Safta, Jen, and Lee take Rhodes by storm!

November 25: My mom, Jen, and Lee left Lindos in the early morning hours on Friday after a long, wonderful visit. The time seemed to fly by, each day bringing a new adventure and discovery on the island. This entry will have to be a “highlights” version to ensure it actually gets written. A little Rhodes timeline first to put some of this in perspective:

1500 B.C.E. Mycenaean sailors settle on Rhodes
1000-500 B.C.E. Formation of the three Dorian city states of Lindos, Kamiros, and Ialyssos
408 B.C.E. The Athenians ravage Rhodes, and the three city states found Rhodes town
164 B.C.E. Rhodes becomes Roman
1309-1522 Rhodes is ruled by the Knights Hospitallers of St. John
1522 Turks capture Rhodes, incorporating it into the Ottoman Empire
1828 After a seven year battle for freedom against the Turks, the modern Greek state is founded (not including Rhodes)
1912 Italians conquer Turks and occupy Rhodes
1943 Germans occupy Rhodes
1947 Under the Peace Treaty of Paris, Rhodes and the other Dodacanese islands become Greek
1967-74 Military dictatorship in Greece
1981 Greece becomes full member of the E.U.

My mom, Jen, and Lee arrived in Lindos on Sunday morning the 9th around 8:45 am after their two-day journey. Although we’d given them detailed directions on how to find our house in the village (by foot, since there are no cars here), we were eager for them to arrive so met them down at Café Melia. As we turned the corner by the café, they’d just pulled up in their rental car to the furthest point possible before having to abandon their car. What a joyous reunion! Exhausted, they managed to muster the energy to head with us down to the main beach to relax, for Jonah to play in the ocean, and to stick a foot or two in the water before the weather turned (temporarily). We enjoyed an amazing lunch at a restaurant right on the water called Skala before heading home for Jonah to nap (Jen and Lee too). Jeremy and I took Jonah on a walk in the afternoon in search of a playground we’d seen at a hotel off the main road into the village but found only a locked gate…poor little guy is quite deprived of a playground here. We never did see Lee that night; he made his post-nap appearance the next morning.

On Monday, Jeremy worked while the five of us went to our local beach for a swim and to hang out. The weather was superb. We had a nice lunch at home with Jeremy before trying to do a little shopping in Lindos in the afternoon while Jonah napped. As it turned out, almost all of the tourist shops were closed. They’ve been opening every morning around 9 am when the buses from the cruise ships come in and closing around 1 pm when the buses head back to Rhodes town. I hadn’t yet learned that about Lindos… The four of us walked the deserted streets of Lindos, up into the back streets above the supermarket and main drag. We later discovered that their rental car and ours had parking tickets on them. But Jen, being the type who strikes up a conversation with anyone and everyone, managed to charm a local shop owner (Nikolas) into offering to take care of the tickets for us. At 80 Euros a piece, we weren’t going to argue with him.

The next day Jeremy joined us on our trip to Rhodes town (the old part of the town), located on the northern tip of the island. It’s considered one of Europe’s best preserved medieval fortress towns with its massive city walls and preserved gates, countless cobbled alleyways, Ottoman minarets, Palace of the Grand Masters, and many other historic buildings. The walls and gates in particular are quite a site. A legacy of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John who bought the island in 1306 C.E., the walls used the old foundations of the old Byzantine town walls. A religious and charitable order, the Knights of St. John were divided into eight Inns on the basis of language. Each Inn was responsible for a section of the walls, which stretch some three miles with ramparts and turrets and have an average thickness of 39 feet!

Rhodes town is simply fabulous. At every turn there is a historic building, whether it’s the Palace of the Grand Masters (the master ruled the Benedictine knights), Old Hospital of the Knights, one of the many Inns (e.g., Inn of England, Inn of Spain, Inn of France), or Süleyman Mosque (built by Süleyman the Magnificent in 1523 to mark his conquest of Rhodes and defeat of the Knights of St. John). There are several mosques in the old town that are no longer in use (unlike the Süleyman Mosque, which is still in use and closed to the public). Following the successful Ottoman invasion by Süleyman the Magnificent, churches in Rhodes town and in the main towns of other islands were converted into mosques. Bell towers were rebuilt to become minarets. Painted walls became plain white, statutes were removed, and carved headstones set into the floors were covered with carpets. The Ottomans tolerated the Greek Orthodox Church and Christian faith, although all Greeks had to leave the walled city of Rhodes by nightfall. Surprisingly, Jews lived alongside the Turks inside the walls.

