The island of Rhodes is one of the most interesting and has been inhabited for six thousand years and due to its geographical position on the major Mediterranean Sea trade routes is situated at a natural crossroads between Europe, the Middle East, and Africa and this has given the city and the island many different identities, cultures, architectures, and languages over its long and varied history.
Posted in Arts and Crafts, Beaches, Cathedrals, Europe, Food, Greece, Greek islands, Greek Taverna, History, Knights of St John, Literature, Travel, World Heritage
Tagged Culture, Dodecanese Islands, Holidays, Knights of St John, Lindos, Photography, rhodes, Travel
You may have noticed that I rather like taking pictures of doors, especially Greek doors.
In 1998 I visited the island of Rhodes and bought this collection of postcards…
George Meis is now a very famous Greek photographer whose work is available everywhere. In 1998 he was just starting out and his work was restricted to postcards.
Anyway, thinking back I am certain that it was at this point that I became inspired to take pictures of doors and windows. This is quite possibly the first door picture that I ever took on that holiday in Rhodes…
Posted in Arts and Crafts, Europe, Greece, Greek islands, History, island hopping, Postcards, Travel, World Heritage
Tagged Doors and Windows, George Meis, Postcards, rhodes, World Heritage
When it comes to taking pictures I like doors, statues, balconies and washing lines, Kim on the other hand likes people pictures so I thought I might share a few of them with you.
This one was taken whilst on an early morning walk on the Greek island of Rhodes…
We woke early and went to the Street of the Knights because this is one of the best preserved/restored medieval streets in Europe and we wanted to get there before the crowds. As soon as the cruise ships arrive and discharge their guests onto the quayside hundreds of people make straight for this place and it immediately loses its atmosphere and its charm.
The man in the picture had set the tables and was waiting for the tourists to arrive.
The approach to the harbour town was probably the most spectacular of all the islands that we have visited flanked on both sides by colourful neoclassical houses in a riot of complimentary pastel shades, contrasting wooden shutters, decorative iron balconies and red tiled roofs.
Posted in Cathedrals, Europe, Greece, Greek islands, Greek Taverna, History, Literature, Natural Environment, Postcards, Travel, World Heritage
Tagged Ano Symi, Dodecanese Islands, Life, Photography, rhodes, Symi
Even though travel restrictions are easing I am not yet minded to risk it so I still have no new stories to post so I continue to go through my picture archives and see where I was on this day at any time in the last few travelling years.
On 30 July 2010 I was on the Greek Island of Symi close to Rhodes…
On arrival in Symi there was no one to meet us, no notes pinned to the door of the room or instructions giving any sort of advice at all on what to do and the phone was not being answered.
It was eleven o’clock and extremely hot and all we could do was sit on the sun terrace, sweat and wait. Luckily I had a couple of tins of Mythos in the bag so I had to drink them quickly before they heated up in the midday sun and after an hour or so and I had almost recovered from the ordeal of the climb I went all the way back down the steps to get some more and to buy some food for lunch.
Getting back up the steps returned me to my previous state of sweat streaked exhaustion and what I really needed was a cool blast of air conditioning but still the phone remained unanswered and still no one came.
A French guest came and went and told us that usually someone came by at about two o’clock so this meant that we would have an hour or so to wait so we made some lunch and drank some more Mythos and competed with each other for the shade of the wooden pergola.
Click on an image to scroll through the Gallery…
Posted in back packing, Beaches, Europe, Greece, Greek islands, History, Natural Environment, Postcards, Travel, World Heritage
Tagged Ano Symi, Dodecanese Islands, Life, Photography, rhodes, Symi, Travel
From the harbour we walked further up the Kali Strata towards the upper town of Ano Symi passing on the way dozens of abandoned once grand mansions that were built over a hundred years ago when Symi’s sponge fishing and ship building industries were both thriving but which fell into decline in the first half of the twentieth century when both suffered serious economic failure.
Click on an image to scroll through the Gallery…
Other houses were damaged during the Second-World-War during the German occupation and empty shells stand adjacent to some, like the Pantheon, that have been restored. Rules on restoration are very strict and this together with difficulties of access for modern vehicles (the only viable means of transporting building materials is by expensive donkey train) means that the cost of a restoration is often prohibitive and for this reason the whole process of regeneration is likely to take some considerable time.
Posted in Arts and Crafts, backpacking, Europe, Greece, Greek islands, History, Postcards, Travel, World Heritage
Tagged Ano Symi, Blue Doors of Greece, Dodecanese Islands, Life, Photography, rhodes, Symi, Travel
We walked through arches and buttresses, past turrets and balconies and occasionally here and there a little oasis of green amongst the dusty streets and then interesting narrow roads and every one with a surprise around each crooked turn.
In the late afternoon we walked to the top of the town and climbed to the top of the restored clock tower next to Sulliman’s Mosque for some good views of the town and the harbour. There was an entrance charge of €5 but that turned out to be good value because the price included a drink in the roof top bar terrace where we sat and enjoyed the views.
On the first morning we woke early and went to the Street of the Knights because this is one of the best preserved/restored medieval streets in Europe and we wanted to get there before the crowds.
As soon as the cruise ships arrive and discharge their guests onto the quayside hundreds of people make straight for this place and it immediately loses its atmosphere and its charm. At eight o’clock in the morning however there was no one about except the odd delivery man and it was possible to soak up Mussolini’s fascist interpretation of the medieval street.
A Boatafly…
There were some spectacular views from the top over to the other side of the harbour where tiers of multi coloured houses rise like a sheer cliff face above the narrow harbour and piled randomly one above the other with shutters folded back like the wings of a thousand butterflies basking in the sun.
Posted in Europe, Greece, Greek islands, History, Travel
Tagged Ano Symi, Dodecanese Islands, Life, Photography, postaday, rhodes, Symi, Travel
Have Bag, Will Travel 