This was the first taste of Greece and also our proper holiday abroad in a couple of years. After talking about Greece for the last few years abd doing some research, the decision was made and we booked a trip to Rhodes.
The plan was to go somewhere hot with good food and kitesurfing. The glamour of air travel is long gone. Airports are grim places on the whole, and the service miserable. It is just something you need to endure. We made it to our hotel eventually with all our luggage in the early hours of the morning.
Waking up late, having missed breakfast, we headed to the pool bar for brunch and caffeine. After that it was time to get our bearings. We wandered towards the beach and walked along the coast past various kantinas, eyeing up the spots. Feeling the sun on my skin was energising. At a quiet beach we stopped for a swim. Sunbathing afterwards the breeze picked up a bit. Perfect for an afternoon foil session. On the way back we stopped for a beer, looking out to sea, watching other kitesurfers. This pretty much set a framework for most afternoons.
Exploring our surroundings on foot we quickly figured we had all we needed to survive a week. We settled into a pattern of exploring, nearby areas, swimming, lunching and sipping cold beers.
We ventured to Rhodes old town once. Like many a tourist hot spot, it was heaving, with vendors tailoring their offering to the tourists so much that it pretty much loses its charm. As is often the case when walking uphill is involved, the crowds thinned quickly as we wandered the further up the hill and down some side streets. We found a quiet taverna in a shady courtyard and stopped for a drink and some nibbles. It was quite nice at this point, but you cant just stay put. As we descended back down the hill to the crowds we decided to move on and get a taxi back to the hotel. The wind had kicked in.
Evenings were spent wandering and checking out various restaurants. There was not a whole lot nearby, but we didnt have a bad meal. It was a quiet area, away from the madness further along the coastline.
It was quite pleasant how the wind was often mellower in the morning making it a bit nicer chilling on the beach, swimming and not worrying about things blowing away. The sea was also much calmer without the wind swell. There is only so much sandblasting you can take.
All in all we had a week in the sun, kiting every day bar one, eating my body weight in calamari, and getting a bit too used to lunchtime beers.
