All Roads Lead to Rhodes

                                                                                       

                                                            RHODES

Saturday, October 21, 2017 - continued

You may be wondering why we are heading to the airport when the initial plan for this trip was to travel to all the islands by ferry. Well, things change, especially when the ferry company decides to put a smaller vessel on the route to Rhodes, a vessel that does not have enough cabins to accommodate the passengers and we would have had to sit up all night rather than having a bed to sleep in. Quick change in plans … we flew to Rhodes instead.

It was short flight, one hour, made even shorter because Jim and I both slept the entire distance. I woke up just as the island of Rhodes came into view. Again, it was a wonderfully clear night and it was possible to see the entire city of Rhodes stretched out along the shore of the Aegean Sea with the airport runway lights clearly in the long straight strip behind the city. We landed smoothly, collected our bags and whisked off in a taxi in almost record time. The road from the airport to the centre of town was long, straight and lively. So many restaurants, bakeries, cafes, bars, stores, hotels and people. This is going to be a great place to explore.

We are staying in a hotel in the old city of Rhodes, high on a hilltop, inside the walls that were built hundreds of years ago to protect the city. No cars are allowed inside the walls. It is a maze of narrow pathways the zig and zag in every direction. The guidebooks all say that getting lost in Old City Rhodes is part of the charm of the place. So our taxi dropped us off just outside the walls and John, our hotel host, picked us up in a golf cart to transport us and our luggage to our hotel. He pointed our various landmarks along the way but I am sure it will all look quite different in the daylight. We did pass by an ancient castle, an ornate mosque and several interesting looking restaurants and vendor stalls. Tomorrow will be a new day and we will explore some of this city with pleasure.

Oh, and did I mention that we have been upgraded to a two room suite with a canopy bed? It is beautiful!!

For now, it is time to sign off for the night and fall into that canopy bed. It has been a long day of travelling and it is time for some sleep. Good night, all.

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Well, today has been an unusual day. It started out fine. Jim and I went down for a lovely breakfast provided by our host. Jim was still not feeling great but he managed to eat a bit of breakfast, including some very smooth Greek yogurt.

Jim decided that it was time to go and see a doctor about his tummy ache. Our hotel host recommended a medical clinic not too far from where we are located and that he would provide transportation when Jim was ready to go. Jim contacted our extended health carrier at home to check about coverage and whether we would have to pay and be reimbursed or whether the clinic could direct bill. All good news … the clinic could direct bill and we would not be out of pocket at all. So off he went.

I remained at the hotel and had a lively conversation with Rebecca, a self-published author from London who has lived in Athens for 10 years and an Irish fellow, Jim,  currently living in the rainforest in Australia and on a ‘walk-about’ of sorts, travelling to several remote countries (Nepal, Greece, Iceland, northern India, Finland and others). We covered a wide range of topics including literature, education, religion, travel, writing, death, philosophy, climate change, and likely others I cannot recall.

After a couple of hours sitting comfortably in the open courtyard of the hotel, our host, John, approached me with a phone call. It was Jim who told me that he had been diagnosed with diverticulitis  and peritonitis and that there has been some leakage into the peritinium causing inflammation and pain. No wonder Jim was uncomfortable!! More …. he needed to be admitted to a hospital in order to receive the appropriate and aggressive treatment required to get his condition under control. There are two hospitals on Rhodes, one a public hospital and the other a private hospital which specializes in treating international guests. Most of the staff at that hospital speak English. Again a call to our insurance carrier who have had great success in working with EuroMedica, the private hospital. Once again our host offered transportation so he and I picked Jim up at the clinic and travelled by car to the hospital. The hospital has been informed that Jim was coming and he was seen and admitted immediately. Once settled in his room, intravenous antibiotics were attached to his arm and the drip was begun.

I visited with him for a short while to ensure that he had everything he needed. We got his computer working and called our children and his mother. I had quickly packed a suitcase with toiletries, reading material, a housecoat and some clean clothes. By this time, Jim was quite tired and simply wanted to sleep. It was time to leave and once more we prevailed upon our host who came back to the hospital to pick me up.