We spent the morning walking the cobbled streets of the old town, admiring the phenomenal buildings, and soaking up the history. We strolled through the Turkish Quarter, although most of the shops were closed because it was a Tuesday and off-season. We stopped in Ippokratous Square for Jonah to enjoy the Kastellania fountain and tons of pigeons being fed by a little boy. Jonah was intrigued with and amused by the pigeons as they were eating their bread but wasn’t quite sure what to make of them when they took flight. We enjoyed a nice lunch in a restaurant on the square across the street from the former stock exchange and courthouse of the Knights.

From lunch, we headed toward the Jewish Quarter. With the start of World War II, about 4,000 of the 6,000 Jews living in Rhodes town left. In 1943, the Nazis rounded up the remaining 2,000 in Platia Evreon Martyron (Square of the Martyrs) and sent them to concentration camps. Less than 200 returned, and only a handful of Jewish families remain in Rhodes town today. During our stroll through the Jewish Quarter, we stumbled upon a dilapidated building with Hebrew writing on a plaque above the door. I thought it was an old synagogue, but I don’t think it was based on my online research (though can’t figure out what exactly is used to be). Eventually we found the only synagogue in the old town, Kahal Shalom. Sadly, a sign on the door indicated that the synagogue and museum were closed for the winter. I’ve just emailed the Jewish Community of Rhodes to see if we can get in during the off-season (the museum website suggests you might be able to), so we’ll see…

We strolled along the harbor on the way back to our cars (yes, multiple cars…couldn’t get us all in one car given the size of the cars here). From outside the town walls, the place looks formidable. Jonah snoozed in the car on our drive down the coast back to Lindos. We decided to take a detour to a town near Lindos called Lardos to check it out. Although signs indicated there was a playground and ice cream shop, neither was to be found anywhere. I’m telling you, for as warm as it gets here in November, it’s hard to understand why it has been so dang hard to find ice cream. Heck, I used to eat ice cream cones walking down the snowy streets of Cambridge when I was in school! And here we’re talking about 70 degree weather! But, it’s all about off-season versus tourist season. Stores dump their ice cream to keep from having to pay to keep it frozen during the off-season. Ugh.

On Wednesday, Jeremy worked and the rest of us rode donkeys up to the Lindos acropolis. Jonah was in the carrier on my back and kept leaning over to get a closer look at the donkey. He loved it! Now all he seems to talk about are donkeys. He even pretends the step into our sala is a donkey, straddling it to ride around. After wandering around the acropolis (this time with several other tourists joining us—almost all from the cruise ships docked at Rhodes town), we walked through the village to check out the few shops still open. Light rain started midday, so we had a lazy afternoon in the sala. Jonah spent the late afternoon joyfully kicking his basketball around the courtyard. We enjoyed another dinner at the courtyard table, talking the night away until going to sleep. (Until it started raining, that’s how we spent all of our evenings.)

The next day was beautiful, so we decided to check out nearby Agathi beach with its golden sand and shallow water. The water was so warm. Jonah loved running in and out, falling down, and exhausting himself in every way imaginable. On a hill by the beach sits a 14th/15th century monastery carved in the rock, St. Agatha monastery. My mom read her book, while Jen, Lee, Jonah, and I set out to explore the hillside. Jonah was thrilled when he saw the back carrier, yelling, “Back! Back!” The monastery was very cool. It had a little rope to hold the door shut but was otherwise open for the beachgoer turned religious worshiper. After Jonah’s nap, we did a quick run to the supermarket just outside of the village. That evening a full moon shone over Lindos. It was simply beautiful.

