One night in June 1400AD the grand master Jean Bonpar de Lastic arrived in Lindos with his wife, ostensibly to check the progress of maintenance work on the castle. But what he was more concerned about was protecting the island of Kastelorizo from the Egyptian fleet, and he was here to recruit!
On the evening of Sunday, 17 June 2012, the people of Lindos celebrated the knight's visit with street performances, live music, and free wine and ouzo. Most of the townsfolk seemed to be in costume, and a great time was had by all.
Today would be our last day with the rented car. After breakfast at the Stella Hotel we looked at the road map and spotted Asklipio to the west of Pefkos. Our route would take us south along the coastal road with which we were now familiar and then at Kiotari we'd turn inland to the north west.
First we bought fresh bread, olives, sausage, cheese, and tomatoes for a picnic lunch, and loaded the car with bottled water and other essentials such as our straw hats, cameras and spare batteries.
Asklipio
The drive to Asklipio was a joy, and we were grateful for the car's air conditioning. By the time we reached Asklipio the temperature had soared to the mid 30s Celsius. We explored the village and then returned to the car for the uphill drive towards the medieval castle. Just walking up to the castle from the car park, loaded with our picnic and cameras, was exhausting in the prickling heat, but the views are spectacular and the medieval castle is well worth the effort. Lunch was in the shade of the castle's fortifications.
In the morning we take the local bus from Pefkos to Rhodes (€5.50 single). Plenty of seats, but not for long. On its circuitous route this coach is picking up many more people than are getting off. It seems that almost everyone's going to Rhodes today. When we think that there's no way the driver could admit any more standing passengers, we stop again to squeeze even more folk in. We're glad that the coach has air-conditioning.
An hour and a quarter after setting off we disembark opposite a park. The walls and towers of the "Old Town" are just beyond.
The Medieval City of Rhodes
This fortress town was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1988. Its surrounding wall is 4km long and dates from the time of the rule of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem.
I borrowed these photos from Genie, although she still owns the copyright, of course.
The video I made myself. Rhodes – Medieval City was edited with mainly the architecture in mind. Shortly I will be uploading a follow-up movie showing more of the street life. Cheers!
You need to be reasonably fit and steady on your feet to walk up to the acropolis at Lindos. We took a break at every available shaded spot on the way to rehydrate and recuperate. Of course you can get quite far on one of the donkeys – the local taxi service – but do bare in mind that you will be dropped off at the bottom of a steep flight of steps, and there will be more steps to follow.
The views from the path are magnificent. However, there are places where there's nothing between you and an awful long drop except for maybe a bit more path, so you'll enjoy these particular views a lot more if you don't share my fear of heights. Illogical, I know, it's the falling and hitting the rocks below that I should be wary of, but in these situations I stick to the inside of the path to allow braver souls to pass by on the outside.
The Acropolis
The acropolis is well worth the climb. There are not only remains from ancient Greece (including the Doric temple dedicated to Athena Lindia), but also from Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman occupations. The Knights of St John also made their mark, the acropolis having been an important stronghold in medieval times. The building work continues today as various structures are renovated.
I made this short film, a video tour of Lindos acropolis, and the photos above were taken by Genie.