John dropped me off at the D’Amboise Gate to the inner city and I walked across the moat, through the town walls, along the castle wall and into the main commercial area. I stopped for dinner at Mama Sofia’s, a restaurant recommended by John. I had a lovely Greek stew, some pita and even indulged in a nice glass of white wine. By then, it was quite dark and the streets of the town looked different than in the daylight. I remembered that I had to walk past the castle clock tower and turn right at the mosque turret. Then I got confused because the alleys were so narrow and dark and longer than I recalled. I asked a man who looked like a resident and indeed, he knew where the hotel was. I was on the right path after all. I had just not gone far enough.  It was a relief to finally arrive home.

So, Jim has given me an assignment tomorrow. I will not be going to the hospital unless he needs me for some reason. I am to go on the Hop On Hop Off Bus and take photos of Rhodes. At this point we do not know what our future plans look like and Jim wants me to at least see the immediate area even though he is out of commission. So I shall do just that. We are currently in Rhodes until Thursday when we have planned to travel by ferry to Santorini. Time will tell what lies ahead. Jim’s health supercedes all plans and we are demonstrating that we are good to go with Plan B when necessary.

Monday, October 23, 2017

I am happy to report that Jim is feeling much better today. His tender tummy is not hurting as much and his headache has diminished. The doctor reports that his blood tests reflect a significant improvement indicating the infection has decreased. And that he will not likely need surgery. Surgery??? We did not know that was in the cards at all.  So, this is all very good news. I did not go to visit Jim today because the hospital is a very long distance from our hotel. Our hotel host, John, has said that he will take me again tomorrow. What a terrific support he has been through this journey.

I spent some time in our room today before heading out to explore Rhodes Old Town within the walls. (I decided not to go on the Hop on Hop Off Bus today based on the negative reviews I read on Trip Advisor.)  Old Town is a delightful place with lots of alleyways and twisting and turning streets to meander along. I can see why they say that getting lost in the walled Rhodes is commonplace. No worries at all. Someone will help you.

I stuck to the main streets today and poked around in a few of the shops. I limited myself to purchases that could fit in my purse so that decreased the range of options, especially because my modest-sized purse already had a large camera and my book in it. I did make on purchase for our grandchildren (of course) and that small parcel did fit into my purse.

At various points during the afternoon, I paused at a café or simply at a park bench to read my book. It was such a pleasant day. The sun shone brightly and the temperature was perfect. The few clouds that were evident this morning cleared away as the day progresses. There is a prediction for rain tomorrow, though. Time will tell.

Having had a late breakfast, I skipped lunch and stopped at Mama Sofia’s again late this afternoon for a snack. The owner of the restaurant greeted me as if I were a member of the family. It was quite charming. I ordered baked mushrooms and a glass of wine. The server asked if I would like some bread as well and I declined. When the mushrooms arrived, I realized why he had offered the bread … the mushrooms were swimming in a thick tantalizing sauce. I waved at the server and asked him to bring me some bread. He smiled at me and said, “I told you so!” We both laughed. I enjoyed the mushrooms and soaked up every drop of the sauce with my bread.

I sat for a long time and sipped my wine and read my book. It is titled ‘It’s All Greek to Me’, written by a travel writer, based on his true story of purchasing a ramshackle place on a Greek island, refurbishing it and moving his entire family to live there. It is very well written, indeed hilarious at times. Perhaps being in Greece while reading it helps me to visualize the situations he describes in each chapter. I purchased the book at the Athens airport and paid an arm and a leg for it. Two books cost about 30 Euros, equivalent to almost $40.00 Cdn. At least they are in English.

I stayed so long at Mama Sofia’s that dinner time had rolled around. So, I ordered a Greek salad and another glass of wine and enjoyed the transition from day into evening while I enjoyed the food in front of me. The restaurant became quite full and a broad range of languages surrounded me, everything from French and German to Chinese and Norwegian (I think). Greek was prevalent as well as English, the common language in the tourist business here.

It was dark when I left the restaurant but I felt much more confident about finding my way back to the hotel tonight. Perhaps I did not look as confident as I felt though. A shopkeeper along a narrow path I took asked me if I was lost. I thanked him for his offer of assistance and headed on my way. It did feel good to be back in our room and settle in for the evening.

It has been a fine opportunity to do some blog writing and photo organization. I am happy with what I accomplished. Now to relax.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

First, an update on Jim. He is feeling much better and the doctor is very pleased with the results of the blood tests. It seems he has turned the corner and is even being given some solid food to eat today. If his body cooperates, he may be released from the hospital tomorrow. Yes!!!

