I shall be honoured to go to jail. Under a dictatorship, the detention cell is a place of honour. - Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago of Philippines

Across Lavrion one may see the nearby island of Makronisos, the Greek equivalent of Alcatraz. However, on this island no hardened criminals, no murderers, no evil wrongdoers were imprisoned. Instead the island was a prison for people whose only crime was to think differently to the establishment. Makronisos was where many people who had fought to liberate Greece from the Germans during World War Two, met their fate at the hands of their countrymen. This is where patriots were tortured and killed because of their political beliefs. The men who lived and died here were the first victims of the Cold War.

In October 1944 the German army, which had been occupying Greece retreated. Their stay in Greece was not a pleasant one, for even though the Greek government and the army had themselves retreated from Greece when the Germans first arrived, the Greek resistance, which was predominately communist, harassed the occupiers from their camps in the mountains as well as in the cities. When the country was liberated, the Greek government returned with George Papandreou (father of Andreas) as Prime Minister sharing power with the left in a government of National Unity.

Unfortunately for the leftists, it had been decided already in Yalta by the leaders of the USA, Great Britain and The Soviet Union, when they divided up Europe, that Greece was not going to be allowed to fall under the influence of the communists. The possibility that the left would have any place at all in the Greek political system was disturbing to the leaders of the “free world”, despite the fact that the leftists had been the main resistance against the Nazis. General Scoby under orders from Winston Churchill initiated political intrigues against the communists and forced them to resign from government. On December 3rd a peaceful demonstration in Syntagma Square was fired upon by police snipers which resulted in the deaths of innocent civilians. This led to the “Dekembriana”, the December uprising which lasted until January 5th.

With the treaty of Varkiza in February the communists turned in their weapons, making them easy prey for the right-wing criminal militias, who had been collaborators with the Nazis but were now backed by the British, who hunted down members of the resistance and their families. The first elections were held in March of 1946 but were boycotted by the communist party, a fatal mistake because from that point on they were outsiders and non-participants in the Greek political system.

Since the treaty of Varkiza the atrocities committed by the right against the left rivalled the crimes of the Nazis. There were 1,289 people murdered, 31,632 tortured, 30,000 imprisoned and many raped. Their property was confiscated and their houses looted. So in 1946 while the rest of Europe was celebrating the peace after World War Two and trying to get back on their feet, Greece had entered another period of misery as Civil War erupted with the British backing the most reactionary of the Greeks. The leftist parties of the KKE, ELAS and EPON were outlawed. Military tribunals were set up all over the country. Thousands of leftists were executed. 50,000 were imprisoned and tens of thousands were exiled to remote islands, one of these being Makronisos.

In 1946 under a government directive from Prime Minister Sofoulis, communists of draft age were sent to the barren island of Makronisos off the coast of Attica. The future prime minister Kanellopoulos (who was overthrown by the Junta) had called Makronisos “Greece’s new Parthenon”. In much later years, he regretted having said this. The plan was to rehabilitate (= brainwash” and torture) these “bad” Greeks into model citizens. Despite the fact that they had participated in the national resistance against the German occupation they were considered “traitors” and “enemies of the state”.

Their “rehabilitation” was called the “Baptistery of Siloam” and consisted of torture, living in tents in extreme hot or cold weather, being subjected to hunger and thirst, solitary confinement, threats and brainwashing. When their spirit was broken they could sign a declaration admitting wrongdoing and asking for forgiveness. They were then sent to the front lines to fight against their comrades. Those who refused to sign were tried in a tribunal court, executed by firing squad or locked up in the Military Prison of Makronisos. The vast majority were left on the island to be tortured and abused.

In the northern part of Makronisos civilians and officers were held in what was called D Battalion. These were groups of 500 men crowded fourteen to a tent and isolated from other groups by a five-metre high barbed-wire fence. The A Battalion was worse and prisoners were beaten and tortured with bats, iron bars and bamboo canes resulting in broken bones, spinal injury, blinding, psychological trauma and death for thousands of prisoners. This went on even after the Civil war ended in 1949. As time wore on, many fighters from the left who only wanted to return home and recommence their lives, found that they could not go back to their villages for fear of reprisals.

In 1949 the communists retreating to the Eastern block countries issued the infamous edict that all fighters will remain ready to re-attack (‘to oplo para podas’). This of course was false but gave the right wing governments the excuse to prosecute all leftist sympathisers (not only communists) relentlessly, and many of course ended up in Makronisos. Some people who were in Makronisos were taken there because of disputes with their neighbours. Plots abounded and many innocent people were denounced as leftists over these disputes. The military junta that ruled Greece 1967-73 period repopulated the island with inmates during its reign of terror.

Now Makronisos is deserted and the torture and cruelty that took place half a century ago is an almost forgotten memory except by those who lived through it. While the Greek Islands usually make us think of summer, sun, swimming and nights in the tavernas, Makronisos shows us there is another dark side and that man's inhumanity to his fellow man can turn any heaven into a hell. Like the concentration camps in Poland and Germany the island of Makronisos should be open to the public with photos and descriptions of what went on there in those shameful days, if for no other reason so that they will never be repeated.

We went to the bus stop and waited for the bus to Athens. And waited. And waited… It was meant to come every half hour, but it finally turned up 50 minutes past the hour. Apparently there had been a traffic jam on the way up to Sounion and hence it was late. We went via another route, this time inland and saw some villages and small towns on the way into Athens. As soon as we got there we had a stroll though the Field of Mars, which is a park with assorted statuary. It is getting renovated at the moment and is one of the few parks in the metropolitan area of Athens.

When we got back to the hotel we heard about the devastating earthquake in the Peloponnese. It happened while we were on the bus, returning to Athens from Lavrion at 3:25 pm local time. No doubt we would have felt it if we were on solid ground, but on the bus with the jolts, bumps and jarring that we were subjected to, we could not have distinguished it. Apparently in Athens they had felt it and it was remarkable because it lasted for a relatively long time. The really terrible thing about it was that it affected those very villages that last year had been through the ordeal of the huge bushfires that laid the land to waste. The village of Valmi which was severely affected by fire has all but been levelled now…

Shortly after these buildings, which are the last two Inns in the Street of the Knights, a large Gothic loggia provides a monumental end to the street. The loggia dates from the first half of the 15th century and linked the Palace of the Grand Masters and the church of St. John. The church, which was built in the early 14th century, was the official church of the Order. It was in good order until the middle of the last century, despite conversion into a mosque, but in 1856 a bolt of lightning struck the minaret and ignited a quantity of gunpowder which had lain in store probably forgotten - in its cellars for many years. The explosion blew up the church, destroyed the arcade next to it and what had remained of the abandoned Palace of the Grand Masters, killing some 800 people. Fortunately, the drawings of Rottiers had preserved the design of the church, and the Italians were able to use them to build the church of the same name at Mandraki Harbour, near the Governor's Palace, now called the Church of the Annunciation.

Opposite the Church of St. John, at the highest point of the Castle, stood the Palace of the Grand Masters, a structure imposing both for its dimensions (80 meters by 75) and for the strength of its fortifications. These were so strong that even the siege of 1522 AD hardly damaged them. During the first years of their occupation, the Turks used the Palace as a prison, after which it was allowed to fall into ruin. The final blow was dealt by the explosion which wrecked St. John's Church. However, the Italians, wishing to provide King Victor Emmanuel and Mussolini with a worthy residence when they visited the island, rebuilt it along the lines of the old building. It was finished in 1940.

The floors are notable for their marvellous mosaics, dating from the Hellenistic and Roman periods, which were brought here from the island of Kos. The statues which stand in the inner courtyard are also from the same periods. Greek archaeologists were brought to the brink of despair by the rebuilding of the palace, for there is considerable evidence that the famous ancient, temple of Helios (Sun god) lies under the foundations, with its rich decorations, and this may even have been the site of the Colossus. Excavations in depth have never been conducted in this area.

