dolma) and a lamb kleftiko for Jon, unusually wrapped in filo pastry and stuffed with Feta cheese.

Yammas!

Phew! Still with me? I'll be back with more on our time in Rhodes Town very soon.