Today’s weather forecast predicted rain, thunderstorms in fact. I heard the rain during the night but I had no idea what I would actually see when I arose in the morning. The sky was black with storm clouds and torrential rain was falling from the sky. The wind was howling and drops of water were finding their way through any tiny portal, crevice or crack in the outer façade of the building. Water was streaming under the door into the corridor outside my room. Water was splashing in under the very solid windows that were designed to protect me from the elements. A river of water was flowing down the marble stairs that led to the main floor of the hotel. Water was cascading from the roof with the look of a full waterfall from above.

I phoned down to John, our host, and we quickly determined two things. First, as his primary transportation was an open golf cart (no cars within the walls) there would be no trip to the hospital today. And, if I wanted breakfast, it was set up inside his private area of the hotel, not the usual open air breakfast in the courtyard. “Perhaps, I should wait for a break in the downfall,” was his advice.

So, wait I did. At last there seemed to be a slight decrease in volume so I made my way gingerly down the marble steps, slippery to say the least, and joined John (host) and Jim (fellow guest) in the indoor dining area. Breakfast was European style, various breads, cold meat, cheese, hardboiled eggs, and cheese pie and spinach pie (Greek style). Fresh fruit and fresh squeezed orange juice was also available as well as great brewed coffee. With Irish Jim as a dining companion, there was no shortage of conversation. Topics varied but he always had a story to tell related to whatever we were discussing. He is a very bright man with a recall for detail and place names that I envy. He has travelled to many remote corners of the world and lived to tell of his many adventures. Spending time with him was inspiring and informative. Good thing, too. The rain began to fall again and it was more than an hour before I could reasonably exit the dining room and make my way through the courtyard and up the marble staircase.

When I arrived back in my room, I noticed a puddle forming on the floor beneath my window. I again called John and told him of the problem. He and the room cleaner came immediately to investigate. His solution was to close the exterior shutters so that no more rain would slash against the panels of glass. Perfect, except for two things. First. All natural light into the room was removed and the electric lighting was dim. No problem … and he brought a floor lamp to illuminate the table where I had my computer. The second problem, I only discovered after John and the room cleaner departed. I moved my suitcase which was adjacent to the table and, uh oh, the puddle of water was larger than it seemed. The bottom of my suitcase was soaked with water and the bottom layer of clothing was soaked as well.  Well. I certainly had time to empty my suitcase and set things out to dry. There was no chance I would be leaving the room in the near future.

The rain continued in this fashion for most of the day. Occasionally, there would be a short break, just enough to be tempted to go out into the world. But one look at the sky or one crack of thunder dissuaded one of any such idea. Fortunately, I had things to keep me occupied in the room. Each year, I create a digital photo book for each of our grandchildren. It sometimes drives them wild because I am the grandma with the camera, constantly taking photos of whatever they are doing. When they grimace, I tell them that the photos are for their books so whatever face they put forward is the face that will be preserved forever, Usually that brings a smile or at least a neutral countenance. And they do love and look forward to these books each Christmas.

So, I set to work preparing the books, selecting from the hundreds of photos I have, the best ones for the books this year. Uploading to the website takes time, as does planning the format which will best illustrate the highlights of the year. On this rainy, rainy day, I managed to get two books completed. I felt good about my accomplishment.

As evening approached, I surveyed the food that was available in my room – a sesame seed bar, a nougat bar, two pears and an apple, some pistachios – not enough to make a meal, and certainly not a palatable one. So it was time to run the gauntlet. In truth, the barrage of rain had diminished and there had been no thunder for a while. There was a restaurant about 300 metres from our hotel, Rustico by name. So I struck out with that as a destination and I was not disappointed. I looked over the extensive menu and asked the server what he thought was the best item therein. He suggested a chicken dish (I cannot recall the Greek name). I took him at his word and soon the most exquisite and delicious meal appeared before me. It was a baked stew served in an earthenware dish and topped with crispy filo pastry. It was absolutely superb, melt in your mouth joy!! Of course, I had a glass of wine to accompany it.