The Palace of the Grand Masters is a worthy end to one’s visit of the Old Town as it is a magnificent building and contains much interesting detail (eg. some of the windows have thin colourful alabaster panes, which are translucent) and also some wonderful old furniture and tapestries. Room after magnificent room is linked by grand corridors, there are monumental staircases, huge fireplaces, ornate ceilings, beautiful wood carvings and much to delight the eyes. Oen can quite comfortably spend several hours here, drinking in the history of the palce, which seems to pervade the air one breathes.

As we leave the palace, Kleovoulou Square lies to our right, and beyond this we enter a fine, wide street whose plane trees cast deep shadow even in the heat of the day. This is Orpheos Street, which is lined with tourist shops, bars, restaurants and tavernas. To the right, in a wall linking the interior wall of the Castle with the main wall, is the Gate of St. Anthony, and after this, if we turn to the left, the impressive d’ Amboise Gate. Iron benches between the two gates afford an opportunity to sit and rest in the shade for a while, and even - why not? - pose for a quick sketch portrait by one of the artists to be found there. If we turn the other way down Orpheos Street, we will come to the Clock Tower (built after the earthquake of 1851), which stands on the site of the northwest tower of the interior fortifications of the Coliseum. From here, the wall ran downhill parallel to the Street of the Knights to the point at which it met the outer walls near the harbour. Almost none of this section of the inner wall has survived.

By this stage, we were very tired and ready to go back to the hotel for some freshening up and packing up, ready to fly out. We had allowed an hour to get to the airport but a nasty surprise awaited us there. Our flight had been cancelled and we were to be stranded at the airport for more than 6 hours. A word of advice, if travelling with Olympic Airways, expect the unexpected, always ring up 24-48 hours before your flight to confirm it, and even then, nasty surprises are quite likely to eventuate… There was nothing we could do but leave our bags there and take a taxi to the nearest holiday town of Kremasti. Nothing much to do there except have a wander around, past the perpetually closed town library built with money donated by locals who had made their fortune in the USA (looking very grand, but never used).

We ended up sitting in a café for several hours, drinking coffee and solving hard crosswords, until it was time to go back to the airport for our night flight into Athens. We arrived at the hotel without any further untoward episodes (not that we were complaining!) and needless to say slept like logs right through till the next morning.

Now we return by Mouseiou Square and enter the Street of the Knights (Odos Ippoton). This was the main street in the Coliseum, and is perhaps the most outstanding medieval street to be seen anywhere in Europe. Its chief feature is the degree of its preservation and its freedom from elements of a different age. During the early years of the Turkish occupation, the barracks of the occupying forces were brought here. Later, Turkish families were installed, and they added wooden balconies to the front of the buildings, spoiling the harmony of the original architectural conception. The earlier form was later restored by Italian archaeologists. At first sight, the buildings may seem austere and plain; but even a brief walk will suffice to discover the multitude of different forms and styles of detail. The street is approximately 200 metres long and 6 metres wide, and it leads up to the Palace of the Grand Masters. To the right and left stand the Inns of the various Tongues.

As we enter the Street of the Knights, the first building on our left is the north side of the Hospital. To the right, a medieval building houses the Commercial Bank of Greece. This is followed by the Inn of the Tongue of Italy, finished in 1519 by the Italian Master Fabrizio Del Carreto, whose escutcheon can be seen in the center of the frontage. Next to this is a small palace bearing the coats-of-arms of the French Masters Aimerie d’ Amboise and Villiers d’ Isle Adam. Although it cannot be verified with any certainty, it seems that this was the residence of Villiers, the Master who defended Rhodes during the Turkish siege in 1522 and was entrusted with the grim duty of handing over the city to the Turks.

Opposite this palace is the original main entrance to the Hospital. After this, behind an iron gate, is a shady garden with a Turkish fountain, whose running water is the only sound to break the silence there. The Catalan and Aragonese style of a gateway which has survived among the ruins would seem to indicate that the building which stood there was Spanish. Almost opposite the garden is the Inn of the Tongue of France, the most highly decorated of all the Knightly buildings and among the most attractive. It is definitely worth more than just a hasty visit. It was built by the Grand Masters d’ Aubusson and d’ Amboise at the end of the 15th century or the beginning of the 16th, and bears their coats-of-arms on the front along with the emblem of the Order and the escutcheon of Villiers d’ Isle Adam.

Next to it stands the Chapel of the Tongue of France, with a Gothic statue of the Virgin and Child on its frontage. The interior of the Chapel was much changed by the Turks, who converted it into a mosque. The coat-of-arms of Grand Master Raymond Beranger (1365 – 1374 AD) on the Chapel indicates that it was built during his term of office and consequently that it is one of the oldest buildings in the Street of Knights. The chapel stands next to the residence of the priest, which is now occupied by the Italian Consulate. These three imposing French buildings bear witness to the power and influence of the French within the Order.

After this, an arch with a room above it is the entry to an alley at right angles to the Street of the Knights. We pass this, and immediately to our right is the Inn of the Tongue of Provence, with the Inn of the Tongue of Spain to the left. The room above the archway belongs to this. Both Inns were built at the beginning of the 15th century and neither is notable for any particular exterior decoration.

We continued our way, under an arch, and came out in front of the church of Our Lady of the Castle, which was the Knights' Cathedral. It stands at the beginning of the Street of the Knights. In 1523, the Turks converted the church into a mosque (the Enterum Mosque) and the bell-tower, which no longer stands, became a minaret. The interior, however, was left as it was. It is possible that the original structure of the church was Byzantine; estimates of its age range from the 11th to the 13th century. The church resembles a Gothic cathedral and is very well preserved.

Right after the church of Our Lady of the Castle is Museum Square, with the Inn of the Tongue of England and the Knights’ Hospital. The Inn of the Tongue of England is on the left, on the corner of the Square and an alley running down to the port. The building was reconstructed in 1919 in its original position and in the same style as the old structure, which dated from 1443 AD and was destroyed in the mid 19th century. The Knights' Hospital stands on the right of the entrance to the square. It is in perfect condition, and is obviously suitable for the initial purpose of the Order, which was to give hospitality and care to pilgrims in need of assistance in the Holy Land, and later to the Crusaders. This large and imposing edifice, which houses the Archaeological Museum, is probably the most important monument left by the Knights in the City. Building began in 1440 AD under Grand Master de Lactic and was finished in 1484 AD by Grand Master d' Aubusson. Much of the stone and other building materials was taken from the Roman building on the site of which the Hospital stands.

The museum building is quite significant and worth a closer look. On the ground floor, arched entries to the right and left of the main entrance lead to storehouses, which are now used as shops. A similar entry approximately in the center of the building is the main way into the building and there are carved decorations all around it. Directly above the entrance is a three-sided obtrusion, part of the chapel in the Great Hall on the upper floor. This is the only break in the otherwise unrelieved severity of the frontage of the building. The entrance leads us through an arch into an inner courtyard, surrounded on all sides by a two-store arcade with low arches. This is the main area that houses the Archaeological Museum.

The Archaeological Museum houses some important ancient statuary, the most important of which is a small and elegant crouching statue of Aphrodite drying her hair. This is an Imperial Roman (about 1st century AD) remodelling of the Hellenistic Aphrodite of Doidalsos dating from about the 3rd century BC. There are some archaic Kouroi, some more Greek statues, much pottery (some very well preserved), some silver and brass and some funerary stelae and finds from graves. Very impressive are the huge earthenware amphorae that were used as sarcophagi in the early historical times.

The upper floor is reached by a wide staircase in the south-east corner of the courtyard. The eastern side of this upper floor (facing the square) is occupied by the infirmary ward of the hospital, which was capable of housing about 100 patients. Half-way along the ward is the Gothic chapel, part of which protrudes, as we have seen, over the entrance. The remaining sides of the upper floor were presumably used by the nursing staff.

