Knights of the Rhodes Table

Back to the Greek trail....

After spending a short 48 hours in Athens, we were to hop over to Rhodes to spend the next 2 days.

Rhodes - the largest  in the cluster of islands known as the Dodecanese – is situated at the far end of the Greek territories. In fact, it much nearer the mainland of Turkey (just 11 miles), than Athens, that it takes only a mere 1 hour ferry ride to the nearest Turkish port compared to 16 hours to Athens. (We took a 1-hour plane ride instead. On Olympic Air. The plane literally has the Olympic Rings as its emblem. We almost missed our plane, given that the Athens Metro did not have a train running to the airport frequently on Easter Sunday. But we managed to get there 20 minutes before the plane took off and they let us on!)

Rhodes Town (capital of Rhodes) holds the single largest inhabited medieval town in Europe, preserved from the Middle Ages during the crusading Order of the Knights of St. John. St. Paul also brought his Christianity here.

Given the proximity to Turkey and the ineveitable Ottoman occupation in the 16^th century that lasted 300 years, much Turkish influence is also discernible throughout the fortified citadel.

Being within the fortress walls of Old Town, I felt like I was in a Robin Hood movie set: cobble-stoned streets and little alleyways that turned into nooks and crannies; tavernas and old wooden doors and windows; signboards that looked like they were designed a lifetime before. I half-expected an armoured knight to jump out of nowhere, brandishing his glistening sword and claiming gallantry by offering protection to the 2 damsels on vacation. J

Rhodes reminded me a lot of Carcassonne - another medieval city preserved from the Middle Ages in the south of France.

Chances are, if you allowed yourself to be led by the maze of side streets, you would end up finding little conclaves of cafes and restaurants and comforting homes of the Rhodesians. Good luck finding your way back out the same way though!

Flying past one of the many Greek islands dotting the Aegean Sea

View from our Olympic Air plane window on the way to Rhodes

Hotel Isole - our Santorini-themed pension situated in a little alley right in the heart of Old Town. 
Run by Franco - a ponytailed Italian man who spoke broken Italian and French and rode a Vespa :)  



The side streets of the medieval city - cobble-stoned with high arches and wooden doorways - just like in the movies! Being Easter, paintings depicting the scenes of Christ (for Catholics - akin to the Stations of the Cross) are placed above the archways for an entire stretch. The paintings are covered in translucent film on Good Friday and revealed on Easter Sunday. This particular painting is of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.



Crystal clear water lapping at the Rhodesian coast. With the shadow of the fortress cast on the sand.

St. Paul's Gate - one of the 11 entrances providing access into and out of the citadel in the olden days. However, not all the gates are currently open to the public.

The Mandraki harbour of Rhodes - the old military harbour. It was the main harbour of Rhodes for almost 2500 years. The entrance is guarded by 2 deer, each atop a pillar - Rhodian symbols of power and wealth. It is believed that the Colossus of Rhodes - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - was situated there.  

Ever seen this ladder to heaven on motivational posters?? Now you know it really exists in Rhodes!! Found along Elli beach - a 10 minute walk from Old Town - it actually serves as a diving platform for a jump into the clear blue sea.

The sands of Elli beach (aka Rhodes Town Beach)



And to prove my point about the crystal clear water.....



Ippokratous Square - the main activity hub of Old Town - with an old Castellan fountain in the middle. Surrounded by cafes and restaurants filled with tourists, almost all of the main streets lined with touristy shops lead to Ippokratous Square.

The commercial harbour of Rhodes

The Kahal Shalom Synagogue in La Juderia - the Jewish quarter. Originally built in the 12th century, the Sephardic synagogue was destroyed during the war between the Turks and the Knights of Rhodes and rebuilt in the 15th century. Today, it is the oldest synagogue in Greece An informative museum is situated next to the synagogue with an interesting historical narrative of the Jewish community in Rhodes.

A vendor watching her wares along a cobble-stoned side street



Care for an Aladdin lamp by any chance?
Photo credit: Adeline Wong 



One of the many small crypt churches in Rhodes

For a bird's eye view of Rhodes, climb up the Clock Tower for 4 euros and be blown away by the breathtaking landscape and infinite horizon. The ticket even comes with a drink at the base of the Tower - great way to rest those thighs after making the steep climb up!

View from the Clock Tower - right in front, the domes and the minaret are part of the pink Mosque of Suleiman. Built in 1522 over the site of the devastated Church of the Apostles to commemorate the Ottoman Sultan's victory over the Knights of Rhodes.

One of the main shopping streets in the Old Town. Behind, you can see the minaret and pink dome of the Mosque of Suleiman.

