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.