“Civilization is a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities.” - Mark Twain

This morning we had programmed to visit the Castle of the Knights and its associated museums. We walked up from Mandraki Harbour and we entered through the Gate of Freedom (Pyli Eleftherias), in Symi Square. The Gate was opened in 1924 by the Italians, who looked on themselves as liberators of the island from the Turks, hence the name of the gate. Immediately opposite this gate are the ruins of a Temple of Aphrodite, dating from the 3rd century BC, one of the few ancient remains to be found in the Old Town. Behind the temple is the Inn of the Tongue of Auvergue, built in 1507. The outside staircase leading up the front of the building is a purely Aegean architectural feature, owing nothing to Western influence. The Inn is used today as government offices.

To the left, Arsenal Gate leads to the commercial port. Symi Square. is also known as Arsenal Square, as it was believed that the Knights had shipyards there (the word “arsenal” is derived from the Arabic word dār-as-sinā‛a for a shipyard; a Greek word “tarsanas” from the same origin is still used and has the meaning “shipyard”). The building on the right houses the Ionian and Popular Bank on the ground floor and the Municipal Art Gallery upstairs. From here the street climbs slightly to Argyrokastrou Square, a pretty spot with a fine fountain in its center. Its base, which is an early Christian font, was found by Italian archaeologists in the church of St. Irene near the village of Arnitha. The pile of cannonballs near the fountain, and the other piles to be seen here and there in the Old Town, were collected for the defense of Rhodes during the Turkish siege of 1522. Argyrokastrou Square also boasts one of the oldest buildings in the Castle - the Armeria, built in the 14th century, probably by Grand Master Roger de Pias, whose escutcheon can be seen on the left hand side of the building. Its similarities to the Hospital of the Knights (now the Museum) lead scholars to believe that this was the first building used as a Hospital. Later, it was used by the Turks as an armory (Armeria). To the left as we look at the Armeria, which today houses the Institute of History and Archaeology, is the Museum of Folk Art.

We entered this Folk Art Museum and viewed the extensive and very good collection of exhibits. There are numerous decorative plates and other ceramics, marvelously painted wooden chests and cart sides, hand woven fabrics, utensils and tools, furniture and miscellaneous items some dating back to the 17th century. The man at the ticket office was telling us that unfortunately this museum is not as popular as the other museums of the Old Town, and only a few aficionados frequented it. We certainly enjoyed seeing it and we recommend it most highly.

Our street continues, coming out in Agiou Fanouriou Street. We turn right (to the South). The small Byzantine church of St. Fanourios (patron saint of those searching for lost things) is again in free cruciform style. The Turks used it first as a stable and later as a mosque (Peial El Din Cami). Some fine wall-paintings have been preserved under the Turkish plaster on the walls. Immediately behind this, in Dorieos Square, is the abandoned mosque of Redjep-Pasha. This was built in 1588 AD, using materials from Byzantine and Knightly times, and was, in its day, the finest mosque on the island. Its fountain stands in front of it, and behind, in an archway with a vaulted roof, is the sarcophagus of Redjep Pasha himself.

Going back to Agiou Fanouriou Street, one of the most picturesque in the city, and turning right, back to Sokratous Street, one finds the busy bazaar area where souvenirs of all descriptions are for sale. On the left as one enters is the wooden Aga Cami (Mosque of the Governor). On the way down towards the harbour we pass through Ippokratous Square, in the centre of which stands a fine fountain. Also in the square is all that remains of an important building of the Knights known as Castellania, of which only the south-west section stands, with a large outside staircase. The building dates from 1597 and was a commercial centre. The ground floor was used for transactions between traders, and the upper floor for the court where their disputes were tried. Only a few yards farther on is the Marine Gate or Harbour Gate, flanked by two bastions. It is perhaps the most spectacular of all the gates to the castle. As can be seen from engravings of past centuries, the sea used to run up to a point directly beneath the gate.

To the south of Ippokratous Square, Pythagoras Street leads off to the side of the Ibrahim Pasha Cami. Built in 1531, this is the oldest Turkish religious building to have survived. It was repaired by the Italians, who also added a new minaret. Aristotelous Street, which leads out of Ippokratous Square, will take one to the old Jewish quarter and to the Square of the Hebrew Martyrs (Plateia Evreon Martyron), with its attractive little fountain, decorated with rows of shells, starfish, octopuses and so on, set on blue tiles and surrounded by three large sea-horses. The name of the square is in memory of the approximately 2,000 Jews, who were assembled here before being shipped to Nazi concentration camps, from which only a very few of them ever returned. The building whose front is on the north side of the square is the Palace of the Admirals, which was the residence of the Orthodox Archbishop of Rhodes before the Turkish occupation. Further along Pindarou Street (as the continuation of Aristotelous street is called) are the remains of the Gothic church of Our Lady of the City (Saint Marie du Burg), the largest Catholic church in Rhodes (30 meters by 18). One part of the church lies on the left side of the road, and the other on the right.

To the south of the Square of the Hebrew Martyrs, very close to the walls, is an interesting Byzantine church, the 15th century church of the Holy Trinity, better known by its Turkish name of Dolapli Cami. From this point on, there is a choice; one can continue to wander through the narrow lanes and alleys of the Old Town, with their houses reminiscent of a bygone age and their half-forgotten churches and mosques, or one can return to the crowded commercial streets to increase his collection of souvenirs. We chose the former and wandered through the narrow streets.

In addition to the tourist shops and private houses one may find in the Old Town, there are also some little hidden gems. For example, traditional workshops, old-fashioned butchers’ shops and general stores and some art and craft shops where people still work the slow, good old-fashioned way. We chanced upon the workshop of George Triandafyllou, a hagiographer, a painter of icons and church wall paintings. We were immediately struck by the beauty of his work and stopped to admire the icons. We started chatting and found him very friendly and modest about his work. He was engaged in the decoration of a new church and he showed us the way he was working. Apparently, nowadays, most wall paintings in churches are done on specially prepared canvas, which then is lacquered and stuck onto the prepared wall with a special adhesive. This way, the painting is preserved better over time, but also the artist can work in his studio at his leisure.

We continued our stroll through the old city, climbed over the old walls, went in and out of several more traditional shops and workshops and then finally made our way to the hotel to freshen up before an early dinner and an early night in.

“Tradition does not mean that the living are dead, but that the dead are living.” - Gilbert K. Chesterton

On Mondays, all the Greek museums are closed and this should be something to remember as one’s plans may be thrown awry and it may happen that one misses out seeing something that one had hoped to see. We decided to have a relatively subdued day today, wandering around the Medieval Town, going in and out of shops, exploring the back alleys, talking to the locals and stopping and starting whenever we wanted to.

One should not be misled by the term "Medieval Town" into thinking that what one will see is a ruined and deserted city, such as Mystras in the Southern Peloponnese. The Old Town of Rhodes is a bustling neighborhood of some 6,000 people, who live and work in the same buildings in which the Knights of St. John lived six centuries ago. It is certainly one of the most interesting living monuments to the past in Europe, if not the world. Even the visitor whose stay in Rhodes is for no more than a few hours should not neglect to walk around the old town.
Even today, the old town is divided into the two parts which made it up in the time of the Knights: The northern part, which was the internal fortress of the Knights, known as the Castello, and which contained the official buildings; and the larger southern part, called the Chora, where the Greeks, the Europeans who were not members of the Order and the Jews lived. These two parts of the town were separated by a wall running approximately parallel to the line of Sokratous street, the old Bazaar. During the years of Turkish occupation, the Greeks were expelled from the Old Town, which was the exclusive province of Turks and Jews. Greeks were allowed to enter only during daytime and those who were caught in the old town after dark were liable to be beheaded.

