Today’s activities

We woke and ate a plate of fruit and headed out the wooden archway early so Doug, Colin and Liam could watch the village wake up as I had done on my walk yesterday. We arrived at the Acropolis at 8 am as it opened to be the first visitors of the day. We climbed all the way to the top to watch the sun spread across the village below from the edge of the 4th century BC Temple to Lindian Athena. We have decided to bring tracing paper on our next visit to ruins to trace some of the writing and try to decipher the ancient Greek with our research books.

The boys would spend every daylight minute at the beach if possible. They are just like their Reed grandparents in their obsession and love of the beach! I took both boys on a kayaking tour of the bay. Colin and I found a sheep that must have fallen over the cliff and wedged into a crevice just above the water. Colin said it must have happened recently because it wasn’t bones. I agreed. Liam and I explored the other half of the bay. We found some caves and paddled right into several of them. We freaked ourselves out as one pinched down to not much wider than our kayak. We were admiring all the vivid pink and red algae in the water and searching for crabs when all of a sudden things were flying over our heads. At first we thought they were bats heading out at sunset, but we had just disturbed some roosting birds that looked similar to pigeons. Kayaking is so safe with the boys without waves. The water is clear and calm. I am suspicious on how clean the water close into the village is, but everyone swims so we do too. I prefer less populated beaches away from development. We spend most of our swimming time at the smaller bay on the other side of the village and the peninsula.

Doug took some pictures of the tiled floors in our apartment and courtyard. Most of the traditional houses have the same Choklákia pebble mosaic floors with beautiful geometric patterns and sometimes floral designs. Homes, buildings and courtyards all over Lindos have this mosaic pebbling. I read that they help keep the homes cool in the summer heat when kept wet. Sand also sinks right between the pebbles so the floors are not sandy and can just be hosed down for cleaning. Unfortunately they are as comfortable as walking across a pebbly beach or river bottom. The boys go barefoot, but Doug and I wear shoes.

Lots of love, Carolyn