Greece. A short trip around the island of Rhodes or how the children and I were looking for knights))
The key word in my story is children. Our daughter (5 years old) and son (almost 4 years old) traveled with us. Each child individually is simply wonderful - almost obedient, knowing the rules of behavior, with pleasure teaching others, especially adults, but together they are a gang, almost uncontrollable.
So, we had a wonderful trip to the island of Rhodes to the hotel Mitsis Rhodes Maris. For those who are interested, the review is here -r154746.html
When we bought the tour, at the family council we discussed the possibility of leaving the hotel in a rented car. The difficulty was not a trip by car, because for us this is not a problem at all (several times a year we travel along the Moscow-Saransk route and back, and this is about 700 km one way), but how not to torture the children during the inspection some historical ruins. My husband categorically refused to go alone (we practiced this, although he went on organized excursions, and I stayed with the children at the hotel), I didn’t insist much, because I really wanted to see the island myself)))
I left planning the route closer to the departure. But already on the plane I realized that I hadn’t done it. I don’t know anything about the island, I read a little about it when I compared Rhodes and Crete, well, there is the length and width, the climate, a little bit about the sights. Okay, let's figure it out on the spot...
The car was rented at the Marathon, but not at the hotel, but a 2-minute walk from it. There for 10 euros, but cheaper. They took a Nissan Micra automatic for 40 euros. Good machine! Very playful, and even some especially large members of our family are quite comfortable in it without providing any inconvenience to the children sitting behind. The end of the season, there were fewer customers, they offered to pay for 2 days, and use it for 3. But we did not risk it, not knowing how the baby would behave. Child seats free of charge. They gave out a booklet with a description of the most popular places, which turned out to be handy due to my lack of preparation, and a map of the island with the designation of attractions, beaches, distance marks, which turned out to be convenient, because. smartphones with navigators tend to be discharged at the most inopportune moment)))
In the morning, in order to set the children on the right wavelength, she said that today we are going on a trip, but not just a trip, but we will inspect the castles and look for knights there. They liked the idea, but there were conditions: the son had to return to dinner and sleep in his bed, the daughter had not to miss the mini disco.
Our hotel is located in the village of Kiotari, this is the southern part of the island, it is considered a wilderness. The nearest city to us is Lindos, we decided to start with it, and that - according to the situation. The road is good, you can go fast, but we were not in a hurry, because. stared around and observed the speed limit. The locals don't seem to pay much attention to signs and markings. We didn't even ask what their fines were. It should be noted that the police never met. At first, we were misled by a flashing yellow shortly before a traffic light, then we got used to it.
We got to Lindos. Around the parking lot, the views are not the most beautiful, but interesting in their own way.
View of the Acropolis from the parking lot
To get to the Acropolis, you need to climb on foot through the narrow streets of the town, or on a donkey. They are bundled together, 10 euros. The daughter categorically refused to sit on the donkey, she is generally a coward, and her son just jumped on him. Well, the second was saddled by dad, the donkey had a hard time))).
Tired donkeys
It was not possible to make a good shot, the traffic is very dense, and the streets are very narrow, and even “mined” by donkeys. A huge number of tourists, but what is done in the season?!
Having reached the top, we decided, after all, not to go to the Acropolis, but to climb the slope. On the opposite side of the mountain, there are very successful views of St. Paul's Bay in the form of a heart.
Saint Paul's Bay
Lindos from above
The descent into the city along a rather steep and narrow path, tiring, given also the very dense oncoming traffic. The path to the exit from the town passed through an endless number of shops and cafes just packed with people. We tried to pass it as quickly as possible, because children have a habit of just touching everything with their hands (in case they break it), and an amazing ability to fall under the feet of others, crash somewhere; the fact that they themselves are constantly covered in bruises and abrasions is okay, but if someone stumbles on them, there will be a roar)))
Street in Lindos
This church looks great from above
When we got to the car, it was about one in the afternoon, it was already very hot. You should probably skimp. Among the huge number of beaches, Tsambika was chosen, it is considered the most popular beach of the island. We had to drive about 25 km. My task is not to let the children fall asleep during this time, otherwise you won’t wake up. I reached into my backpack for edibles in the form of cookies, crackers, juices. So, fragile, and got there.
The beach is huge, sandy, there is a large parking lot, a huge number of cafes. The cost of sunbeds, umbrellas were not interested. The water is super clear. As always, full of cigarette butts in the sand (((. We splashed, played, the children were cheerful and cheerful.
Tsambika beach on the left
Tsambika beach on the right
Favorite entertainment of fathers and children on all the beaches of the world
There is still enough time, we decided to drive to Rhodes itself, at least to look at it.
Closer to the city, we realized that we needed a gas station. The closest one to us was in Koskina. Listed in guidebooks as a "traditional village". Neat houses with well-groomed flower beds. Winding streets with large elevation changes. Gasoline, it seems, got the cheapest on the island - 1.52 euros, we have not seen cheaper, at EKO gas stations - 1.63, and at BP in general 1.7.
We entered the city from the ports.
We admired cruise ships and fishing boats. After driving along the promenade, we found free parking near the Rhodes Casino. The Old City was a few blocks walk along cafes and restaurants. The hungry husband began to groan. But I didn't give in. After a couple of hours it will start to get dark, but I didn’t really want to drive in the dark on unfamiliar roads. We had a bite of ice cream, which gave an extra charge of vivacity.
We walked around the old City past the Palace of the Grand Master, walked between the Clock Tower and the Ibraim Mosque, along the shopping street Socratus, and again went to the piers.
Palace of the Grand Master
Ibrahim Mosque
The passage between the Mosque and the Clock Tower
While my husband was exploring the assortment of local shops, and I was looking around, the children were playing Mike the Knight (this seems to be from some kind of cartoon). I hope that their theatrical actions did not greatly disturb others.
Sightseeing method)))
And then it is heard: "Mom, where are the knights? ". A scandal is brewing… The mock-up of a knight in front of a shop saved the situation: “Children, here is the knight. ” A storm of delight, the day was a success)))
Savior Knight
We decided to return to the car along the embankment so as not to jostle among the tourists. Everyone is terribly tired. She carried her son in her arms, the daughter, as the eldest in the team, did not act up, but only muttered: “Real travelers, when they are tired, endure. ”
Of course, we saw only a tiny part of what could be seen. But we were still satisfied. Maybe sometime next time…
The next day, of course, we slept for a long time, we were lazy. I asked the children about what they saw, if they liked it. It turns out that they were able to remember and retell a lot, and traveling is very fun. And it inspired us to new adventures)))
To be continued…
