Rhodes

I absolutely LOVE Greece - it's far and away my favorite country in the world.  It's got beautiful weather, the people are the most adorable people in the world, the food is fabulous and the landscape is both ever-changing and stunning.  What's not to like?

Sunset

I used to go to Sivota in the north mainland of Greece for triathlon training in May, but this year that wasn't feasible with my 15 new places in 2015 plan (and the fact that I was no longer doing triathlon in a competitive fashion).  However, I was really keen on the idea of still going to Greece, but to a new part which I'd not visited before.  I was also really tired, having had a mammoth few months at work, so I looked around and decided that a week on the beach in Rhodes was just the ticket.  Not only would the weather be amazing in May, but the old town looked beautiful, and it would actually work out cheaper than staying in London if I did an all-inclusive package.  SOLD!

I was going by myself and I planned a week of doing NOTHING and recharging my batteries.  I was hoping that I'd meet some people out there, but I wasn't really that bothered if I didn't because I had my kindle loaded up and my iPod sorted with some toons, so I thought I'd be cool my myself.  It was lucky that I'd anticipated not meeting anyone else because I had booked into the Club Kalimera Sunshine Resort and, as it turned out, it was all German speaking!  Everyone there was either a German couple who didn't speak English or a Russian family ... .who didn't speak English.  This was fine though and I settled in to enjoy myself, soaking up the sun.

The first few days were absolutely lovely - I really did nothing at all apart from go for a run each morning, then lie on my sunlounger all day, only emerging to feed myself at mealtimes.  The beach was pebbled (which I like, I hate sand because it gets everywhere) and had the clearest, most amazing water I have ever ever seen.

Sea water!  How clear is that?!

I also went for a walk along the beach each night, because I was staying on the west of the island so I 

got the benefit of the amazing sunsets that nature put on.  It was also an interesting walk, because there were loads of remnants and reminders of the Dodecanese Campaign from WWII, including old Nissen huts.  They were a poignant reminder that no matter how peaceful the beach was, Greece's history has been turbulent and is still today with its economic issues. 

Nissen Hut left over from the Dodecanese campaign

 By about the fourth day, I decided that it was really better for me to haul myself off my sunlounger and do something a bit more proactive.  I was staying in Ialyssos, which is about a 15 kilometre walk from the Old Town and New Town, so I thought it might be nice to walk up to town, have a look around, then potter back in the afternoon.  The walk itself is STUNNING - straight along the coast.  It's almost impossible to get lost as long as the sea is on your left!  Once I got into town I cut down the most lovely avenue and found myself on the outskirts of the Old Town. 

Fortress of St Nicholas

The Old Town is not very easy to describe ... it feels incredibly ancient, but it's so well preserved that at the same time it feels very modern.  It's completely walled, and the walls contain tiny winding cobbled streets which all lead off from each other and snake around to join another street, and the vast majority of them are lined with stalls, shops, icecream vendors, cafes and tobacconists.  The atmosphere is incredibly peaceful, despite how busy it is, and it feels almost completely timeless.  After I'd spent some time pottering about, I headed down through to the port on the other side of the Old Town.  The port was incredible - the water was crystal clear, even with the boats all jostling for position in the docks, and it was huge, spilling out into the harbor.  I walked all the way around the harbor and then doubled back on myself to see the Colossus of Rhodes and the Fortress of St Nicholas, which is on the same peninsula.  Unfortunately for me, the Colossus was being repaired so I didn't get to see him!  The Fortress was wicked though, and I really enjoyed climbing around it and looking at the view.  There are loads of stray cats around which are all looked after by the Greeks quite well, so they wanted to come and play, and there were some gorgeous kittens as well.  After a lot of photos, I headed back up through the Old Town, past the New Town, and back along the coast to the resort.  All up it was almost 40km, so I was glad to reach my sunbed again!

The Monastery at Ancient Ialyssos

The track to Ancient Ialyssos

After a relaxing break the next day (God forbid that I should do an activity two days in a row), I decided to walk up to Ancient Ialyssos on my last day in Rhodes.  Ancient Ialyssos sits on a huge hill above Ialyssos where I was staying, and I knew that there were ruins and a monastery up there.  Ancient Ialyssos used to be one of the three major polis's, or regions, in Rhodes which mainly flourished in about the fifth century BC.  It has only recently been excavated and Minoan and Mycaenaean settlements have been found as well as the monastery.  The monastery was founded by the Knights of St John a lot later, not having arrived in Rhodes until the early 1300s, so that is far better preserved than the acropolis generally.

Filerimos Hill

There's also a tiny cobbled avenue (the Road of Martyrdom) from the monastery which leads slightly further up the hill, and all along it are shrines with various depictions of Christ's walk to Calgary.  They finish up with an enormous cross at the end and it has the most amazing views over the west coast of Rhodes from it.

The Road to Martyrdom

I thought since it was only 5 kilometres away, according to GoogleMaps, it would be a bit rude not to bother to go.  Oddly, GoogleMaps also told me that it was going to take about an hour and forty five minutes to get there, but since it was only 5km I thought Google must be drunk again and took little notice.  I started off really early so that it would be nice and cool, and the first part of my walk was lovely - through the tiny town of Ialyssos and up through the fields.  I then had to turn right to start my ascent up the cliff, but I was a bit confused because it didn't look like a road.  The blue dot assured me that it was the right way, and it swiftly turned into a lovely path in a tiny wood.

However, the path became steeper and steeper the further up I went ... and steeper ... and steeper ... until it was almost vertical.  With a bit of help from my hands I got up it, but it was definitely not the nice walk I'd anticipated!  After passing a little church I found myself on a road.  You know how normally roads up very steep hills are winding?  Well this road didn't bother ... it sort of tried to wind and thus cut the gradient, but in a very desultory way.  I was determined that I would make it by this point, so I kept on going, passed by busloads of slightly confused looking tourists who'd obviously decided that going in a coach was a much better idea!  Clever people ... but it was all worth it in the end, because the little abandoned monastery at the top was absolutely beautiful.  Not only that, but for the most part I didn't have to compete with too many tourists - even the busloads who'd passed me had either left again or were in some other part of the complex.  I absolutely loved the Road to Martydom and the views from it, and I was sorry to have to leave to get back in time to check out of the resort.

Ancient Ialyssos

I loved Rhodes but I wouldn't necessarily do this particular trip again - I'd like to have been able to meet loads more people, although it was good for me to be able fully to relax and do whatever I wanted for a week.  It did get a bit boring towards the end of the week though, even though I spent ages learning lots of Greek words to bore people with when I got back!

Ancient Ialyssos