While I was eating an older gentleman approached me to ensure that I was enjoying my meal. (You mean my slurping sounds did not give me away?) He struck up a conversation and eventually invited himself to sit with me at the table. No, it not what you are thinking. This man simply wanted to talk about the way of the world, the problem of politics, overpopulation, the laziness of youth, the danger of technology, the challenge of religion. Oh, dear. His arrival certainly changed the tone of pure pleasure at my table. Of course, he had solutions for each of these problems and would have been happy to regale me with them throughout the entire evening. I listened patiently for a while and then carefully chose my words to dismiss him. “Thanks for joining me. It has been a pleasure to chat.” And I extended my hand to shake his and say good night. Happily, I did not have to share the kiss on the cheeks that often accompanies a farewell. He got up and walked away. He spoke to a server on his way and, very soon, a lovely sponge cake with honey dessert arrived at the table ‘courtesy of the gentleman’. It was a lovely way to finish the meal. I proceeded back to the hotel for the remainder of the evening.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Wednesday morning began with very good news. Jim was sprung free from the hospital, effective immediately. Our ever gracious host, John, fired up his golf cart and right after breakfast, we were on the road to pick up Jim.

My idea was that we would return to our hotel and Jim would continue to recuperate for the day. Of course, that was not Jim’s idea at all. Instead, he asked John to drop us off at a café along the shore which was the starting point for the “little red train” which provided a one hour tour of the city of Rhodes, outside the walls. And so, we were off. Jim was determined to take advantage of the only day he had in Rhodes. The little red train actually provided a very good overview of what Rhodes had to offer – modern facilities including the university, the stadium and the new market; ancient ruins including the Acropolis, the Stadium and Nymphs’ houses; residential areas with laundry hanging and cars being repaired; business districts with retail, restaurants and offices; parks and beaches; and, of course the cruise port where there were five ships tied up. No wonder the train was filled with people!

After one hour, we arrived back at the café where we had started. And along came the Hop On, Hop Off bus which followed a slightly different route. So, we hopped on and saw even more of the city of Rhodes. We chose not to hop off as we had not planned to see anything specific outside the walls of old Rhodes. But it was interesting to travel along the tree-lined streets (the Italian influence says John) and the many beaches and resort hotels. It was surprising to us to see many bathers on the beach and several actually in the water. Along the the northeast coast of the city, not so far away, was the coastline of Turkey. As far as we could determine it was that very coastline along which we had travelled five years ago when we did a road trip in Turkey. Apparently, it is not uncommon for Turkish and Greek visitors to spend weekends in the other country.

Once back at the café again, we decided to stop for a snack and a coffee. Seated at a table under a large shade tree was a perfect setting to watch the world go by. Until … the sky clouded over and big drops of rain began to fall. We were quickly whisked into a plastic enclosed shelter and we selected a corner table with a comfortable couch. That lasted only a brief time as the rain intensified and water was pouring in along the seams of the plastic. We laughed as we moved again as we had already changed tables outside as well to avoid nearby smokers. How unaccustomed we are at home to have smoking in public areas. Now at our fourth table, we settled in to enjoy our snacks and coffee. We did not know that we would be there for such a long time. The sky opened, the thunder roared and the rain pelted down … and down … and down. There was even hail for a period of time.  We were grateful that we were no longer on the little red train or the hop on hop off bus.

When the rain diminished enough for us to venture back outside, we decided to go our separate ways for a while. Jim was energized by his new found freedom and I was, frankly, very tired from lack of sleep and simple relief that all was well again. I took a taxi back to the hotel while Jim struck out to explore some of the walled city. He entered by a different gate and saw parts of the old town that I have not explored – the Archeological Museum, the Avenue of the Knights, the Grand Master’s Palace and several alleys and passageways between the Eleftherias Gate and our hotel.

(The italics reflects Jim’s impressions of the places he visited with the walls of Rhodes.)

Before coming, I had read that Rhodes is the most impressive and largest continuously inhabited medieval town in Europe, currently with over 6,000 inhabitants. I understand that there at least a couple of dozen medieval towns/cities in Europe, and neither Donna nor I consider ourselves Europe experts, but I have to agree, Rhodes is certainly very impressive. Its surrounding and still intact castle, bastions, towers and battlements including a deep dry were never successfully breached using arms.

For over 200 years (until 1522. when they were evicted by an Ottoman siege) the Knights of St. John, also called the Knights Hospitaller, had a hospital here to assist people on pilgrimages to the Holy Land.  I was quite excited when I heard that the hospital building still exists, and is currently used as an archeological museum.

The building is enormous; the Hospital Ward upstairs is huge.  Its dimensions are almost exactly half the width and length of an American football field (51mX12.5m), and had a capacity of 100 patients. Also on this floor were private rooms with a fireplace and a window for noble patients.

