The Island Spelled Three Ways

The Island Spelled Three Ways

Rodos, Rhodos and Rhodes, either way seems to work. It is a Greek Island just off the Turkish coast. There are about 120,000 residents on the island that is perhaps 60 miles long and 12 wide. You might remember the place as the site of one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Colossus of Rhodes. There’s no trace of it anymore but it was a huge bronze statue that overlooked the harbor of the main city. An earthquake brought it down long before Christ was born and the metal was carted off to Egypt.

Nancy and I took a holiday there this past week and we spent most of it sightseeing, sunning and eating. We had never been to Rhodes before, never been to Greece and we enjoyed ourselves. We traveled with half a plane load of Romanians and it wasn’t long before we’d made bonds with a number of our fellow travelers. They were patient enough with me so that I could practice my Romanian and they could polish their English.

Highlights of the trip included a visit to Lindos and its acropolis. Lindos is a village that has maintained a quant character and setting and the ruins that top the hill outside of town are significant. We walked on steps that have been used as steps for almost 3,000 years. Most of the larger settlement of ancient Lindos was destroyed by earthquake (they’ve had lots of earthquakes in the past and are due for another anytime now) but what is left is impressive.

We took a ferry to a neighboring island, Symi, and that was a delightful day. I’ve attached a picture of Symi. I’ve also attached a picture of the fortifications of the old city of Rhodes. It was here that the Knights of St. John ruled for almost 400 years before becoming the Knights of Malta. If you’ve read the De Vinci Code you might know of the Knights. They were suppose to be the guardians of the secret. But no mention of what ever secret it was that they protected was made during our visit.

Not sure if the pictures indicate what a bounty of flowers that inhabit the island, some wild, some tame and some half way in between. It seems as if geraniums and roses were particularly happy there. The wild poppies were a deep, dark red, not the orange that are prevalent here in Romania and in Virginia. I suppose late April was the perfect time for the flowers, not the heat and dryness of mid summer. The air temperature while we were there was perfect for walking and touring, a little chilly for sunbathing, and nearly impossible for swimming.

Perhaps we had a tinge of guilt for living the good life as Peace Corps volunteers, but it was good to take a break from our Romanian adventure. We are both back at work now, refreshed and slightly more tan.