Ipoton Street - also known as the Avenue of the Knights - a 600m long unbroken cobblestoned stretch of honey-coloured walls, huge doorways and arched windows. The knights lived here in inns, divided into seven tongues based on their place of origin - England, France, Germany, Italy, Aragon, Auvergne and Provence. Each "tongue" was tasked with protecting a section of the medieval city. The knights reported to the Grand Master, who lived at the top of the inclined street, in the Palace of the Grand Master.

Restored in the 19th century, signs along various doorways of the street mark out the various inns of the knights. Modern offices now occupy the lofty inns.

Chapelle Française (Chapel of the Tongue of France), embellished with a statue of the Virgin and Child.
Photo credit: Adeline Wong  

Heavy arched doorways that line the Avenue of the Knights
Photo credit: Adeline Wong

Don't jump!
Photo credit: Adeline Wong

Saved! My knight in shining armour. (literally)
Photo credit: Adeline Wong



Inside the Palace of the Grand Master



Colourful walls and cute doorways mark homes of local Rhodesians throughout the medieval city.

Photo credit: Adeline Wong







The Athens Walkabout - Of ancient sites and history

Armed with the Kindle version of Lonely Planet, a desire to see as much as we could in what little time we had, and to maximize our travel potential (maximizing any finite resource is an occupational hazard…) – we basically walked almost all of Athens.

Except maybe from the airport to downtown.

But pretty much everywhere else. From one neighbourhood to another, up and down cliffs and alleys and tourist attractions located within proximity…we walked.

This is when I have to put out a satisfied customer review for Fit Flops. Those are undoubtedly amazingly comfortable and durable walking footwear. Considering that much of Athens is still covered in the occasional cobblestone, I never once felt a pebble under my foot through my rubber Fit Flops.

But I digress.

With Addii the tour guide and me the bumbling tourist in tow, we saw way more than the average tourist, and paid much less too J

Towering palm (coconut??) trees creating a majestic and imposing entrance to the National Gardens. Located right next to the National Parliament Building, the Gardens were originally intended as the Royal Garden of Queen Amalia, who filled it with 15,000 domestic and exotic species of horticulture in 1839. The Gardens were opened to the public in 1923.

An elderly couple taking refuge in the shade with pigeons for company - at the periphery of the National Gardens.

Situated just behind the National Gardens is the Panathenaic Stadium (aka Kallimarmaro Stadium) - originally built in 330BC for the Panathenaic games. It was restored in 1895 and hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.

The symbol of the Olympic rings have stood the test of time...

The Zappeion (located within the National Gardens) was the first building to be built specifically to cater to the revival of the modern Olympic Games in the late 19th century. Officially opened in 1888, it is named after its benefactor, Evangelis Zappas.
Interesting tidbit: the Zappeion was used as the main fencing hall in the 1896 modern Olympic Games.
Nowadays, it is mostly used for events and ceremonies.

Temple of Olympian Zeus - or what's left of it: 16 columns from the original 104. In its prime, the Temple housed 2 colossal gold and ivory statues - 1 of Zeus, and the other of the Roman Emperor Hadrian (who is credited with completing the construction of the Temple after almost 700 years of delay due to political turmoil since 515 BC).

The view of the Temple of Zeus from the Acropolis. See the empty green field in the middle of otherwise crowded buildings - that's the original size of the Temple.



In appreciation of Hadrian's success in completing the Temple of Zeus, the Athenians built this two-storey arch which acts as a kind of gateway entrance to the grounds of the Temple. The inscription on the west side of the arch reads, "This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus"; and on the east side of the arch, reads, "This is the city of Hadrian and not of Theseus". It thus names both Theseus and Hadrian as founders of Athens but also draws a distinction between old and new Athens.

At the foot of the Acropolis lies the Roman Forum - in 1 AD, the Romans moved the marketplace from the Ancient Agora to this site. The ruins are now surrounded by chic tourist shops and al-fresco dining restaurants and cafes.

Situated at the far end of the Roman Forum stands the Tower of the Winds. It was actually a water clock operated by a stream from the Acropolis - designed by Syrian astronomer Andronikos Kyrrhestas in 50 BC. It is named such because each side of the octagonal tower has personifications of the different directional winds carved onto them.

The grill iron fencing next to the Tower of the Winds bears several padlocks like this one shown here, engraved with names of couples as a sign of their undying commitment to each other. And one wonders why people see marriage as a deadlock....haha!



Tip: to visit the ancient sites, buy a combi ticket for a single price that allows entry into all. Otherwise, be like us: stumble upon a free entry day to the Parthenon/Acropolis (which, if you ask me, is the one ancient site that anyone must visit and walk through); take a walk to the other sites as well, but standing by the fencing provides more than sufficient view of the sites without needing to enter! Unless of course the Parthenon did not satiate your appetite for columns.....