The Chora begins at the top of Sokratous square, the “lug bazaar”, as the Turks used to call it. To the left is the Mosque of Suleiman (next to the clock tower), standing in a fine courtyard with plane trees. It was built in 1808 in the place of an older mosque erected in honour of the conqueror of Rhodes, Suleiman the Magnificent. It continues to operate as a mosque, despite the worrying and visibly precarious angle at which its minaret leans. The Turkish library, founded in 1794 by the Moslem Rhodian Ahmed Hafuz, is on the other side of the street. The library contains a fine collection of Turkish, Arab and Persian manuscripts, among which is an anonymous chronicle of the siege of 1522 AD. Also to be seen are two richly ornamented Korans, one of 1412 and one of 1540.

Apollonion Street leads off West from near the Suleiman Mosque. The Byzantine-Gothic church of St. George stands here, an elegant structure dating from the 15th century. It was used as a medresse (a Turkish theological school) during Ottoman occupation, and was known as Kurmale-Medresse (the school with the date palm). Walking down Sokratous street again, the first street to the right after the Turkish library (Ippodamou street) takes us straight into the heart of the old Turkish quarter, which has lost almost nothing of its medieval colour. The alleys and the houses are very much as they were in the time of the Knights: The arches beneath which the road passes every so often were added by the Turks to provide protection against earthquakes, and they add to the oriental atmosphere. To the right of the street can be seen the chapel of St. Paraskevi, in a free cruciform shape. This, too, became a mosque (Takkeci Cami) during the years of Turkish rule.

The first street to the left after the mosque (Archelaou Street) leads to Arionos Square, where stands the Sultan Mustafa Mosque, built in 1765, and the public baths. These are the old Turkish baths (hamam), which have been restored since being destroyed in the last war. The doorman tells visitors of an old Turkish custom associated with weddings: When a couple was to get married, it was the tradition that on the Friday before the wedding (which took place on Sunday) all the relatives and friends of the couple were provided with tickets for the baths, so that all could prepare themselves in a comradely atmosphere (the two sexes separately, needless to say) for the ceremony to come. A lane runs down from Arionos Square between the mosque and the baths to the outdoor Theater of the Old City, where performances of folk dancing are held every evening during the summer.

This evening in Rhodes there was a special parade to celebrate the culmination of a three-day festival, the Anthesteria. This is a celebration based on the ancient Greek festival of the same name to honour Dionysus, the god of wine and vegetation. It was celebrated in most Ionian communities, but most of information about the festival comes from Athens, where it was of particular importance. Anthesteria was held annually for three days (11th-13th) in the month of Anthesterion (February-March). Although its name indicates a Festival of Flowers (‘anthe’), the festival focused primarily on opening the new wine and on placating the spirits of the dead.

This festival in Rhodes has been celebrated in late Spring/early Summer for quite a few years and is marked by several activities, such as trade displays, competitions, open air markets, and for the closing evening a street parade with floats, marching bands, drum majorettes and several schools of dance parading down the esplanade. The theme this years was the environment and several floats were decorated with flowers, and many of the children’s costumes had a flora theme. We attended this but were rather disappointed as it seemed poorly organized and the music selected for the parade was extremely inappropriate and much too loud.

However, the children participating seemed to have a good time and the proud parents were all in attendance and cheering them along. We stayed for a while and then made our way back to the hotel, just in time to prepare for dinner. We went out and found a very nice little restaurant with seafood. After a very full day we went back to the hotel and had a very restful night.

We first visited Panormitis monastery. This is a grand monastery built around the church of the Archangel Michael Panormitis (St-Michael-On-the-Bay). It contains many cells in which some monks stay, but also hosts many visitors largely Greeks and Cypriots who come here on a pilgrimage to adore the miraculous icon of the saint and who have a religious obligation to fulfill. Around the monastery are a few tourist shops and taverns and there are always a few fishing boats around that sell their freshly caught fish and shellfish.

We went into the church where a stream of pilgrims and tourists filed by the icon of the Saint and we lit a candle in a neighbouring chapel. Most Greek churches now forbid lighting of candles within them as the smoke damages the icons and frescos that decorate the interior. We were given phials of blessed oil for anointing and a small icon of the Saint. A shop on the monastery grounds sells icons and religious goods.

There are two very interesting museums associated with the monastery. A religious one containing a wealth of old manuscripts, old printed gospels and hymnals, priestly vestments, religious vessels and jewellery. The other is a folk museum with many implements and every-day objects of times of yore, arranged in a way more or less replicating how they would be found in a house of the era. All in all a very good place to visit with much to see.

We got back into the boat and thirty minutes later we were approaching Symi Harbour. The view was simply stunning. The town is built around a bay where the steep hillsides form an amphitheatre-like hollow on which the houses are precariously balanced. Needless to say there are sharply rising steps that connect these terraces on the multiple levels of the town. As soon as we got out of the boat, we walked along the esplanade and took in the general ambience of the place. A very typical cosmopolitan feel about the place with numerous tourists from all parts of the world walking around.

We immediately started climbing up the steps that led upward and soon we left the tourists behind and went to the upper part of town, towards Horio. The houses are traditional and generally well preserved with quite a few grand mansions here and there that have been renovated. We walked up towards the castle and the Museum of Symi. The steps seemed endless as we climbed ever upwards and the heat of the day increased. This is not for the faint-hearted or those with health problems or disabilities!

We finally reached the museum, which is housed in a traditional Symian mansion that originally belonged to the Gianneski family. The neoclassical elements of the mansion were added back in 1875. The house is a donation to the Greek state by Ariadni V. Farmakidi and Sevasti N. Farmakidi. A representation of the inside of a Symian house with the dining and the sitting room (furniture, settings, paintings and photographs of that period), along with some traditional local costumes, comprise the exhibition of the folk museum. The Museum also includes the following collections: Archaelogical gleanings dating back to classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods and a Byzantine collection including some excellent icons.

Coming out of the museum we decided to go down into the harbour via another road and we got rather lost. We ended up on the road tat is used by cars and which bypasses the older part of Horio. We walked down the road in the heat and followed the signs for Yalos, passing by the road that led to Pedi. It was rather a long haul, but finally we came back to Horio and climbed down the steps that led to Yalos. We walked around and saw some more of the town and then stopped and had a refreshing drink in one of the cafés. Before not too long, the time came for our departure and 50 minutes later we were back in Rhodes.

“The rose has thorns only for those who would gather it.” - Chinese Proverb

We had bought tickets yesterday for a trip out to Symi, another Dodecanese island close to Rhodes. There are many ferries and ships that regularly sail out to neighbouring islands such as Telos, Castellorizo, Kos, Nisyros, Carpathos, Halki, etc. We chose to take the rapid Flying Dolphin service which takes about 50 minutes to get to Symi.

The history of Symi begins in ancient times when it was known by a variety of names, including Kirki, Aigli and Metapontis. The island got its current name from the nymph Symi, who according to Greek mythology became the lover of the god of the seas Poseidon and brought to life Chthonios, who became the leader of the islands inhabitants. Homer mentions Symi in the Iliad, as a participant in the Trojan war, its troops led by the Symiote King Nireas.

Thucydides writes that during the Peloponnesian War, there was a Battle of Syme near the island in January 411 BC in which an unspecified number of Spartan ships defeated a squadron of Athenian vessels. Little is known of the island until the 14th century but archaeological evidence indicates it was continuously inhabited, and ruins of citadels suggest it was an important location. It was first part of the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire until its conquest by the Knights of St John in 1373.

A period of prosperity began for the island with the development of shipping, sponge commerce, boat building and other industries. In 1832 Symi came under the Turkish dominion which was followed in 1912 by Italian rule. Symi confronted poverty at that time: the replacement of sailing with motor ships occurred, sponge diving decreased and a little later World War II began resulting in a great migration wave of Symiotes abroad.

From 1943 when the Italian domination ended, Symi changed hands several times between the English and the Germans, with the English taking over the island for the third time in 1944. On May 8th 1945, the Germans signed the treaty of the Dodecanese surrender, while on April 1st 1947, the British military command handed the island over to Greece. At last, it was on March 8th 1948 that the Protocol of integration of all Dodecanese islands to the Greek state was signed.

