hic salto

It's been a while since I last travelled for pleasure and recreation alone. So, when I had the brilliant idea to go away over Easter, the only affordable (and free) thing left seemed to be Last Minute Packages. The touristic no-no for enlightened individuals. But I did it anyway and flew to Rhodes with the budget brand of a budget brand. And it wasn't half bad.

Just make sure you stay out of the way of the travel agent's representative, who'd infallibly say things like:
"Don't go to a local car rental, book your car with us. We're a _bit_ more expensive, but they rip you off." -- According to the tourist information, car rentals on Rhodes have to take regular check-ups and report to the TI or the TI puts them out of business. So the car I had was a bit ratty, bit took me all around the island (ca. 80 kms length) in a day and the rental guy was friendly and uncomplicated.
or:
"Take our guided tour to the Kalithea Thermes, you can walk there but the only way is along the main road." -- Right. It's a 1-1,5 hr walk and the main road is a two-laner with soft shoulders. Don't know what it's like in the high season, but in April it was more like a quiet backroad. With a beautiful view. And anyway, you can easily scramble down to the shore-line and climb along the lava-banks. You'd need a bit of balance, but no hiking-experience required. The lave is sharp to the hands (if you must hold on to something), but solid (hardly any loose stones) so trainers just cling to them.

re Traffic: The travel-rep. warns of mad drivers. Ok, Rhodes City tends to be a bit cramped, but (again: this was pre-season) none of the traffic I saw came close to Frankfurt main-streets on a given afternoon.

re Food: It seems to be a strange Greek tradition to serve food luke-warm (at best) and not to use rechauds on buffets. Which is ok for many things, though cold poached eggs can be a bit trying.
Best gyros pita: Restaurant Obelix, Rhodes City, somewhere near the intersection of 28th Oktovriou and Ionos Dragoumi.
Greek coffee should come with a glass of water and may be lightly colored warm liquid on a dark powdery substance - or very very yummy.

re Weather: There are supposed to be (on average) three rainy day on Rhodes in April. I saw 4, so April next year should be perfect timing ...

re Ancient: Rhodes is full of history - antique Greek, medieval, early C20 - mostly in the form of buildings/ ruins. Road-signs point out the sights but that's usually it. An "ancient settlement" (as seen at the Southern tip near the land-bridge to Prassonissi (which btw. is underwater when the flood comes in)(the land-bridge, not the settlement)) can be a 6x6 meters fenced-in patch of thick shrubs. Or the really very much ruined castle of Feraklos. climb the sheep-paths up the hill, crawl into the caves (if you can brave the huge spiders), walk around the ruins (underground structures uncluded!) without fencing, warning signs or wardens who check that you don't carry off souvenirs.
That's nice. A change to well-kempt Northern European history. But also pretty frustrating because nothing is documented. Take the Kalithea thermes, an old sulphur spring, build into a resort by the Italians earlier in C20 and bombed by the Germans in the 40. Now being rebuilt, but the ruins of the bath-house are freely accessible. (Even the neck-breaking first floor ...). And no word about the history, the restauration concept, the styles used in rebuilding ...
Unlike Rhodes acropolis up on Mount Smith. They even have a small museum that explicates the site. Did you know "the old Greeek" had starting-mechanisms for runners in the stadiums, much like those used for horse-racing today?

re Symi: a tourist-must. Half a dozen boats leave for Symi from Mandraki each day. Every travel agency and every other car rental has a tour service. And yes, Symi is nice and quaint and in good weather both the trip and the stay should be ok. But you only get three hours which is not enough the climb the mountains on too much for ambling up and down the pier.

re Swimming. Well. I managed five strokes out and five in again (see weather). And there were kite-boarders at the Southern tip. Couple days later and the entire East Coast must have been swimm- and boardable. The beaches in the touristy parts are smoother, sandier (or vice versa), but the lava-edges e.g. round Kalithea make shallow pools that warm quickly.


And finnally: the pics. Here.