It's said that proximity breeds contempt. I'm not positive that I'd go so far as to say I now have contempt for Greek islands...but being so close to them has perhaps made me take them for granted.
It's like living in North Carolina and visiting the Outer Banks every summer. You just become familiar with amazing places seen on a regular basis. Then you move and realize just how fortunate you were to live nearby!
(I think this realization will hit us within the next few weeks, once we pack our bags and head back to the USA.)
Anyway, since moving to Turkey I've visited six Greek islands. In fact, the island of Chios is close enough to make it a day trip from our city of Izmir! How crazy is that?! But of all the islands I've seen, the one that truly stole my heart was Rhodes.
Being the third largest Greek island and the primary one within the Dodecanese isles, this part of Greece is very popular with European tourists and is a frequent stop for cruise ships of the Mediterranean. Like most of the land in this part of the world, its history is rich and amazing. Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, Byzantines and Ottomans all laid claim to this island and left their mark on her. The Colossus of Rhodes, a giant bronze statue of the sun god Helios which stood beside the entrance to the Rhodian harbor, was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
To get to Rhodes we left our home early one morning and drove 3.5 hours south to the city of Marmaris, Turkey. There, we went through an international check point, had our passports stamped and then we boarded a ferry for a 1.5 hours trip from one country to another.
Here is a video from the first three days of our adventure!
Old Rhodes town is one of the best preserved examples of a Medieval walled-city in Europe and is a UNESCO world heritage site. From the harbor (and it's sea-glass rich beach, plethora of swimmers and ”no swimming!” sign 😆) you can see the walls stretching in each direction with massive gate towers breaking the line. It's been painstakingly restored/protected and walking along its cobblestone streets is a treat for anyone who loves history as much as I do. The Grand Master's Castle (looking exactly like a medieval castle should look!) was restored in the last century and houses an array of preserved mosaic floors that are exquisite, probably my favorite thing to see during our tour.
Outside of the city you can find some lovely beaches that are open to the public. Grab a sack of fresh fruit from one of the many vendors along the stroll from city to shore and we were set for a lazy afternoon enjoying the sun and surf. I'm still on the fence about whether or not I prefer stone beaches to sandy ones. Pebbles do make it much easier to clean up from...but they're a little painful on the feet : )
Once we'd scouted out the beaches around the city, we decided to take a day and visit a whole other island! Day-trips are very common and we saw scores of boats leaving the Rhodes harbor each morning, full of tourists. We took a ship to the nearby island of Symi, Greece. Dolphins joined us for a while, we were able to stop and swim at the gorgeous St. George's bay and we finished the day by exploring the colorful city of Symi.
After our three days inside the city we rented a car and drove an hour or so west and began the last half of our vacation at a little town near Lindos, Rhodes. We visited the hilltop ancient city of Lindos, hung out by our resort, and finished the week by exploring the Traganou Caves!!
Here is the video of our final days in Rhodes.
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