Me and the bag set off on Friday, 11th March and returned on Monday, 21st after spending 9 days in the (mostly) sunny weather. The days were spent sitting by the sea, climbing mountains (okay, that's a slight exaggeration - it was a very large hill that felt like a mountain), browsing in the few shops that have opened pre-season, visiting a few local attractions and just simply relaxing for the time I was there.
My sister had no idea that I was arriving. When I reached Rhodes airport on the Friday evening I telephoned M, her partner, and he came to get me without telling her where he was going.
He went into their apartment ahead of me and spun her a tale about having a customer in the taxi who needed somewhere to stay for the night. (I was hiding outside whilst all this went on)
Sarah point-blank refused to have some strange 'bloke' in the apartment whilst M returned to work.
In the end she agreed that he could come inside to eat before M took him elsewhere.
I then came inside the apartment and initially she didn't register it was me, but after a second look she just stood there saying 'Oh my God! I don't believe it! How are you here!' then burst into tears....happy tears I hasten to add :-)
I reminded her that I'd told her previously that one day I'd just turn up at the airport and call a taxi to get to her. Now she knows that I wasn't joking.
We spent the week relaxing, catching up, going for coffee by the sea & in town, visited the house that Hitler lived in for a while during WWII, went to Kallithea Springs, Rhodes Old Town...some pictures below.
It's very early yet for great weather in Rhodes, and the week before I arrived they'd had lots of rain and grey clouds. I wasn't expecting sun at all but that is exactly what we did get...sun, sun and more sun. It wasn't high temperatures (between around 19c/21c) but every day, apart from one, was a clear blue sky with just a scattering of fluffy clouds.
So, I took the sun to Rhodes with me and then I brought it back with me. Yesterday and today have been lovely here in London - I was outside with Dizzie cat earlier in a T-Shirt ....two weeks ago I was in heavy winter jacket and gloves here - and that was just to put the rubbish out LOL!
This is the view that Sarah wakes up to each morning......
Here is the chapel where Sarah regularly lights candles for many of you...
These next two were taken inside the chapel....
Two sisters enjoying the spring sunshine & relaxing with a coffee in one of the numerous great coffee shops in Rhodes........
How blue is that sea!................
We went up the mountain to see the house that Hitler lived in during parts of WWII.
On the way we visited a very old Chapel and outside there is a tree that is apparently 'thousands of years old'. The inside is completely hollow so obviously we couldn't resist taking the 'tourist shot'
This was the very pretty 16th Century Chapel - there were bee's nesting inside, the sound of their buzzing was really amplified once you entered.....
This was the very pretty 16th Century Chapel - there were bee's nesting inside, the sound of their buzzing was really amplified once you entered.....
This is the remains of the house that Hitler had built for him...it's been left to rot on purpose
Halfway up the mountain
Old Town Rhodes, inside the Castle walls......
There are LOADS of stray ferral cats in Rhodes. This one has adopted Sarah and unlike the vast majority of cats there, he is confident about being around people. Sarah now feeds him daily and has named him Spanos.
The next few pictures are just random scenery shots...I want people to know that there is so much more to Rhodes than just the Faliraki nightlife and the beach...
That's it for now....I'll do a separate post about travelling with the bag & other stuff at some point.