On Friday, we took a beautiful drive inland to a monastery just outside of the village of Laerma called Moni Thari. Dedicated to Archangel Michael, the monastery church was built in the 13th century using the north and south walls of a 12th century church. It’s apparently the oldest religious foundation on the island. The 16th and 17th century frescoes inside the church display beautiful images from the Old and New Testament. In some places there are four layers of frescoes with the earliest attributable to the 12th century. Jonah was blessed by an elderly monk who watches over the place. He came into the church while we were walking around, motioned that I should take Jonah out of the back carrier, and had me bring him over to the large fresco of Archangel Michael for a blessing. It felt a bit surreal but also oddly powerful. Jonah, however, did not seem too thrilled that I let this old guy who was dressed in traditional Greek monk clothing (black, long, flowing robe), sporting a long, gray beard, and speaking only French and Greek get so close to him. But this same priest gave Jonah a piece of candy or four as we left the monastery. The Grinch Who Stole Candy (me) managed to distract him eventually with something else to get it from his little hands before he opened the wrappers and figured out what they were. (This is something that has happened quite often to us. Whether at a monastery or little supermarket, people constantly give Jonah candy. Once he figures out that inside the wrapper is something sweet and tasty, we’re in for it.)

The drive to the monastery alone was fabulous, green pines covering the hills with the exception of the parts ravaged by the summer’s fire that nearly decimated the monastery and the many other churches that dot the landscape. Really, if you feel the need to stop every 5 to 10 minutes to pray at a roadside church, this island is the one for you. Rhodes is peppered with small, mostly white churches (some with maroon-painted roofs) all over it. Most are quite simple, and each one has a name reflecting the icons contained within. The churches have the same set up inside for the most part. The doorway at one end opens to a single room with an icon of the Virgin Mary on the left and an icon of the saint after which the church is named to the left of Mary. Jesus is on the right of the doorway with St. John the Baptist to the right of Jesus. There are usually chairs stacked along the sides of the walls and long, beeswax candles near the entrance with a stand containing sand in which to put your lighted candle. Not all of the churches are open. I’ve stopped at many and tried to get in with about a 40% success rate. I’ve now seen so many that I’m satisfied with getting a good picture of the exterior and leaving it at that.

After Jonah’s 3.5 hour nap (woohoo!), we took Jonah to the village plaza to run around. Other kids were there playing a little soccer. Jonah was more interested in sitting in his stroller and being pushed around. He now gives directions as to where he wants to go. He points and says, “That way!” So he pointed us around the village until we ran into Lucy and her son Visilis. Jonah and Visilis ran around the narrow streets for a bit until Jonah fell and smacked his head on the wall. Oy! He sure must have a hard skull because he hits his head on a fairly regular basis and always bounces back quite quickly.

On Saturday, all of us (including Jeremy) went to ancient Kamiros on the west coast of the island. The drive was lovely, through the forest across the island, winding our way past small hill towns. Along with Lindos and Ialyssos, Kamiros is one of three ancient cities on the island. It was first settled by the Mycenaeans (the Mycenaean civilization flourished in ancient Greece between 1600 and 1100 B.C.E.) and later colonized by the Dorians around 1100 B.C.E. After a violent earthquake in 226 B.C.E., the city was rebuilt but eventually abandoned after another earthquake in 142 C.E. The city remained intact because the buildings weren’t torn apart for their stone by the Byzantines or Crusaders. Ancient Kamiros was rediscovered in 1859 when villagers uncovered a few graves, and excavations essentially have continued since then.

Unlike the ancient cities of Lindos and Ialyssos, Kamiros was not fortified. It was built on the slope of a hillside overlooking the ocean. The residential part of the town occupied the lower slope, while the acropolis, including the religious and public buildings, sat at the top of the hill. Exposed now is an amazing layout of houses, streets, and sanctuaries covering an extensive area, considered by some to represent the finest example in Greece of the residential sector of an ancient city. The hills surrounding the ancient city are full of cemeteries. Unfortunately as was the case with other mid-19th century discoveries around the world, many of the original finds ended up outside of Greece, in this case in Britain, France, and Germany.

