Woe is Me! Post 152

I’m a real misery today. I’ve just waved off my daughter and her family who are off on holiday to Rhodes. So why am I miserable? Well we booked this family holiday a year ago and have looked forward to it since then.

We go on holiday every year with them and it’s wonderful. Mornings getting up to lovely sunshine and going to breakfast with them. Days lazing by the pools, swimming with my grandchildren, games, wandering around the shops in old Rhodes Town, lovely meals as a family and no washing up! It’s bliss. I spend a lot of time with my grandchildren especially on holiday, so I'm going to miss them so much.

This year however it feels like there’s been a curse on it. There were the flight problems with the volcanic ash cloud and then the troubles in Greece caused by their failing economy and closure of their airports. However these pale into insignificance in comparison with our family problems. My husband had to have a serious operation a few weeks ago and it will take him a long time to recover. It’s one of the reasons why I haven’t been blogging and also I have no energy. Things like this help you get things into perspective.

Well I had a few tears after they left about what we’re missing but I’m thankful Eric will hopefully make a good recovery and we can all have a holiday together next year. I’m also thankful that the ash cloud problems are less, the problems in Greece have subsided and my family are all well and are going to have a lovely holiday.

It’s going to be a long fortnight without them and a long year until I see this lovely view again.

Kalithea Bay

Rhodes - Sunday 6 September

If it's Sunday, we're in Rhodes and today's the day! Our Ruby Wedding, we've been married for 40 years. Hard to believe some days, but we made it.

What a change to the day we got married. The weather was pretty similar, very clear and sunny, just not quite so hot that day. What we didn't have this time was all the hassle. It was such a lovely relaxing day, just the two of us.

It was a time to reflect too on how much has happened over those years. The sad things and the happy ones; the family members we've lost and our new family members.

In the morning we went up to church, the one we, well I, always go to when we're in Rhodes. I've been there a lot so it's feeling very familiar now. Here's a slightly better photo of the St Francis mural. Still not a really good photo.

Then we did our usual wandering around the Old Town. People always wonder why we go back to the same place when there are so many different places in the world to to see. Well I used to think that too, however I have to say I always see something new when we go to Rhodes and I also get a feeling of coming to a very friendly place, one I love.

Here's the memorial to the Jewish martyrs of Rhodes and those murdered in the death camps by the Nazis. I've never seen this before and I know we've passed down this street almost every time we've been here at the same time on a Sunday morning. I think the reason why we saw it this time is that there were very few people about this time as we walked down the street. Normally it's packed. Sorry the picture's not too clear but you get the feeling of the place. In the middle of a hustling bustling town, here's a little oasis of peace and tranquility.

Here's something else we saw for the first time, a lady making carpets in the front of a shop. A dying trade apparently if you pardon the pun.



The street traders were out in force trying to persuade you to buy. Not harassing you, just telling you about the craft and the bargains.

I love taking pictures of works in progress!

I've noticed that when I'm wandering about I love seeing pictures through doorways, archways and holes like this. Not sure why. Here's a view through a hole in the old city walls.

Wonder if it was a place the Knights of St John kept watch from.

One of the good things about visiting Rhodes on a cruise we discovered is how close the ship docks to the town. It's just a few minutes walk to the Old and New Towns. Also it gives you a different perspective on the Town too.

Here are the walls of the Old Town from the sea, well some of them.

This is a view of the New Town and harbour, the other side of the photograph I took in May.

Here's the photo I took from the quayside in May.

A view of the top of the harbour. I'm pretty sure that's Turkey you can see in the distance.

While I remember, here's a photo of the ship we travelled on.

It wasn't one of those mega ships, I would have hated that. Just a nice size only 580 passengers and it was full. It could get into the smaller docks that the big cruise ships can't.

They were always washing and painting it when the ship docked. I kept wondering if the Queen was due on board as you can always smell fresh paint when she's expected anywhere.

Santorini tomorrow!

Post 121

Old Rhodes Town

I'm a bit late posting this, our holiday was in June, but better late than never!

My favourite part of Rhodes is the Old Town, Palia Poli. It's a World Heritage site and it's a fantastic historic place to visit, full of atmosphere.

My photos are in no particular order here, just as I posted them. They should enlarge if you click them, but who knows what mood Blogger is in!

You can enter through about ten different gates around the 4 kms of defensive walls built by The Knights of St John mainly as a defence against threats of Turkish invasion in the 1450s.

The dry moat surrounds the Old Town and for many years it was strewn with rubbish but now most of it is landscaped and is a pleasant place to walk. There are also stone missiles piled up there!

One of the Gates into Old Rhodes Town

This gate on the north east side of the Old Town leads from Mandraki Harbour. It's a very busy one, always lots of cars.

Mandraki Harbour

Inside this medieval city there's a mix of Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Moorish buildings in a medieval warren of streets, lanes, alleyways and courtyards.

One of my favourite streets it the Ippoton, Street of the Knights. You can see it through the arch on the photo below.

Archway leading to the Street of the Knights

It's a lovely cobbled street restored by the Italians and now occupied by municipal and cultural organisations. The Knights were organised by country of origin and by their language into national groups called Tongues. Each Tongue had its own "Inn" where the knights lived and you can still see the coats of arms above the doorways.