The only other site we did not manage to view was the Ancient Agora because we kept missing the opening times – that site is rather huge and not viewable from the periphery though. Probably best to enter J

Sweets for my treats - Athens

Head to Ariston on Voulis 10  (nearest Metro stop: Syntagma) for some great tasting and very affordable traditional greek pastry pies. The store front could pass off as an electrical shop of sorts (if you ask me) but let your nose be led by wafts of freshly baked pastry and you won't be disappointed!

The pumpkin pie here is not to be missed - think of Thanksgiving encased in a flaky crust instead of the usual shortcrust. Yums! Also try the traditional Spanakopita (spinach) or Tyropita (spinach & feta cheese) - you will rediscover your love for Popeye's favourite veg! 

Each slice of pie is in the range of 2 euros. 
 

While trying to orientate ourselves after picking up some pie, we chanced upon dozens of boutique chocolate stores along Vasileos Georgiou street (right off Voulis) - also affectionately known as the "Chocolate Street" . 

Take your pick from the array of hand-made chocolate stores along Vasilous Georgiou.
Even big chains like Leonidas has a presence here.
Photo credit: Adeline Wong

But the best find was this dried fruits and nuts shop on the corner of Nikis and Vasileos Georgiou (the Greek name of the shop eluded me – right around the corner of Macdonald’s off Plateia Syntagma). Endless sacks (literally sacks!) of fruits, nuts and everything that you ever imagined the Greek gods had their fill of!

Endless sacks of nuts and fruits to relish

Easter candy!

I discovered the most amazing pistachios I had ever tasted in my life here - peeled, unsalted (or salted if you prefer) and so sweet like you'd never believe pistachios could be! And figs! There was plentiful delicious fresh figs!  It was with much self restraint that I managed to not buy up the entire store.  

The BEST pistachios ever! And even more amazing - no shells to crack or hurt your fingers with!

They're peeled!



Fresh figs. Mmmm. *chomp chomp*

As if that wasn't enough to satiate us for the rest of the day, the Greek gods sent us more goodies. While Addii and I were chatting to ourselves about buying some baklava inside our nuts and fruits store, a kind Greek local overheard our conversation and recommended one of Athens' most famous baklava shops just around the corner.

Karakoy Gulluoglu on 10 Nikis (yup, that's a mouthful to pronounce) is actually from Turkey, and the brand name carries widely across Istanbul as one of the best places to indulge in the sticky, nutty philo pastry delight that's baklava.

Let your eyes feast on tons of varieties of the much loved honeyed pastry, in all shapes and sizes, various flavours and types.

 

Rows of freshly made baklava entice the senses at Karakoy Gulluoglu



We got ourselves a few different pieces for sampling and sharing. Mmmm so delicious!!

And if the sugar craving needs even more fulfilment, go look up the restaurant Doris (Praxitelous 30), which whips up some of the most excellent loukoumades (greek donuts) in a very pink restaurant.

Colourful storefront signboard of Doris

These freshly deep fried pieces of dough are drizzled with honey and come with choice toppings like nuts and chocolate sauce. We got the honey and almond mix to share.

Ooooh.

Enough said.

Pair those deep fried sweet darlings with a cup of strong Greek coffee and you’ll have enough stimulants to get you bouncing off the walls.  

The chef-owner was incredibly generous and totally made our day by throwing in the loukoumades for free on our  bill too! Each plate costs about 3 euros. There's more than enough on that plate to make it worth anyone's while.

Go early though - Doris closes at 6.30pm.

Changing of the Guard

Plateia Syntagma (Constitution Square) is the central municipal seat of government, where the Hellenic Parliamant, the Presidential Mansion and the Greek Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are situated.

These key government and historical installations are guarded by members of the Proedriki Froura (Presidential Guard), also known as Evzones (singular – Evzoni). Evzones are apparently selected based on physical attributes: only the tallest and handsomest in the mandatory Greek military service are selected. The elaborate ceremonial attire worn by the evzones draws its roots from the rebels who won the War of Independence for Greece (1821-1832). The short white poofy skirt apparently has 400 pleats symbolizing the years under Turkish rule!

Every hour, a changing of the guard ceremony takes place, rain or shine, in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

View of Syntagma Square from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Evzones marching in for the changing of the guards

An elaborate marching ceremony ensues where the previous guards handover to the incoming guards

Coordinated marching in their elaborate traditional uniforms. Love the fuzzballs on the clogs! :)

Evzoni are not allowed to blink, move or pose for pictures without the head guard's permission. So even if the guardhouse next to them goes up in flames, they are not allowed to move from their position! Visitors are also not allowed to make funny faces or instigate a reaction from Evzones on duty otherwise the head guard will come at you!