Dodecanese Days - part 2

Wherever you go on Symi, wear your swimmers.  Symi is surrounded by endless turquoise blue waters and each dip we take cools us in the summer heat. On our motorbike riding, we found many beautiful clear bays, and spent time at Panomitis, Marathounda and Pedi.

Our favourite tavernas were Taverna To Spitiko on one side of the harbour, and Odyssia around the other side.  The delicious Symi shrimp is a speciality at both tavernas; the dolmades at To Spitako were the best ever, and everything we ordered at Odyssia had us swooning.  I want to record some of our favourite tavernas at each location so we remember for any return visits!

Byzantine paintings line the Monastery of Panormitis.

Pilgrims bow, genuflect, kiss and stroke the silver fresco of
the Archangel Michael.  They also bring small straw brooms
and sweep the alter at his feet.

Steps lead from the harbour's alleys up through the village
past the beautiful coloured mansions that used to be
the homes of sea captains and merchants.

Rather than a 4 hour hike over the mountain to this beautiful bay,
 we took a 15 min trip in a water taxi.  It dropped us at beautiful
Santa Marina, and picked us up at the end of the day.
Eight euros well spent!

We really didn't want to leave Symi, but I know we will return one day.  The only consolation is to see that stunning view again from the deck of the ferry and it pulls away from Yialos harbour.

We shouldn't really have been sad, we were heading back to Rhodes and this time to the beautiful white town of Lindos, and it's 2,600 year history.

We collected our hire car from Rhodes harbour and headed south along the coast road.  It's easy to see Lindos in the distance with its clifftop acropolis and blanket of white cube buildings nestling around its base.  We park the car in the public carpark just off the main road, and walk down, down, down to the town square where Stavros is waiting to show us to our white stone studio, attached to his villa.

As he leads us we can see that Lindos is a labyrinth of pebbled lanes leading up, leading down.  Our studio is again in a quiet end of the town overlooking the beach below, and the little white church of Saint George Pachymachiotis.

Lindian home

The bell tower of the Panagia church and the crenellated
wall of the Acropolis, beautifully lit at night.

 Early one morning we packed breakfast and set out to hike up to the Acropolis.  The steep ascent is apparently the very same path used in times of antiquity, two thousand years ago.  We take it slowly and stop to look back at the view behind us.  We arrive just as the gates open for the day, pay our 12 euros, and ascend the magnificent stone staircase.  At the base of the stairs is a rock carving of the stern of a Rhodian war ship, dated 2nd century BC.  We pass the stoa, then up more stairs to the propylaea.  On the peak of the rocky top of the acropolis is the Temple of Athena Lindia.  It is jaw-dropping enough, but the panoramic view from every side of the Acropolis walls is astounding.  On one side the labyrinth of Lindos is just waking up, and on the other the blue blue Aegean is sparkling in the morning sun.

Again, setting out early in the morning pays off.  As we wander around the Acropolis we see probably only 4 or 5 other visitors.  It's the best tip for seeing most of Greece's attractions.  Go early, leave as the masses are arriving.

Appropriately, we stop under the remains of the Byzantine church of St Paul and eat our breakfast apricots.

4th Century Doric Temple of Athena Lindia 

Breakfast stop.  Guess who, at the ruins of the Byzantine
church of St Paul on the Acropolis of Lindos

The 20 columns of the Hellenistic stoa and the steep steps
leading to the Propylaea were built in the 3rd century BC.

Looking down on the labyrinth of Lindos in the shadow of the acropolis walls

As we leave and begin our descent from the Acropolis there
is a long, snaking queue to enter the gates.  Hundreds are
arriving and many have taken the donkey ride option up the
ancient path.

A wedding at the church on St Paul's heart-shaped bay.

Searching for Greek ancestors on the island of Rhodes.

We couldn't resist a re-visit to Anthony Quinn Bay.

It's just so beautiful.

A pink dawn from our studio overlooking the Bay of Lindos
and the little white 14th century chapel.

Lindian house with typical hohlaki pebble floor entrance.

Atop the Acropolis of Lindos

A morning coffee stop on the way down from the Acropolis.

Beautiful Lindos

Our favourite restaurant in Lindos is Gatto Bianco.  It's actually an Italian restaurant that a local told us about.  It has two dining areas; a rooftop terrace where we ate looking both up at the dazzling Acropolis, and over the ancient amphitheatre; and downstairs in their beautiful and romantic candle lit courtyard.  We chose the rooftop one night and the courtyard the next!  We also loved the Captain's House Bar, tucked away in one of the lanes, it is an original captain's house, built in the 1700s with Byzantine and Moorish features and a gorgeous pebble courtyard where we'd sit and enjoy cool drinks before dinner - it's well worth a visit.  The owners will happily tell you the history of the house and the carved stone features built by Arabic builders from Africa.  Also the Rainbird Cafe just a few steps from our studio has gorgeous views down over the beaches (and great coffee and fresh orange or lemon cake daily).

Fun Fact:  Lindos is a pedestrian town, the donkey is called the Lindos taxi.  Walking around Lindos you can hear shouts of 'taxi, madame?", 'taxi, sir?". Careful where you walk though! Never far away are sweepers scooping up donkey poop.

Fun Fact 2:  Why it's named Anthony Quinn Bay