This morning we were up, breakfasted and off by about 07:15 as we were driving to Lindos to visit the famous Acropolis. As I mentioned yesterday Lindos, established around 6th century BC, was one of the 3 original city-states and continued in importance even after Rhodes Town was founded some 500 years later. Today there are only a few hundred permanent residents and most Lindians live in nearby villages and commute here to work in the tourist industry. As one of the most photographed locations in the Aegean and given the 30°C forecast we decided to get here early to avoid both the huge crowds and the heat of the day.
In contrast to the single lane, fairly winding, road on the north side of the island, the road on the other coast from Rhodes Town towards Faliraki and then on to Lindos is fast dual carriageway for a lot of its length. We'd researched in advance where to park (large car park at the top of the hill before you drive down into the village, €5 all day) and found a space with ease. Several coaches were already disgorging their sightseers and so we quickly nipped in front so as not to get caught up in their groups. It was a narrow, winding road down to the centre and despite all the warning signs many cars drove down thinking they could park at the bottom and so there was a lot of hooting and whistle blowing whilst cars tried to turnaround. Once in the centre, a maze of narrow streets criss-cross the lower hill and the main ones you walk through are lined with souvenir shops - rather like walking through a Moroccan bazaar although without the hassle. It wasn't really practical to try and stop to take photos as there were too many people around but maybe on the way down.
There are 250 steps in total to get to the top; alternatively you can go by donkey - clearly never an option for Ian!
Lindos Beach from halfway up.
Some expensive yachts moored there.
The ticket booth is just inside the citadel's lower gate and despite there being a lot of people around, there was no queue for tickets. The Acropolis dates from 342 BC and within it sits the Temple of Athena and then the jolly old Knights added their fortifications in the 14th century so it's all just a bit of a mixture of old stones.
This relief is of a Hellenic warship.
Temple of Athena
These are the Knights' bits, I think.
Looking north to Lindos Bay again.
And south to St Paul's Bay where he supposedly landed when thrown off course by a fierce storm in AD58 (maybe he was too busy writing letters to notice the bad weather).
The donkeys looked beautifully cared for and in perfect health.
But sadly this next photo illustrates why I'd like to see this "service" abolished or at least limited to those who wouldn't put undue strain on the poor animals.
Going down steps is more painful for Ian than going up, so having seen the donkey route we decided that might be a better option for us.
The views walking down were just glorious, even if the loose stones on the track were a bit slippery in places.
At least these poor beasts of burden were going downhill, but still not acceptable in my eyes!
As we took the donkey route down we went through quieter streets than on the way up.
Not entirely sure how come I managed to get this fabulous door knocker out of focus!
When I set up for this shot the cat on the right was looking like a mirror of the left one, unfortunately some child distracted it at the vital moment.
Not the easiest of doorways to navigate.
You had to keep on alert for oncoming donkeys as they didn’t stop.
And watch where you stepped sometimes (although to be fair there was a very conscientious poo man working).
Lovely leatherware on sale again.
There was a little courtyard below this bell tower with a beautiful bougainvillea in a pot, but it was impossible to shoot both at the same time; it was one of those infuriating situations where you waited and waited for people to pass but never had a clear space. So in the end I took it in two separate shots and cloned out the **** woman who thought she'd be invisible if she ducked.
Heading down to the beach for a beer.
Well worth the walk, it was delicious (and I don't really like beer!)
We were really enjoying the peaceful view and decided to stop for an early lunch. Mixed dips and pitta bread followed by grilled sardines and tomatoes reminded us of holidays in Cyprus 30 years ago. Sadly the food didn't really live up to expectations and the cost was quite eye watering given the portion sizes.
We made our way slowly back up to the village and then upward; retrieved the car and then drove back along the main road to get a couple of distance views.
Aren't telephoto lenses wonderful, although it does look a bit modern and Lego like.
This looks like an amphitheatre but I can't find any info about it (there is reference to wedding venue near there, but facing the opposite direction,)
Our next stop was the village of Asklipio which is famous for its highly decorated 11th c. church of Kimisis Theotokou.
A lot of houses on Rhodes have these bird like chimney cowls.
We assumed this room was a set up to show how the priest lives, or we may just have inadvertently wandered into his home, there was nothing to tell us.
The nearby 9th century Tharri Monastery, now home to a small community of monks. Like the previous church it has wonderfully renovated 14-16th c. frescoes depicting the acts of Christ. I don't know if you can see the monk sitting in the doorway but as he was there I didn't feel it correct to take photos.
When we came out he offered us a bowl of savoury biscuits and sweets which we declined but we stopped for a short chat. He was American, converted from regular Protestantism (presumably to Greek Orthodox) in the early 2000s and moved here soon after. There are 3 monks that live here fulltime and a few others who dip in and out and also cover other parishes. He said there was a natural spring running at the bottom of the grounds so we wandered down but really it wasn't worth the walk for Ian's knee.
Zinnia
These olives don't look quite ripe yet, but most groves we've passed have already been harvested.
When we arrived at Eleousa yesterday the sun was quite low in the sky and so today as we were fairly close by now we decided to go back and see if I could improve on any of my photos - I couldn't and so we headed home before the rush hour set in.
