Fri 08.Jan.2010
Rhodes Town, Greece
It took me weeks to notice that my shared kitchen actually has a
skylight.
Nice boy, but sharp as a pound o' wet leather.
- F. Leghorn
That yellow and brown striped dingus is
a public trash bin. They mostly look like that, especially along the
main tourist boulevards.
Storm clouds over the harbor. Batten down the belfries, kids.
I've been short-changing all of the ruins, ancient and otherwise, that
litter the old city. Here are the remains of the early Christian
Basilica of St Michael. Now you know as much about its history as I do.
"Ancient" is an interesting word here. It is questionable whether Roman
counts as ancient. Perhaps early Roman, but certainly not after the
division into eastern and western regions. Roman-era stuff is usually
described as Byzantine.
Though civilization on the island goes back to neolithic times, Rhodes
Town was only founded in 304 BC (it sez here in Wikipedia), when four
much older city-states united to form a single island. They chose the
windswept northern tip of the island for their new capital because none
of them were using it
for anything else.
Reflections in the polished metal sign of an
excellent pharmacy just north of the old town. Operated by a mother and
daughter, both of whose english is excellent; I've never had trouble
communicating what I need. If they don't have it, they'll find it
for you. When I left my artificial ice blocks behind in Athens (dumb move!),
the good Mrs. Fanouraki provided replacements for me - in time to keep my
insulin from getting warm and discorporating. Even as I type, she
has calcium citrate on order for me. And, as an added bonus, no few of
the photos I've posted the past couple of weeks, were taken on the walk
to or from Farmakeio Fanouraki.
The St Paul Gate. (But there is no Minneapolis Gate. These guys were crusaders; they played favorites.)
Jeez, there are said to be eleven gates to the old city, and I
can think of the names of at least five of them right off the top of my
head. And I haven't even been trying to learn their names.
Will there be a quiz at the end of my stay here?
Yannis'
Taverna
On the edge of the heavy tourist trap and microwave district, the treasure of real food.
Don't miss his homemade soup - worth a journey,
as the Baedecker guides used to say.
If you fail to order it, he has been known to provide it anyway on the house. At least to repeat
customers in winter.
That is my regular "Supermarket" at the end of the block, with the
christmas lights still over the awning. Between there and Yannis', Domus Rodos hotel was my home away
from home the first part of last November. All nice people. A perk of off-season
travel is that the people you buy from have time to get acquainted with
you and vice-versa.
Awwright, I am in a rut with the beautiful white minaret of Ibrahim
Pasha's mosque. I think this is at least an angle I haven't shown it
from before.
One of the Flora photos that I culled for lack
of actual flowers. But I like it as a picture; I don't often make an
empty space my subject.
Contents Copyright 2012 Jeff Bulf