Tokyo on the homeward leg

Arrived into Haneda Airport at about six o'clock British time but one thirty their time and waited a long time for luggage to come through,then I had to open my suitcases for customs- must have looked suspicious!
Eventually we emerged and I located the money machine and the information desk and armed myself on what was needed to get me to the hotel . Why did I think Anthony had given me a Google map of the area?
I caught the monorail to Hamasaki Station ,450 yen and then caught a taxi to the hotel(750 yen) because not sure enough of remembering the map Tony showed me when I booked . Given the heat a good decision although it was within walking distance.

I had a sleep in my very comfortable air conditioned room before going out for a walk around the hotel district . It is located in Manito area with the World Trade Centre and the Zoioi Temple nearby . Also the Tokyo Tower which is their answer to the Eiffel Tower.

The temple was impressive and the contrast between the modern high rises and the traditional buildings is interesting . Cicadas are in full cry here too , competing with the noise of traffic from downtown city bound traffic.
I explored the temple grounds and Shiba Park nearby until the heat drove me back to the hotel for an evening meal,a pity as the gardens are well laid out and the trees are a feature with their shaping and many  shades of green . Lots of lovely little local shops selling noodles and sushi around this area  but they seem to be full of business men in dark trousers and short sleeved shirts so maybe best to stick to hotel tonight.

 

 

Packing up ready for departure.....

You could not believe the mess I have made in my time here!!!It took three of us all day to get to this stage. I thought I travelled light....
Kensal,Lou and I have spent Saturday getting the flat packed up ready for the big move on Friday.
I am put off ever moving. First Jo and now Lou it is a big job so think I will stay put at Marion Street for ever.
It has been so warm and muggy today after a pretty heavy rain this morning.
Had a trial pack yesterday and a re run this afternoon . Not sure how I have acquired more stuff but I have and so I will have to manage the transfer and hope I am under my luggage allowance.

To Rhodos and home......

Another beautiful day in Paradise. As I pull the curtains the sun is streaming in and the cicadas are in full cry, a chorus which does not let up all day. We ate our usual breakfast outside on the deck enjoying the views of Peraklos Castle standing guard on the headland. It was the last stand of the Knights Templar on Rhodos. We have been promising ourselves to climb it before we left Haraki so tonight it will have to be.
Our free bus tour to Rhodos was arriving at nine thirty so it was a bit of a dilemma, the beach or the bus trip!
We took a chance on the bus and decided to come back early if it was too hot and busy with people.
We were driven right into the old town area with easy access into the fortifications so we did manage to fill in our three hours exploring the old city and having lunch in the market place.
An amazing place to wander at will and take in the market streets and bazaars, so much sound and colour to attract you into the tiny streets and narrow walkways in between the city walls.
One of the seven wonders of the world once guarded this city and protected the populace from the enemy in centuries past. Colossus was huge and stood astride the  Harbour entrance for hundreds of years until he was brought down by an earthquake and is now seen in name only.
We made our way through the fortress walls and past the tower of the Palace gates of the Grand Master . The walled city was built by the Knights of St John and the impressive moat and castle walls are testament to the will and might of the order . What work went into these medieval castles and fortifications.Rhodos is strategically placed at the tip of the island and controls the shipping channels towards Turkey and the other Greek Islands
The old town is a warren of old cobbled streets, a paradise for souvenir shoppers and crafts people.  We did acquire a bag or two(who could resist such a bargain) before taking refuge in the shade for lunch.
Our guide took us back to the bus about three and once we got back to Haraki it was down to the beach for a lovely swim followed by a climb up the castle ruins just as the sun was setting over the hills surrounding the valley. Perfect timing but a bit of a challenge as the rocks were loose and we spent some time scrambling around the goat tracks finding our way up to the top of the walls. It was worth it when we emerged at the top-we could see down the coast and across the river flats.
We celebrated our climbing feat with a beer and another perfect evening at our favourite restaurant on the waterfront. The end of another lovely day.

Another day in Paradise

Another lazy day lying on Aganthi Beach was planned for Sunday. Hot and sunny and not a sign of wind indicated a perfect day in Paradise. We were up a little later than usual and enjoyed a breakfast on our deck before heading away to laze the day away.
We spent all day there and enjoyed every minute,the water is so warm and buoyant, it is easy to just float around keeping your head above water and enjoying all the beach life unfolding around you . The temperatures got to 35 degrees, hot but not as bad as Symi on 45 degrees  the day we were there.
We completed our day with another fine meal at our friend Kristos's restaurant and a coffee at the bar on the way home so we could use the Internet to catch up on news.
Our next adventure was to Lindos,a   heritage town about twenty miles down the coast and highly recommended  by travel books because of the Roman acropolis ruins and heritage town winding up and  around the hillside fortress.
We hired a car for the day and arrived earlier to beat the sun as it was a steep climb up to the fortress and very exposed once you came out onto the top. Well worth it though as the ruins were fascinating and the view beautiful. We climbed up through the little cobbled streets,through the donkey poo and past little craft shops vying for the tourist dollar until we came to the entrance gate , paid our money and walked through the walls of the old castle also on the site.
We could have paid five dollars and arrived on a donkey!!!!
After exploring the site we climbed back down to the town and rewarded ourselves with lovely fresh orange juice served under the shady grape vines and shaded from the heat of the day. Crowds were building so we escaped back to the car and drove down the coast for lunch . Our real destination was a place called Prasonissia where the Aegean Ocean and the Mediterranean lapped either side of the  sandy isthmus separating an island from the mainland. We paddled in both waters and watched the kite surfers etc enjoying the breeze before travelling to Sania,  the home of honey and back to our beach for a swim . A great day out.