Symi belongs to the Dodecanese islands complex and lies 24 nautical miles NW of Rhodes and 255 nautical miles from the port of Piraeus. The highest point is Mountain Vigla at 616 metres. The island is very close to the coast of Asia Minor, just 5 miles from Alopos in Turkey. It is not a very big island, only 67 square kilometres. The majority of the land is covered in rocks. Two settlements form the town of Symi: Chorio (Village) and Yalos ( Harbour). Pedi, found in the bay of the same name and Nimporios in the bay of the same name, have a few inhabitants. There is also a big monastery complex, Panormitis, where around 30 people live and take care of the monastery.

At Yalos one may find a medical centre, a post office, the police station, the port police, the town hall, telephone service (OTE), banks, hotels, rooms to let, restaurants, tavernas, fast food outlets, goldsmiths, bakeries, tourist shops, supermarkets, confectioners, bars, tourist agencies, fruit shops, corner shops, a fitness center, a flower shop, bus and taxi terminals.

At Horio, one may find a medical centre, hotels, rooms to let, restaurants, tavernas, bakeries, tourist shops, supermarkets, bars, fruit shops, corner shops, a flower shop, bus and taxi stations.
In the interior of Symi there is road that leads from Yalos to Panormitis and one may go there by car, by bike or even on foot. The road goes through areas forested with pine, cypress and holm-oak. When walking, you can go alone or with the help of guides, who are appointed by tourist offices. There are a number of islets around Symi, such as Nimos, which is the largest one, as well as Sesklia, Artikonisi, Koulountro, Troubeto, Chondros, Plati, Oxia, Diabates, Marmaras. All these small islands can be visited with caiques, or small boats.

Half of the current active population is engaged in the building industry, as well as in commerce and tourism. At present, tourism in Symi is dependent on daily visitors who come from Rhodes and visitors who stay in Symi for a couple of days. Symiotes who live abroad visit Symi for their vacations during the summer months as well. The duration of the tourist season lasts 7 months (April - October). High season lasts three months July - September. A few of the locals are engaged in agriculture, farming and fishing. Boat building and wood carving (furniture, decorative motifs of interior architecture) flourished in the past. Nowadays two small boat-yards are operating, mainly for the construction and repair of the fishing boats.

Symi Festival is organised every summer, first starting out thirteen years ago. The idea is based in the voluntary participation of artists and organizers. There is neither ticket for attending the cultural events nor is there payment for the participants. The Town Hall covers the travel and accommodation expenses of the participants. The Symi Festival has to do with several cultural activities like classical and modern music concerts, dance, theatre, cinema, literature evenings, conferences. All these take place in buildings with traditional architecture of 17th, 18th, 19th century like the famous manor house of Chatziagapitos, the courtyard of Saint John and the monastery of Panormitis.

Near Horio, there are two fortification enclosures from the Historical age and these as signposted as “Castro” (= castle). The castle proper was built by the Knights of St. John as an expansion of a Byzantine castle on the same site, many parts of which are still visible. The remnants of the ancient citadel on which the two later castles were built are also visible here. At Yalos, Pedi and Panormitis, there are relics or traces of paleochristian basilicas. At Nimporio can be found some traces, including burnt remains of a paleochristian basilica. In addition, there are architectural parts made of marble (reclaimed from ancient monuments) in the little churches of the surrounding area.

On the right side of Yalos, a clock tower, named Roloi, was built in 1881 and still counts the time for Symiotes. In front of Roloi , Michalaki, a statue of a little fisherman (sculpted by Kostas Valsamis) welcomes ships, yachts and the caiques as they enter the harbour. The bell-tower of the Evangelistria church looks like a true sentinel over the harbour. The Police building is a relic of the architecture of the years of the Italian Occupation. In Tzi, there is a copy of the triemolia originally carved into a rock of the Acropolis of Lindos and one may read there an inscription written by the Dodecanesian Fotis Varelis for the 8th of May. The Dove of Freedom, a war memorial, is another sculpture by Kostas Valsamis and can be found nearby.

The Nautical Museum of Symi is full of old maps, ship models and other exhibits from the rich maritime tradition of Symi. The Cathedral of Timios Prodromos, which was built in 1830 and refurbished in 1869, has a marvellous pebbled yard.

We then drove on further south, making our way to Asklipio, a village to the south west of Lardos, near an ancient hospital where priests of Asklepeios (the god of healing) took care of the sick. Not much is left of this archaeological site, but the village is a traditional and picturesque spot, with yet another medieval castle on a hill above it. Although Asklipio is a one street village there are a number of things to see. Firstly we stopped in the square and visited the Holy Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It was built in 1060 AD and has become a major sightseeing venue because of the beautifully decorated interior, where every part of the walls has been covered with frescoes.

An elderly man was on ticket duty (it costs one euro to enter the church and the museum) and he was the source of information. It turned out that he is an Australian-Greek from Sydney and we had a bit of a chat about the village, the church and his life there. He spends six months in Australia and six months in Greece and helps out the community by looking after the museum and the church. He told us that the frescoes had held up well until someone decided that the original plaster on the dome needed to be chiselled off and replaced. It looked good he explained, but unfortunately it let in the moisture so the frescoes became damaged with the damp and mildew. We could see what he meant because although the dome’s frescoes had an ‘aged character’ - they were clearly damaged so much so that it was difficult to distinguish any detail whatsoever. Others, however, were still intact and although much faded over time we were able to distinguish the story of Adam and Eve, the final entry into Jerusalem, the betrayal and the resurrection.

Although the wall painting have been cleaned no attempt appears to have been made in restoring the frescoes, and although there are large parts of missing painting, one is still able to see the intention of the painter and as the smell of incense hung heavily in the church one had a sense of an otherworldiness and peace, an awe and a feeling of humility, a feeling of being in a place that was holy. At either side of the nave were plain vaulted chapels both from which one has glimpses of the church’s artwork. Outside the detached bell tower gives both perfect views and is well placed to inform villagers of pending church services or notable events.

The museum albeit very small has an interesting array of religious artifacts. The building itself is noteworthy, with an original reeded ceiling. This in days gone by was uncommon and reserved for special places to display wealth or as in this case, respect for a higher deity. Another building houses a folk museum with the regulation old tools, furniture, implements of all sorts and the omnipresent decorative plates on the walls.

Asklipio Castle is well signed and the short road up to it is in good condition and paved. We parked under a tree in the small car park (by this stage the temperature was in the mid-thirties). A short climb up a precariously uneven staircase and we were inside the ruined walls of yet another castle of the knights. Access to the castle is open and free but it is in ruins, however, one can let one’s imagination run wild and the glories of the past are easily resurrected. It is a place that needs care to explore as it is easy to stumble over the uneven ground and have a nasty fall. Going up the ruined battlements (unguarded, with no safety barriers), it is easy to topple over and fall several tens of metres below. However, the view of the surrounding countryside and village is wonderful.

A dry river bed can be seen meandering its way to the coast and the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary looks pretty nestling in the centre of the small village below. Way in the distance the Rhodes coastline and the sapphire sea can be seen shimmering. Looking closer below, there is evidence of the lower floor of the castle, in better condition than the upper part from this vantage point, but this is not easily accessible at.

We made our way back to the car and were assailed by a bouquet of wonderful smells. The slightly acrid and bitter schinum reminiscent a little of resin, the wonderfully fresh odour of oregano and thyme growing wild and in bloom by the path and the refreshing delicate smell of dry grass and the few wild flowers still blooming – wild rock rose, mock sage and the last of the wild poppies.

Another couple of churches in the village are worth a look: The tiny church of Archangel Michael is at the foot of the village, down a very difficult track. From here there is a good view of the castle. Near this plain church is a small well-maintained cemetery that serves this little village community. Back on the road is Asklipio’s third church with some rather poorly restored frescoes inside it.