We were quite lucky to be the only visitors to Kamiros at the time of our visit. That was simply amazing. We wound our way through the old city, by the market area, past residences, along the stoa, by an old cistern, and more. Jonah climbed on his own from the bottom of the city all the way to the top. He was this little hiker man, leading the way for Jeremy and me (my mom sat out the hike to the top and Jen and Lee were well in front of us). He’d point, say a few words (completely incomprehensible to us), and march on. He was indeed a man on a mission who wanted to provide his troops some commentary about what was before us. Or something like that… Even after he’d walked more than an hour, he was very unhappy to return to the back carrier. Normally he gets himself so exhausted that he’s ready to go back in, but I think this old city was energizing for him. From the top of the hill, we could see down one side to the beautiful valley below and down the other side to the amazing city before us with the bright blue ocean beyond.

After exploring Kamiros, we enjoyed a fabulous lunch at a restaurant overlooking the ocean. We ate the most delicious fish, which is actually hard to come by given the overfishing problem here. The restaurant had a huge grassy slope leading down to the beach with swings, a little merry-go-round, and huge pirate ship. Jonah loved running around down there after lunch and admired the large windmill on the property as well. He snoozed on the car ride home, and we all ventured to the supermarket as we neared Lindos.

On Saturday night, Jeremy and I had a night out. Jonah went to sleep early since he hadn’t taken a sufficiently long nap that day. We started with a lovely walk around the back of the acropolis with a gorgeous moonlit view of the bay below. The streets were very quiet and the ocean so still. We ventured next to a couple of local bars—Millenium was the first one where we played a couple games of pool and a game of air hockey (let’s just say I swept the series) and another one called Red Rose where there were actually some people (though only about 15 or so). By 10 pm, we were exhausted (the cosmopolitans didn’t help). It was fabulous to have a night to ourselves, not worrying about whether the stroller would make it down this street or that or what Jonah’s next move would be. The unpredictability of kids can be amazing and so very eye-opening but it also can be unsettling and exhausting. It was nice to have a break from it.

On Sunday, we all went to Tsambika Monastery, a tiny white-painted Byzantine church dedicated to the Virgin Mary with 17th-century frescoes inside. Also inside the church is an 11th century icon of the Virgin Mary apparently found on the mountain by a childless, infertile couple who later conceived a child. Legend has it that if a childless woman wishing to conceive walks barefoot up the mountain to pray to Mary, she will be blessed with children. Many such women make a pilgrimage to the church on September 7 (or 8, depending on the guidebook) each year. In front of the icon were little wax babies and other little baby-pictured offerings to Mary. From the car park, there are 297 steps to reach the church, perched at 985 feet. It’s a steep climb (Jonah relaxed in the back carrier, while Jeremy powered up), but the view from the top is amazing. The acropolis of Lindos can be seen far off to the south.

Just below the monastery is Tsambika Bay. Considered the best beach in Rhodes, Tsambika beach boasts one of the longest unbroken stretches of golden sand and shallow water—great for little kids. Jonah loved running in the ocean, digging in the sand, doing his usual beach things. He napped for 3.5 hours again that day. He’s definitely in a growth spurt with all the food and sleep he’s getting. I picked him up Sunday morning and felt like he weighed five pounds heavier.

On Monday, Jeremy was back at work, and the rest of us headed to a darling village south of Lindos called Asklipio (reputed to be the birthplace of the Greek god of healing, Asklepios, son of Apollo). The village used to be located on the water until enough attacks on it forced the villagers to flee up into the hills and establish a new town. Amazingly, most of the white, flat-roofed, cubic houses in this small village have solar panels on top. I’ve actually seen quite a few solar panels on homes here—many poor homes. I think it must be the result of some E.U.-funded initiative. Speaking of which, I think I mentioned this when we were in another country (who can remember which one), but it’s clearly the case that the infrastructures of less wealthy E.U. countries have greatly benefited from their association with the E.U. and the substantial funding they receive to build and upgrade roads. This is definitely the case in Greece. There are signs all over the place indicating that X% of the roadwork is being funded by the E.U. Oh, it was Ireland where we saw several such signs as well.