Symi Island

The bus collected us up before seven and away we went to catch the ferry in Rhodos for our sea excursion to another Greek Island.
This was an adventure.  The  Mclaughlan's are not known for their seat legs so anticipating a two hour trip at sea required  a certain mindset to approach the day with.
We need not have worried as the water was calm and the cruise was marvellous - we sat out in the sun on the top deck amidst the ocean breezes and enjoyed the views of the Turkish coastline, other small islands and even a dolphin or two approached our vessel.
We had heard that this was a very beautiful island to visit and we were not disappointed.
It was a gorgeous place, houses were perched on the edge of the steep hills, colorful and distinctive with their symmetrical shapes and steep pathways leading up and down to the beachfront.
It is said that the women of Symi had the most shapely legs in Greece because of their daily climb for food and other necessities . The houses also looked as if they have been thrown randomly at the hillside and indeed legend had it that a giant's hand did throw them against the hills,I have forgotten why but guess the story changes with the telling.
The bay is packed with boats of every description,those for earning a living from traditional practices such as sponge harvesting are now very few but pleasure craft and luxury liners are to the fore . Every eating place was doing a roaring trade . Our guide says this all changes in winter months and the population is a fraction of the previous times when sponge diving was their commercial livelihood and some fishing was also important.This is why all the houses face the sea , not for aesthetics but for watching out for loved ones coming in from the sea.
The horizon is dominated by another impressive Knights Temple ruined castle and over three hundred churches belong on this island.
We were taken to see the sponge shop and given a description of the 'best practice' of preparing the sponges for the market . These days only five varieties may be harvested over a two year cycle because the beds became depleted . The one that took my fancy was called Elephant Ears and the people working outside in the sun used them as a hat soaked with cold water to keep them cool. It resembled a coolie hat shape but nobody would be seen dead in it today!
Olive oil was big here too with lovely body lotions and creams available in a myriad of shops. The commercial heart was alive and well. Forget stories of Greece as a basket case,only some places are suffering. During the summer there is  full employment in these islands.
We had another three course traditional meal at lunch time which set us up for about twenty four hours I think. 
We did some shopping in our free time and then it was back on board for the rest of our cruise around the island with  a stopover in a sheltered little bay to visit an impressive church. Lou and I were put off by the throng of keen folks so we visited a little bakery and bought apple pies for our tea,this was on the guides recommendation no less . Right he was, delicious fare.
We loved our day on the water but we were ready for an early night after our day out.It must have been the large dose of sea air.

Beach,sunshine and sightseeing...

Our first day on  Rhodes Island was spent hanging out on the beach with the rest of the sun lovers. It was a beautiful spot about 500 metres from our apartment and set in a secluded bay laid out with cafes and sun loungers to escape the ravages of the sun at mid-day.

We hired a lounger and a sun umbrella for four euros a day in the front row and read, swam and sunbathed rather  cautiously as it was so hot but we escaped unscathed and built up a good tan over our week in the sun.
Food is always at hand,there were three cafes on the beach so we were never short of a snack or a drink when required and very few distractions from people selling stuff so it was quite civilized.
We had to go into town later in the afternoon to meet our holiday representative at a local cafe to get the sales talk but we did sign up for a couple of trips.
The first one we did took us all around the Island of Rhodes in a very comfortable air conditioned bus with a guide who gave us a great insight into the island life and plenty of detail about the history and culture of the places we visited.
Our first stop was at Butterfly Mountain,a scenic reserve located in the central part of the island . Most of the area is now closed to the public so they can protect the species but a beautiful place st amongst trees and a river ran through the valley we were in. We tried very hard to catch a photo of  a butterfly in flight but very elusive they were.  It was set in a delightful dell with a waterfall and a dam, along with a cafe of course and umpteen buses parked outside.  This was rare to see such greenery on the island.
Our next stop was Kamiros, one of the three ancient acropolis built by the Romans conquerors on Rhodes . It sits in a strategic location high above the sea so Goddess Athena and daughter of Zeus can protect her people from invasion . The acropolis is built on three levels and we were able to wander at will through the public meeting spaces, the houses and the bath house were on the different levels . Much of  the restoration work is underway but only a small area has yet been uncovered by archeologists, in fact about a third of the total town.  Amazing to walk in such a place and think about life as it was here in Roman times and marvel at their ability to provide drainage, water for bathing, a democratic meeting place- men only of course but it was advanced politics of its era.
We then went wine tasting up in the hills at a cellar set into  a cave. This is a big wine growing region on the island and most vines grow without staking here so it took us awhile to realize it was vineyards we were passing.
We had four wines to taste, ranging from sweet red, a dry red a white and a dessert wine which was probably the best of them all. We had lunch nearby so we enjoyed a three course meal of local delicacies before completing our tour of the island. We stopped at various high spots for photos and honey tasting before arriving back at our apartment in time to go swimming at the pool in a nearby apartment which allowed us to swim there at any time.