We decided that the day out and about had come to an end at Asklipio and took the road back to Rhodes. We returned to our hotel and after freshening up, we went for a stroll and a bite to eat. We found a very nice little restaurant and had some gyros and salad all washed down with some cold beer. Beer has become very popular in Greece as the summertime drink at mealtime. It is served ice-cold in the Australian fashion and it was good to see the frosty iced glasses arriving with the cold bottle.

We next visited the small town of Archangelos situated about 28 kilometers south of the town of Rhodes. It is an inland town, about two kilometers far from the sea, on a small plateau amongst mountains and hills. It has about 5,500 permanent residents. The old town is located at the foot of the old castle on top of a prominent hill, with the modern part of town surrounding the old one. The medieval castle dominates the town and was built in 1320 AD by the Knights of the Order of St. John, on the ruins of the older Byzantine castle, parts of which have been incorporated in the construction.

The Holy Church of the Archangel Michael, which gives the town its name is worth a visit. Unfortunately, it was closed when we visited it, but we were able to see its yard with a pebble-paved floor with characteristic decoration. Coming out of the church we encountered a beautiful little traditional house with a small front yard full of flowers. The front door was open and the interior was just visible. We were peering inside when a wizened little old lady of about 90 years invited us in to see her house. It was just one room with an attached little kitchen. Her wedding bower was still decorated and perched on a wall, accessible by steps. On the walls were hanging a couple of hundred colourful plates and old photographs and traditional embroideries were festooning ledges, furniture and mantels. She told us that she became a widow at 29 years and she had to raise her two children on her own – they now lived in Athens and occasionally came to visit her. She lived alone and took care of herself, although a neighbour popped in now and then. She still earns her living by gathering wild herbs from the mountainside, drying them and selling them in little plastic bags. We bought a few packets and thanked her for showing us her home.

The local Folk Museum of Archangelos is similar to the one in Koskinou, with implements of everyday life of the past exhibited. There are local costumes, tools and utensils, hand-made embroidery and hand woven textiles and clothes. The museum has also a modest collection of archaeological objects that were found in the area. At a distance of about three kilometers northwest of Archangelos, on the top of Koumelos hill, is a famous cave, very important in speleological as well as in archaeological aspects. Excavations in the cave, carried out recently, have brought to light several finds dated to the Late Neolithic and in the Mycenaean periods, an evidence of the antiquity of the settlement.

Numerous cultural events and activities take place in Archangelos all year round. The prime one in winter is the Carnival, taking place in late February or early March. In summer, a series of cultural activities, comprising dance, photography, music and several others, take place during the second fortnight of August. The residents of the area celebrate several religious feasts with “paneghyria” (local feasts), which attract many people from the villages and towns of the island, as well as tourists. The most important local feasts are that of Archangelos Michael, celebrated on the name day of the saint on the 8th of November, the name day of Aghia Marina on the 17th of July, on the 8th of September at the Monastery of Panaghia Tsambika (celebration of the Birthday of Virgin Mary) and on the 23rd of August in honor of Panaghia Alemonitra (Virgin the Beneficent).

We went on further south until at about seven kilometers from Archangelos, we saw the ruins of the medieval caste of Faraklou, dominating the scenic village of Haraki, situated by the sea in front of a nice beach within a small cove. A few small fishing boats set out daily to catch fish for the amazing local restaurant, which is very popular with the locals at the weekend (always a good sign for dining at a restaurant!). The local honey tastes wonderful and a good way to enjoy it is with the natural yoghurt (which is also locally made) and crushed walnuts on top.

Because Haraki is not over-developed, there are no high-rise blocks to ruin the view from the beach, and equally importantly, pretty much all accommodation has a sea view. The beach has large pebbles at one end, running down to coarse sand at the other end. You can rent sunbeds and an umbrella on the beach for three euros per day. One needs sandals or thongs to walk on beach at Haraki. However, just over the small hill to the east is the stunning Agathi beach. This is a beach of perfect golden sand in a very sheltered bay. The water is shallow for a long way out, making this a perfect spot to bring the kids for a swim.

Saturday morning we slept in, so consequently, we didn’t get to breakfast until about 8:00 am. We had decided to have a leisurely day driving to a few spots we had missed the previous couple of days. We walked towards our car and outside the Town Hall we chanced upon a treasure hunt rally in preparation. About 100 people were assembled with their cars in readiness and numbered ready to gather their maps and directions in order to find the treasure at the end of the rally. They made a jolly crowd as they were breakfasting and we were told this was an annual event that attracted not only locals, but also some people from Athens and a couple of the nearby islands.

Our first stop today was to be the village of Koskinou, only about 7 kilometres south of the city. It is a big, traditional and picturesque village with some 2,500 permanent residents. The name of the village is perhaps due to the fact that the territory around it is full of mining holes (“koskino” in Greek is the sieve). Another suggestion for the name is that it comes from the ancient city of Koskinia, in Lydia, Asia Minor, since, according to tradition, the residents of the village come from there.

It is on a hillside with a wonderful view of the surrounding countryside. The village maintains several traditional features of the medieval settlement with many houses of neoclassical style, replete with traditional architectural features, coloured façades, and original interior decoration. The many colorful ceramic plates that are used to decorate expanses of walls inside the houses are a feature of Dodecanesian interior décor but in many houses these plates are enwalled in the masonry, not just hanging on the walls. Beautiful mosaic pavements, made of pebbles, with traditional motifs is another common feature of the village.

Even today the villagers are occupied in agriculture, stock breeding and the production of quicklime, a traditional activity that still goes on. During the Italian domination of the island, the male population of the village were famous as muleteers. In this period the village was well-off and it was considered as one of the richest villages of the island of Rhodes.

It is definitely worth strolling around the narrow streets of the village as we did to see the traditional houses. One may also visit the small churches of Aghios Loukas (St. Luke), an Early Christian basilica of the 4th century, and of Aghia Irini (St. Irene) of the 19th century. In the Folk Museum of the village, one may see collections of traditional tools, utensils and other objects of every day use of the days of yore. The museum is housed in a beautiful mansion with an imposing gate-like entrance. The village is also the seat of the Music Conservatorium, where the students continue the long musical tradition of the past.

Not far from the village, to the Southwest, one may see the ruins of an old, small castle. The first reference to this castle goes back to the 13th century, but it is fairly possible that it is much older, probably built in Byzantine times. It is in this castle that the residents of the area took refuge when the pirates used to attack the island.

It was now a very hot afternoon and we felt quite uncomfortable in the sun among the ancient stones. It was a relief to get into the car, which fortunately was air-conditioned and to drive down towards the sea. We made our way to Skala Kamirou, a small fishing community at the base of the hill where ancient Kamiros lies in ruins. Cut into the rock of the shore is an impressive Lycian tomb. In shallow relief is a representation of a temple with its gable and presumably in the rock is a hollow chamber containing the remains. This site is not well-looked after at all and one cannot visit the tomb itself. Instead there are several tavernas and restaurants where one may have a bite to eat and a cold beer, some wine or ouzo. We decided to start making our way back to Rhodes and stop to have a lunch at a little taverna near the seashore at Kalavarda, which had been recommended to us by the tourist office.

At the taverna, only a few kilometres down the road, we sat at a table with a view towards the sea, which was only 25 metres away. The table was shaded by cool pergolas thickly covered with climbing vines and a fresh sea breeze kept the heat of the day at bay. We decided to have an ouzo with some “mezedhes” (snacks and tasty tidbits). The staff were friendly and the service quick, with some wonderful fresh country bread toasted with olive oil and herbs, fried potatoes, flavoursome salad, tomatoes and cucumbers, and fried fish. This was a meal fit for a king and we enjoyed it a lot.

