Today we went on a bus tour of Rhodes – the ‘grand tour’ according to the brochure. We started off at Filermos where there is a large cross on a hillside, with some amazing views. The cross, and the path to it, with stations of the cross were built by the Italians in 1935. The cross has a staircase inside it which can be climbed for an even better view. I forgot to take any pictures on my phone of this, so I’ll have to add some when we get home.
Next stop was the ancient city of Kamiros, which has bee partially excavated. Aparently, all the dwellings had running water and sewage systems – all 2400 years ago!
We then went into the mountains in the centre of the island for a wine tasting, followed by lunch. Rather unexpectedly, the heavens opened, and it absolutely poured with rain, giving us a good soaking as we got off the bus. The wine could most charitably be described as ‘rustic’, but the people at the winery were friendly and generous with their samples. lunch was a traditional Greek meal – tzatziki, and Greek salad, chicken kebabs, followed by fresh oranges.
After lunch we went over to the east side of the island, which is much less developed and ‘touristy’. The landscape is more rugged, and less cultivated. We stopped at a few places to take pictures and for the inevitable ‘retail opportunities’.
Overall impressions of the island are that it is very beautiful, but also quite poor in places. There are a lot of unfinished buildings around, and most buildings have reinforcing rods sticking out of the top of the (flat) roof, ready for the next storey to be built when funds allow.
The tour guide also appeared to be able to breathe through her ears – I have never heard anyone talk so much without appearing to draw breath! She had an opinion on everything, from Greece’s economic state to how often we should apply sunscreen.