The Greek Adventure Begins

Monday, 8 October

We have been busy and distracted and a bit sick the last few days so we haven’t had time for updates. Also, our Internet connections have not been as convenient or as reliable.

Today we had our first full day in Lindos, Greece – on the island of Rhodes. Lindos is a touristy village, much more touristy than we like, especially after Turkey. I realize places with too many people exhaust me or it might be my cold. Lindos is a classic Greek village of white washed buildings cascading down the hillside to a clear blue bay. At the top of the hill above the village sits the acropolis, which we still need to explore. Our little apartment is our much-needed escape from the busy outside world. We enter through big wooden doors under an archway into our own secret courtyard. The courtyard and apartment hang on the village’s edge right above the beach and bay. The air is literally perfumed with the jasmine and honeysuckle trellis that shades half the courtyard. A lemon tree bursting with green fruit covers the other half. We watched the sailboats and tour boats come in and out of the bay sipping tea and coffee in the morning from our terrace.

Tuesday, 9 October –

Either the magic of this little village is starting to work on me or I’m feeling better. Yesterday I felt overwhelmed by the tourists and traveling. Today I woke up with new energy. Even last night after the day-trippers headed out of the village and we wandered through the crazy little, white washed alleys to find a small restaurant for dinner I started to relax. The alleys were empty. As we walked through them we caught glimpses into Lindians’ private worlds. Each house seems to have a secret world of courtyards, rooms and gardens behind wooden doors; sometimes just slightly ajar so we could be peek in. Resisting the urge to peek in was impossible within this village of hidden spaces and white walled canyons. The light was so soft. The evening air blew in cool from the ocean. Inviting smells of fish and jasmine mingled. Occasional wafts of less pleasant odors also spilled into the alley. Dishware and pots clattered and glasses tinkled. Pieces of conversations drifted over the walls but we couldn’t understand any of the words. Old women sat in doorways chatting to one another. In a small square rowdy boys played football (US soccer) as moms held babies in small groups on the fringes.

This morning the boys spent breakfast collecting a huge basket of jasmine blossoms off the courtyard floor. All but one of the rooms in the apartment opens onto the courtyard. Strangely the toilet is on the one end of the courtyard in a little room, like an outhouse but with plumbing. There is another room with sink and shower at the other end of courtyard down a flight of stairs under the living room. A quirky set up but comfortable. The only drawback is that the apartment backs up to a bar that closes at 1am. We are serenaded to bed with rockin’ dance music until we put in our earplugs! The surprises that I don’t even think to ask about when selecting a place to stay. I will try to always remember to ask who our neighbors will be when I am considering a place in the future. Last February we rented a house in Mexico for a week between two bars! That’s my traveling advice for the day.

Today we spent almost the entire day at the beach. The beaches are small and more civilized than we are used to in the U.S., specifically our favorite beaches in Carpinteria near Santa Barbara. Chaise lounges and umbrellas line the tourist beaches and you are charged 4 euros per chaise. The water is so clear and warm. The water was even warm enough to lure Doug in multiple times. The boys spent hours this morning trying to catch fish. We even purchased a net, masks and snorkels. We didn’t catch any fish, but I did catch some sort of sea worm or eel off the bottom. It was a strange creature that I had never seen.

We ate a late lunch at a creperie that the boys had been eyeing the last few days. Liam and Colin have become the most adventurous eaters on this trip. They have tried everything they’ve encountered and ordered lots of novel foods just to experiment and I would say they have been happily surprised almost every time. Liam is a more adventurous eater than his mom. He always wants a little from everyone’s plates. Liam and Colin also seem to be out eating Doug and me pound for pound.

Because we had a late lunch we decided to have a picnic in our courtyard for dinner and watch the sunset over the bay. The schedule that seems to work best for us is a big breakfast/brunch, a late afternoon meal and a smaller, or picnic-style dinner. Too many restaurant meals definitely gets tiring. Greeks and Turks eat dinner late and Liam and Colin are usually exhausted by our busy days. Then when we do eat out for a big meal we try to find somewhere special and interesting.