We drove back to the city and came back via the new road, noting that along the way there are some more tourist attractions, including the Museum of Apiculture and of Natural History of the Bee. This is a new museum, founded in Rhodes by the Apiculture Association of the Dodecanese. It aims at informing its visitors and the public in general, about the nature, the products and the life of the bee. The Museum is unique and its establishment is owed to the concern of a group of people for the bee and the benefits it offers to humans. At the museum, one may learn some of the history of bee-keeping, the biology of the insect and how the bee uses nectar and pollen to make “royal jelly”, honey and wax.

Different kinds of honey are explained and the special features of the Greek and Rhodian honey are highlighted. In the museum the tools tools used in apiculture and in the production of honey are displayed. The architecture of the hives is on display and the visitor can see how the bee-keepers harvest the honey. The visitor can watch bees living and working within the hive, as the museum has hives of glass which permit the observation of the whole process. Finally, in the Museum shop one may buy all of the products of apiculture. There is honey, honeycomb, beeswax, royal-jelly, as well as cosmetics and other products based on honey and on wax.

Back in town we parked our car and visited the cathedral of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary on the harbour front at Mandraki. The construction of the church commenced during the Italian occupation of the island and was completed in 1929. Its prototype was the Temple of Saint John the Baptist, patron of the Knights' Order of Rhodes located at the south of the Palace of the Great Magister (Castello), destroyed in 1856 when a lightning bolt caused a catastrophic explosion in the powder-kegs situated in the dungeons of the church.

Architecturally, the edifice is of the wooden-roof, tripartite basilica type. Initially It was Roman Catholic with big alabaster windows and was dedicated to St. John (San Giovanni). After the incorporation of Dodecanese to Greece in 1947, the temple was vested to the Greek government and was renovated and transformed into an Orthodox church. The pyramidal gothic-type apses were changed into Byzantine-type arches. The brick floor was replaced with marble flagstones. The Byzantine temple of the shrine was constructed and it was dedicated to the Annunciation of Virgin Mary.

From 1951 to 1961 during the office of archbishop Spyridon from Kefallonia, the impressive and rich hagiography of the temple was completed by the great painter Fotis Kontoglou, who designed the hagiography and supervised the decorative scheme, assisted by loannis Terzis and Pantelis Othampasis. Works of Kontoglou himself are the beautiful "Wider-than-the-Skies" depiction of the Virgin Mary of the shrine, the monumental depiction of the Annunciation with Mary on her luxurious throne and the beautiful Archangel Gabriel, the Hierarchs in the niche, the pictures of the templum and the first frescos of the arches. After Kontoglou's departure his assistants completed the hagiography.

The Annunciation church has three pictorial cornices, because of its great height. On the first, one sees the depiction of the story of Christ from His birth to His resurrection. On the second one, one can see the story of Mary through the houses of the Unseated Hymn and the letters of the alphabet; on the third cornice we see various saints. On the arches the prophets and various saints are depicted. The dividing marble screens of the Holy Shrine and the bishop's throne were created by the sculptors the brothers Skari from Peiraeus. This church is one of the most magnificent churches of Rhodes and as it is the Cathedral it hosts all of the formal religious ceremonies of the island.

We went back to the hotel in the evening and after freshening up and resting a little we had a pleasant evening playing birimba at cards.

"Do not let one's tongue outrun one's sense." – Chilon of Sparta

This morning we woke up to another perfect day, sunny warm and summery. Our hotel has an excellent breakfast of which we partake before our daily peregrinations. At home we rarely if ever have a cooked breakfast, however, on vacation we find that this is something that we love to start our day with. It certainly sustains one and provides the energy needed for the walking one does when traipsing up and down narrow streets, paths and steps (lots of steps!). There is ample to choose from, omelettes freshly made with your choice of fillings, fired, boiled or scrambled eggs, cocktail sausages, fried bacon, cheeses, cold cuts of meat, tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh fruit, stewed fruit, croissants and pastries, cakes, coffee, tea, tisanes, milk, a variety of breads, jams, honey, cookies, etc! Needless to say after such a feast one needs to walk a little before doing anything else, and this became our daily routine while here in Rhodes.

We had decided this morning to start the day off by visiting the large park, called Rodini, to the south of the city. I have memories of this park from when I was young and we lived in Rhodes for a while. I still have a photograph of myself astride one of the marble lions that flank the entrance to the park. So once again it was a case of “à la recherche du temps perdu” as we made our way to this park. Renovations were in progress at the entrance, but sure enough the marble lions were still there gazing ferociously at the visitors. How much smaller they seemed now! I could not resist another photograph, however, this time standing next to one of the lions rather than astride!

We walked into the gardens and found that they were still beautiful, although their age is showing. Quite a few water features are interspersed with terraces of plantings, winding paths, steps and ancient trees that provide coolness and shade for the visitor on even the hottest of days. Rodini Park was in existence in antiquity and is probably the first landscaped park in the world. It was still popular with the Romans during their occupation of Rhodes, and one can still see a Roman aqueduct here.

The park lies in a green and shady valley where a stream gurgles lazily by. It is an ideal environment for the peacocks that live and breed freely in the park. A walk of about 10 minutes brings one to a tomb dug into the rock. It is known as the tomb of the Ptolemies. The tomb dates from the Hellenistic period and the edges of each side are decorated by 21 Doric half columns. The walk is extremely pleasant and as one relaxes, the fresh air carries the scent of cypress, pine and oleander.

We drove off, making our way to Filerimos. This is a hill 267 meters high, thickly planted with cypress, pine and other trees. It is about 15 kms away from the city of Rhodes, to the southwest and it used to be the citadel of the ancient town of Ialyssos, one of the large cities of antiquity. The top of the hill is a plateau and most of the buildings are found on its eastern side. When the Dorians arrived around 1100 BC, on the coast where the modern town of Trianta is found today, they founded Ialyssos that became a member of the alliance known as the Dorian Hextapolis. Archaeologists came across the necropolis of ancient Ialyssos between Trianta and Filerimos.

On top of the hill, in 1876 excavations brought to light Mycenaean pottery, a Doric foundation and a Hellenistic temple of Athena Polias, proof of the prosperity of the city down to the time when Rhodes city was founded in 408 BC. In the middle ages (around 1300 AD) the Knights of St. John used the site of Ialyssos and later the site passed to the Turks in 1522 and finally to the Italians. 

Remnants of these periods and lot of the successive conquerors can still be seen. On the way up the ancient road to the Acropolis, one sees the foundations of the temple of Zeus and Athena.

An early Christian basilica was built on this site, then a small subterranean Byzantine church and finally, the knights of St John built a Monastery which survives to this day, surrounded by cloisters and cells. This monastery was restored by the Italians who installed Capuchin monks in it. The monks made an excellent liqueur which is still available and which can still be enjoyed today.

Along the right side of a path flanked by tall cypresses, there is the Way of Calvary, where the Italians have left behind fourteen shrines, with scenes from the Passion of Jesus. This path leads to the western part of the hill, where an imposing Cross stands in the middle of a small square. One may climb inside and enjoy a breathtaking and picturesque view all around. Mt Ataviros, the highest mountain of Rhodes, can be seen in the distance. Walking back to the site of the monastery, the wild shrieking caws of the peacocks which are everywhere in the wooded slopes around the site are a rather distracting and unsettling sound in the otherwise Arcadian beauty of the landscape. It is a rather sobering reminder that nothing is perfect in this world. The beauty of the plumage of the peacocks is tempered by the ugliness of their shrieks. The idyllic landscape is marred by the presence of the omnipresent mark of civilization – a discarded plastic bottle or a plastic shopping bag blowing in the wind.

