#travel memories: #greece #rhodes #kos

Back to TURKEY via Greece:

Exploring Rhodes & Kos

My August voyage actually started in Rhodes - something I'd call a journey within a journey like a play within a play, given the fact that I left Palermo to get to Berlin and then to Rhodes, and from Rhodes I headed to Sicily again: it was a Mediterranean summer by excellence. A summer that felt like a year… in the most positive of ways.

The idea of Rhodes came as a natural follow up on my other Greek quests of 2018: a goal I had set for myself at the beginning of the year - to explore as many Greek islands as possible (considering that ALL of them would require a more considerable amount of time!).

My wish was to get to know Greece better - the islands as well as the cities; identify the differences between regions, observe and meet the people. Way too many think of Greece as a sheer touristic background - I went for the direct contact with the small towns & the locals: that is what traveling is all about for me.

Thus, after Crete, Kavala & Xanthi (no islands in the geographical sense - more in an historical and religious kind of way), Lefkada, Kefalonia, Meganissi, Skorpio, Corfu, Paxos, Antipaxos - Rhodes & Kos were next on my list.

It's common knowledge that Rhodes is a popular tourist destination. I actually went there in spite of that belief (mostly attracted by the perspective of seeing the location of the ancient Colossus) and I got to discover one of the most surprising Greek islands: it was not only the landscape, the rocky coast and the turquoise sea… the eclectic old town was what did it for me: one may start with the port and the lighthouse, passing by the old Ottoman fish market (now filled with restaurants) and keep walking on the coast (avoiding the masses of tourists is virtually impossible in August).

The imposing stone gates take you by surprise and promise an enticing quest… stone paths, Medieval buildings erected by the knights of the Order of St. John (the most impressive one being the well preserved castle - presently a museum), ruins of ancient Greek temples intertwined with the Ottoman labyrinth of one-storey houses with brown roofs hosting craftsmen shops, cafes and restaurants.

There is a main square with a fountain and a main road, but as usual, I got enchanted by the hidden paths leading to gardens, mosques, terraces, bars that lit up at night… all that life crammed up inside the grandiose fortress walls following the coastline, distanced from the well hidden Acropolis - amazing…

A Mediterranean friend of mine had convinced me to spend a few days in Rhodes, well aware of my vivid interest for the Greek and Ottoman history and my dislike for tourist invasions. Nevertheless, many Greeks told me the islands only come to life in summer... and it's true… the bars in the hotel areas, open till dawn and deafening everyone who wants to get some sleep before 3am, are the most obvious confirmation of that.

The island needs the human & capital infusion - only one windy evening, when the bar streets suddenly become deserted, cause serious financial damage (just a few genuine Gyros stands never run out of customers).

Kos was the total opposite of Rhodes; no breeze at all, heat you could cut with a knife, beaches covered in human Western and Northern European flesh… overpriced goods everywhere, souvenir shops and taverns. It took me a while before I managed to locate the ancient ruins in town (quite a sight) and to find a bakery and feast my eyes/taste buds on my favourite Ottoman specialty of all times: Börek/Burek or, as known in Greece: Pita (e.g. Tiropita & Spanakopita)!

That is how Greece is currently moving on: feeding itself with Gyros & baked goods and leaving the taverns & meze restaurants for the international tourists the myriad of islands lure (statement of a local tavern owner I must confirm) - few islanders actually leave Rhodes to search for a future on the mainland. It's like what an old shoemaker from Lefkada once told me: the island folk is different, they don't leave their home unless they're forced to…

This paradise seems to have a Circean effect on its people and I can understand its magic… it's hard to distance yourself from such natural perfection - only the very young have the energy to go exploring the west of Europe, some for studies, some in search of a job. The European dream is always close and yet so far… more of an idea, a constantly postponed journey...

I'll always remember the mornings in Rhodes, what it was to wake up with the turquoise view of the sea and the comforting sound of the waves…