ESL Blogs

R H O D E S

After those little bit exhausting trips we decided to spend the time on the beach and to have fun there with the friends we made and who stayed in the same hotel. We met there two couples from our country and started going together on the beach or we visited the center of  Rhodes City - the capital city of the Rhodes Island. In fact, it took us only about 20 minutes on foot to get there.

Once we decided to have some fun in the local WATER PARK in FALIRAKI situated only few kilometers far away from our place. Honestly, I have never been before to any Waterpark, so it was incredible, exciting experience full of adrenalin. However, I found out one negative thing in me there - I was coward to try all the attractions and the most dangerous one I even didn´t have in the pictures!  In short my instinct of self-preservation is maybe too strong and I simply didn´t want to come back home in the coffin!

To visit everything in the city RHODES can take you many days. OLD TOWN of RHODES, I can say that it is like city situated in another one city – historical pearl!!! This city used to be in the past under the control of many different countries that is why you can notice here many periods it went through like Roman period, Othoman period or Italian period etc. So many places are worth visiting that I will mention only the most important ones like old WALLS around all the Old town, awesome PALACE of the GRAND MASTERS, the STREET OF THE KNIGHTS, the fountains, parks, and you can also witnessed that many cultures met there in the past since you find in one place christian church, mosque or synagogue. The old historical streets with its shops has its memorable atmosphere and you can buy whatever you think of - fashionable clothes, local drink, artificial historical weapons, ceramics or even fur coat. Actually, only one glimpse at fur coat made me totally sweat so I wondered who was able to come back from holidays with fur coat :-D

I have to point out that harbour of the city RHODES is unique because there used to stand in the past COLOSSUS of RHODES - one of the WONDERS of the WORLD. What was it? The gigantic ancient statue of God HELIOS (God of the Sun) almost as big as the Liberty Statue and all made of bronze. The Colossus of Rhodes used to protect the harbour only for 60 years because later it was destroyed by the earthquake.

When you see the picture, you can notice two pillars - nowadays on each of them stand one of the deer – male and female – it is the symbol of the island since they are the unique species that live only there. In the past those two pillars were bases and on them the legs of Collossos of Rhodes  stood. We can literally say that the ships coming to the harbour were sailing under the big straddled legs (like a gate) of the HELIOS statue. You can see it in one of the pictures bellow to have some idea what I am talking about.

Only three days before we were about to leave the island, we had experienced earthquake with the intensity 6,3 Richter scale luckily somewhere deep in the sea but not so far away from us. In the morning woke me up something weird. I was sleepy and didn´t know what was going on but bed was moving from side to side with me. I felt like baby in the cradle and thought I was still dreaming but suddenly I realized it – it was the reality!!! Since I have never experienced in my life earthquake, it took me few seconds to get to know what was going on. I immeditately woke up my husband and was totally confused what to do. Chandelier was moving, pictures hanged on the walls were moving, the cosmetics in the bathroom were  falling down on the floor and I didnt know what to do. Then I remembered that in the movies, they always stay in the door because of the construction of the buildings so I ordered my husband to do it :-D We both were standing there like this and were waiting. I felt like I was waiting for something and didn´t know what is going to happen – if the end of the earthquake or something tragic. Believe it or not but these seconds were neverending and I felt as if one second lasted for one hour. Such experience gave me a lot because I came to know how dangerous the nature can be and how easily it can kill us. Unfortunately, one woman on the island died but on the other hand even though the intensity wasn´t so low - there weren´t more dead people or injured ones. Seriously it was like a miracle!

The same day we took the trip to the city called LINDOS. People acted as if nothing happened, everything was in order so why not. I was little bit afraid of the fact that some historical buildings might be demaged or might fall down but nobody was like this so I decided to take the risk. We went by bus to Lindos which was about 50 km far away. Lindos is old historical city with the ruins of the castle and beautiful white traditional houses. I liked it a lot but have never experienced such hot weather. It was around 45 degrees on the sun, no wind and I drank one and half liter of water during one hour. We were able to stay there only for about two hours, I am not overacting but the hot weather was totally unbearable. Anyway, to visit the Acropolis with the Temple of Athena, was memorable experience and even though I felt like I would die while climbing up, it was worth it!!!

At the end of this blog I would like to mention that I hope one day I will come back there and will be even able to visit all these places again.. maybe crazy but this place really got underneath my skin. Rhodes Island and Crete are so far the best places I have ever visited. We tasted Greek cuisine and it is so delicious that I would like to hire one local chef to prepare everyday something original for me!!! To drink their wine and to eat olives, while I am siting on the veranda of my apartment situated on the beach… ohhh that´s my dream!!! :-D

Bye-bye RHODES !!!

.