We left Filerimos as the temperature started to rise and decided to travel down towards the West coast of the island. Here there are numerous resort towns which have grown on the sites of old villages. This is reflected by the narrow streets (always congested) and the haphazard way in which the buildings are huddled together. The small village houses have given their place to apartment buildings, hotels, bars, discos, restaurants. Tourists favour these places and one can see half naked and extremely sunburnt Northern Europeans basking in the sun and looking much like freshly boiled lobsters. No doubt the pharmacies will be doing a roaring trade as well in sunburn lotions…

By this stage, as the afternoon wore on we decided to drive back via the Valley of the Butterflies. This is a very famous location in Rhodes, mainly because of its beautiful natural beauty, but also because of a curious natural history phenomenon that one may witness every summer. The Valley of the Butterflies is found on the western side of Rhodes island, approximately 27 km from Rhodes city and 5 km to the south east of Theologos village. It is a unique natural reserve. As its name indicates, this area is a lush green valley that gets overwhelmed from summer to autumn with moth-like butterflies of the Panaxia genus, species quadripunctaria poda.

During the rainy season, caterpillars of these butterflies are found in various areas around the Mediterranean Sea. However, in spring, after they pupate and become a butterfly, they fly to areas of high humidity in order to reproduce. They come to this valley in Rhodes, which is crossed by river Pelekanos and has quite lush vegetation. Many waterfalls are scattered all along it and the visitor can walk along the length of the river, on winding paths over picturesque wooden bridges up and down steps and in the meantime refresh body and soul. Over the years, the valley of butterflies has turned into a popular tourist attraction.

Every year, from June to September, thousands of visitors come to watch this lovely species of butterfly in its thousands, and walk through the cool, shady paths. The beauty of this place, the flowing waters and the shade of the trees make it ideal to rest, especially during the hot summer days. Small, wooden bridges cross the river and an uphill path leads to the Monastery of Panagia Kalopetra. Unfortunately, the high traffic flow and climate change have had a negative impact onto the butterfly population. We did not catch a glimpse of a single butterfly as it was too early in the season.

When one does visit the valley when butterflies are plentiful, one must remember that butterflies do not have a stomach. They just store energy in their body to use it when needed. They do not eat until the reproduction period, so when visitors disturb butterflies, they fly away and consume valuable energy. It’s strictly forbidden to disturb butterflies in any way and one must keep quiet and try not to disturb the butterflies.

All in all, this amazing valley constitutes an excellent destination for an excursion even without any butterflies flitting around. If one gets tired, one can have a drink or lunch in the picturesque taverns whose tables have a view towards the waterfalls and are shaded by the tall green trees. One may walk down the valley and with the same ticket gain entry into the modest natural history museum that has specimens of native animals, insects and plants. One may also familiarize oneself with the life cycle of the butterflies of the valley. However, be warned, the path down to the museum is winding, has many steps and seems much longer than its purported length of 300 metres!

By this stage we rather tired as we had packed a huge number of things into one day, and the jet lag was catching up with us again. We drove back to Rhodes via the new highway that approaches the City from the airport and takes one up through the gentle hills to the south of the city. There are many modern buildings here and one may see a huge number of department stores, car dealerships, furniture stores, luxury boutiques and many new villas and apartment buildings. There is quite a bit of money on show here. One drives into Rhodes from the South and then via the harbour. We parked the car behind the cathedral close to the Mandraki Harbour. One has to be careful with parking, as the city has installed parking meters and one may get a hefty fine if one parks indiscriminately. Fortunately our hotel was very close to the free parking behind the cathedral.

We freshened up and then walked to a restaurant and had a dinner of lamb on the spit with salad, chips washed down with a cold beer. Night life in Rhodes is varied and one has many choices, ranging from the Casino of Rodos Hotel, to many bars, night clubs and other night spots. However, it was an early night for us as the lack of sleep was rather acute!

We drove on, our major destination for the day being Lindos. Lindos was one of the three major cities of Rhodes and is built on a rock, which rises to 116 metres from the sea. The rock stands almost bare, imposing and is surrounded on three sides by the sea, so that “Lindos may rejoice in the ocean”, in the words of a Hellenistic epigram. Lindos does not seem to have been particularly important in prehistoric times, although sporadic finds of the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age have been discovered on the acropolis.

According to legend, the foundation of the sanctuary of Athena Lindia goes back to the Mycenaean period, and Mycenaean finds have been yielded by cemeteries in the broader area of Lindos. The Archaic period (7th-6th centuries BC) was a golden age for Lindos, which played a leading role in the Greek colonisation movement, its most important foundation being Gela in Sicily. The 6th century BC was dominated by the figure of a moderate tyrant, Cleobulus who ruled Lindos for many years, and was included amongst the “seven sages” of the ancient world.

During his rule, the Archaic temple of Athena was built on the site of an earlier structure, and the acropolis received its first monumental form. The Persian advance and later the merger of the three old cities into the new city of Rhodos (408 BC) led to a diminution in the importance of Lindos as a political and economic power. It nevertheless continued to be an important centre, focused on the famous sanctuary of Athena, which received its final monumental form in the Hellenistic period and became the leading sanctuary on the island. The acropolis was used as a fortress in antiquity, as well as In Byzantine times, in the period of the Knights of St. John, and in that of Ottoman rule.

We enjoyed wandering through the winding streets of the village of Lindos that huddles the base of the rock and is archetypically Greek-island white. Part of its charm are the narrow streets and the lack of vehicular traffic. If one does not wish to walk up to the acropolis and castle, one may engage the services of a donkey and a driver and thus ride up the tortuous paths to the top. The usual tourist shops, restaurants and bars abound on the way up, but soon the path to the top becomes steep and gives way to stairs cut into the rock and strengthened with concrete here and there.

However, even today the ascent to the acropolis is still by the same steep road as in antiquity. After the first outer entrance to the medieval fortress, and before beginning to climb the large stairway that leads up to the Administrative Building of the Knights, we encounter two important monuments on our left a semicircular Hellenistic exedra, and, next to it, a depiction of the prow of an ancient ship carved in relief in the rock, which formed the base of a statue of Agesandros son of Milkion, the work of the sculptor Pythokritos in the early 2nd century BC. The fortification of Lindos by the Knights of Rhodes goes back to the 14th-15th century AD.

Passing through the ground-floor of the Knights Administrative Building, there is a large square, which occupies the lowest level of the acropolis and was full of votive offerings in ancient times. A row of vaulted structures, built in the first century BC, stood on either side of a stairway leading up to the level of the large Hellenistic stoa, built about 200 BC. A monumental stairway behind the stoa leads up to the highest level where are to be found the Propylaia and the temple of Athena, which formed the main sacred precinct.

The temple was completely isolated from the outside world by a wall with five entrances. In front of and behind it were stoas with rooms. The inner stoa flanked a courtyard in front of the temple, in which there was probably an altar. The temple, which measures about 22 x 8 m is a Doric, amphiprostyle tetrastyle structure. It was constructed in the 4th century BC or in the early Hellenistic period on the site of Cleobulus’ temple, which had burned down in 392 BC. It stands at the highest point of the rock and was the culmination of the stepped vista offered by the stoa and the Propylaia to anyone ascending to the acropolis.

From the highest point of the acropolis one can see the lower city, in which the most important monuments still visible are the theatre, the Tetrastoon and the Archokrateion at Kambana, a monumental tomb of an important Lindian family. The Byzantine church of the Panayia is also in the lower city. It was built in the 15th century and decorated with frescos in the 17th and 18th centuries. The traditional settlement of Lindos is in a very good state of preservation. A large number of archontika (mansions) survive, the most important of them from the 17th century, indicating that Lindos was a flourishing naval power in the early period of Turkish rule, as indeed throughout its entire history.

On the way back to our parked car (at a parking spot some distance away and with a magnificent view of the acropolis and village) we walked through the afternoon heat, our eyes dazzled by the whiteness of the walls. We went into a café that was one of several lining the parking area and we had a refreshingly cold beer. We talked pleasantly at length with the woman who owned it and we were once again pleased with the friendliness and hospitality of the locals. The woman gave us a tourist guide as we left and invited us to come to stay there next time we visited Rhodes.