Country Article / Postcards
The Romance of Rhodes
Date: 08/22/2006
Best village on Rhodes? Lindos, with its whitewashed houses overlooked by the castle. Best way to get to the castle? Donkey.
The Greek isle of Rhodes offers pebbled mosaic pathways, old windmills, cascading waterfalls, even a park filled with rare butterflies. I think there's something for every romantic taste on this popular Dodecanese island.
Most visitors to the island begin in the main harbor town, also called Rhodes. Mandrake Harbor is best known for the legend of the 93-foot-high Colossus statue that stood astride the harbor, guarding it. When the statue collapsed in an earthquake, 900 camels were needed to cart it away. Today statues of a deer and a buck, the symbols of Rhodes Town, have the honor of protecting the harbor.
My favorite place in town is the medieval Street of the Knights, where the pebbled way leads past the marbled coats of arms marking each knight's inn.
If you've already taken in the island's aquarium, gambled away your change at the casino, and need a break from museum-hopping, busy Socrates Street is the place to head. It's where passengers aboard luxury cruise ships come to stock up on gold, leather, and furs. Tucked among the trendy boutiques and designer shops are dozens of eateries.
The island's bus system reaches out in all directions, so you can explore the rugged coastline and tiny fishing hamlets. Lindos, a village on the island's eastern coast, is not-to-miss and I suggest you use the traditional means to get up and down its hills--donkey taxis (no, not a cute name for a small taxi cab, but donkeys that hee-haw their way up and down the hills of Rhodes). A few of the captains‘ residences are open to the public and Lindos is known worldwide for its ceramics.
Roberta Beach Jacobson
For International Living
P.S. Socrates Street is a photographer's paradise with rug weavers at their looms and potters working their wheels. If you’re in Rhodes for the Ultimate Travel Photographer’s Expedition in October, I suggest you make this street your first port of call. You can find details of the expedition, which teaches you how to turn your everyday snapshots into cash, here: http://www.thephotographerslife.com/greece/il .
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