I read that any sick person who asked would be admitted to the Hospital; they had to “say confession, take Holy Communion and make their Will in the presence of the chaplain and a scribe. They had to follow the doctor’s instructions, diet, be silent, refrain from playing cards, dice, read only Christian books”. They had their individual bed with clean white sheets and a red cloth blanket surrounded by a curtain and food was served on a silver platter. Near each bed there was a small balcony with a privy. Twice each day, doctors would come to look after the sick, each of whom were given a servant.

My stay in hospital in Rhodes had the doctor coming twice each day, and staff who collectively served me. How similar in some ways (no silver platters or red blankets) to how things ran back then!

It is amazing to me that people still argue about providing free health care, when this was happening 600 years ago.

Because the hospital has been repurposed as an Archeological Museum, it has thousands of exhibits, including stacks of cannonballs made from rock of various colours.

I sought out a few other items of particular interest: two were on display that day. One was the famous sculpture known as Aphrodite of Rhodes, created over 2000 years ago. I gather that unlike many other similar Greco-Roman sculptures often called Crouching Venus, where the goddess appears to have been surprised while bathing and is attempting to cover herself, in this one and a small number of others labelled Aphrodite, she just looks up.

I also saw what I believe were some very elaborate and colourful mosaic floor tiles from the 5^th or 6^th century.

I then headed up the Street of the Knights.  The Knights of St. John were divided on an ethno-linguistic basis into Langues, including Auvergne, France, Provence, Aragon (Spain), Italy, Germany, and England. Each langue had an auberge or inn on the impressive straight street which led uphill from the hospital to the Grand Master’s Palace. Most now serve museum functions, but still have coats-of-arms above the doorways and other stylistic differences from each other. The only one open to the public regularly is the one for the Langue of France, which is now a Consulate of France. I went inside and could tell the auberges were much larger than they appeared from the outside and had a large garden as well. 

I was amused by a plaque the French consulate displayed stating that although the Knights had three langues associated with the area of modern France, the northern France langue was always acknowledged as the pre-eminent one over Auvergne and Provence.

I continued up the street almost getting run over by cars several times; despite the town being predominantly pedestrian; anyone who resides in the town can own and drive a car inside the walls.

At the top is the gorgeous Grand Master’s Palace, a medieval castle, containing some of the few examples of Gothic architecture in Greece. The Palace was the headquarters of the Knights’ organization and had the best defenses inside the walled town.  The interior was destroyed by an explosion some centuries ago; the current one was built by the Italians early last century which did not interest me at all, and the supposedly good exhibit on ancient Rhodes was closed for the season, so I stayed outside. I would have liked to walk on the walls, but that is only available mornings until early afternoon, and we were leaving early the next morning.

The Palace is quite near our hotel, so I headed there so see Donna and discuss arrangements for dinner. 

The rain continued, more gently than earlier, but nonetheless very wet. We delayed going for dinner as long as we could and then set out to eat at Rustico, the closest restaurant to our hotel. Also, the restaurant where I had had the amazing chicken dish. How disappointed we were to find it had closed early tonight, probably due to the lack of traffic in this low tourist season, especially on a rainy evening.

So we continued on our way and soon came upon Mama Sofia’s. We were welcomed with open arms. I have been there for two dinners as well as coffees, wines and snacks over the past few days, always by myself. I had told the story of Jim and they always inquired about his health. Tonight, they met him for the first time and treated us with great care and affection. Jim ordered a very positively reviewed shellfish soup and I had their baked mushrooms and bread again. We shared our meals and were both very happy with the results. The complimentary dessert that arrived was icing on the cake, so to speak. But more than that, the warmth and friendliness of the staff was wonderful. It is hard to believe that over this short period of time such a relationship could have developed. We were all very sorry when I told them that we were leaving on a ferry early tomorrow morning, that it was our last night on Rhodes.

Stepping over puddles, we made our way back to Zacosta for the last time. Packing and organizing took some time but finally we really were ready to go. Our alarm was set for 5:50 am and we were leaving the hotel at 6:15. Of course, John, our host was providing the transportation, the golf cart at the ready.

This has been an unusual time in our travelling life. Both Jim and I have been challenged by his illness and the uncertainty of what was to come. Fortunately, there is a ‘happily ever after’ and we are able to continue our 2017 adventure. How happy we are!!