It's a very sedate street now probably nothing like the medieval one that would have been teeming with life. It's also hard on the feet walking on those cobbles in hot weather, best to use the path if you can.

Ippoton - The Street of the Knights

The Palace of the Grand Masters was the lavish home of the leaders of the crusades. It was used as a prison when the Turks took over, after that it fell into ruins and was destroyed by an explosion in 1856.

Palace of the Grand Masters

Archway in the Palace of the Grand Masters

I took this picture of one of the many canons in the Palace of the Grand Masters. It had a British coat of arms but it was from 19th Century.

Looking over the walls from the Palace of the Grand Masters

Looking Through the Koskinou Gate

The Church of Saint John was also destroyed by the explosion that wrecked the Palace of the Grand Masters. You can recognise the totally different Italian style and it's now under reconstruction. The photo below shows I really need a wide angle lens to do it justice.

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Church of Saint John

I'm pretty sure this is the Mosque of Suleiman but wouldn't swear to it.
I'll check in September!

I can't remember which church this was. There's lots!

Ruins of Temple of Aphrodite

These date from the 3rd century BC, one of the few ancient remains to be found in the Old Town.

Some ruins!

Now it would be nice if they would provide some information about what these ruins are. The only sign around shown in the photo below, says Byzantine Fortifications but that refers to the walls in the photo below!

Byzantine Fortifications

One of the many archways

Just take a look at this weathering!

There are so many parts of the Old Town in the process of renovation and you can just wander about quite safely along the back streets snapping away.

A typical little back street courtyard

How about renovating this?

or maybe this?

Here's a place that's well on the way to being completed. It has a sort of Italian look about this with the wooden shutters and balcony.

That drooping wire has me a bit worried! What health and safety regs are being broken there?

The street below is Sokratous Street, the main shopping street in the Old Town. Tacky as you'll find anywhere but absolutely charming! I love it.

Normally on a Sunday at the end of May it's absolutely heaving. The day we were there it was pretty quiet. A sign of the drop in tourists in May this year.

Sokratous Street

I love this square and fountain, not sure what it's called. If you've seen film, Escape to Athena you'll remember it! It's usually packed but it was quite peaceful the day we were there.

I really like this square, there are lots of restaurants and cafes here too. No water in the fountain though!

I love this walk along past numerous cafes and restaurants. The banter from the waiters trying to get you to to eat or drink is wonderful. They always make me laugh. Totally different from the ones who hassle you in some countries. If you click on the photo you can see a dog lying in front of a cafe and the suit of armour. No it wasn't dead, just relaxing in the heat!

We're going on a Mediterranean cruise for our Ruby wedding anniversary in September. The day we visit Rhodes is on our anniversary so we'll be back in the Old Town again. This time instead of just wandering about and snapping what takes my fancy, I'll be a bit more organised and plan what to see. Then maybe I'll remember the names.

Post 109

Church Going in Rhodes

St Francisco Roman Catholic Church, Rhodes Town

One thing I like to do when I go away is to visit the local church. It isn't always easy to find a Roman Catholic Church in Greece but it is in Rhodes Town. There are two! I usually go to this one called the Church of San Francisco, (St Francis) mainly because it's on the bus route from where we stay and there's a bus stop right outside the church.

The other church is an older one in the centre of the town near the casino. I had a problem finding it the first time I visited Rhodes and I've never gone back to it. What a luxury finding two churches so close together!

It's quite a modern church and it has a huge, wonderful painting of St Francis on the altar. I wanted to take a picture after the service but unfortunately another service followed immediately afterwards so I could only take a picture from the back of the church very quickly. It's quite poor unfortunately, you get the scale of the painting but not the detail. I'll be back in Rhodes in September so maybe I can get a better one then.

What I found strange last year was they have started to do the Mass in Latin and with a lot of singing. I'm ashamed to admit I've forgotten most of the Latin I used to know and they didn't have a Mass card in Latin and English, or if they did I didn't get one.

There are greeters at the back of the church and they welcome you and give you a sheet with the readings in your language. Not sure they had them for all the nationalities there but the main ones are covered. I don't know why they have gone back to the Mass in Latin but it was quite nice and brought back some memories. The priest sounds like he's from Yorkshire, he's been there for quite a long time but he is quite a serious chap! He speaks a few languages and has a bit of a chat to people in French, Italian, Greek and English which is quite nice.

If you go there for Mass be prepared, it starts at 10 am on Sundays but it's quite a bit longer than ours. The last one I went to was nearly an hour and was followed by benediction. The week before it lasted over an hour as there was a local couple renewing their wedding vows after forty years which was quite nice.

It's interesting too that the church is also used for Anglican services.

Outside the church is a statue of St Francis with the prayer inscribed around it in numerous languages including Hebrew. I did take a photo of the prayer and checked that it was quite clear to read but I can't find it on the camera now. Weird!

St Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

Skywatch Friday - 20 March 2009

Kalithea Bay, Rhodes.

Yes, I know there aren't any clouds. That's because I've hardly ever seen any when we go on holiday there.

I'm looking forward to our next holiday there this year. Blue skies and lovely warm weather, I'm in countdown mode.