But back to Asklipio… This is a classic Greek town with a small central area containing one little market, a restaurant, and grandmothers sitting around in dark dresses with their weathered skin and scarves over their heads. A domed Byzantine basilica built in 1060 C.E., the Monastery of Metamorfossi (or Kimisis Theotokou or the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin…take your pick—it seems that there are multiple names for churches around here) contains 15th-century frescoes depicting Old Testament scenes that are the most detailed, colorful, and best preserved I have ever seen. They are simply stunning. And it was sheer luck that enabled us to see them. The church was closed, and we were walking around it to admire the exterior when we came upon a lovely woman who was caring for her granddaughter. She came over to us (I think to see Jonah—always helps having a baby with you), and we asked about getting into the church. Apparently, with it being off-season, the priest wasn’t around (he was out harvesting olives), so the church was locked. Another woman walked by, and the grandmother called out to her in Greek. The two had an exchange, and the grandmother indicated to us that the woman was the person who cleaned the church and was going to see if she had the key back at her house. Not more than five minutes later, the woman returned with the key and let us in. These women were absolutely lovely and so generous with their time, a very different experience for us than what we’ve mostly encountered in Greece. (As an aside, I often see grandmothers caring for their grandchildren. Other than my friend Lucy, I haven’t seen any moms—or dads, for that matter—caring for their kids during the day. They very well may be, but they’re at least not out and about in the small villages that I’ve driven through.)

Overlooking the village sits a ruined castle. Now ruled by a family of goats, the place is littered with goat pooh everywhere. A substantial part of the exterior is still intact, but for the most part the inside has been filled in with debris and brush over the years. The views of Asklipio below are remarkable but immediately make you realize that a flood would decimate the village. It rests just along a dry riverbed right in the middle of a flood plain. But, as is the case with all riverbeds we’ve seen on the island, it was bone dry. Maybe that’s not the case come January or February, but given how many buildings and how much equipment you see in them it’s hard to imagine they ever see more than a trickle of water.

On our way home from Asklipio, we drove through Pilonas to stop at a Mycenaean cemetery from the 14th century B.C.E. Only a few chamber tombs are exposed and all have been completely looted. It looked like there was the beginning of a tourist kiosk for the cemetery, but like many structures around here, it’s only partially completed with just the concrete walls and rebar sticking out. All over the island are partially completed houses, commercial developments, etc. that appear to have been abandoned. We learned the other day that, while some may have been abandoned (like the partially-completed housing development above Agathi beach), many are a work in progress. The way building happens here is the developer (often just a family if we’re talking about a single home) pours all of his (likely “his”) money into the project and builds what he can. Then, after the next season’s work and money earned, pours that money in and builds more. And so on and on. There aren’t loans for this type of work. Amazing. On our drive home, we also passed a military installation with bunkers in the mountainside. There’s a noticeable military presence on the island, and we assume this is a result of the island’s proximity to Turkey but really have no idea.

While Jonah napped and my mom read, Jen, Lee, and I explored the caves under the Lindos acropolis, like billy goats climbing rocks. Louise had told me about some Irish boys (as she called them—presumably college-aged guys) who lived in one of the caves for a while a couple years back (probably the summer of 2006, based on the date on the Cosmopolitan magazine I found there). We first came across their large cave, complete with decomposing mattresses, pans, cooking grate, board games, old food cans, etc. We hiked on to check out the larger caves just below the acropolis with the remains of an ancient settlement, which included storage silos, a cooking circle of some sort, and a small room/building. The caves were amazing! If not for Jen who “forbade” me (she’s quite strong—my chiropractor, actually) from descending into a small cave, I might have made some cool archaeological finds! (Lee was game but didn’t think the flashlight on my cell phone was sufficient lighting.)

The next day rained most of the morning, so we took a little trip to the supermarket in Archangelos. Jonah was antsy, so we needed to get out of the house into an indoor location of some sort. We took a quick peek inside the church across the street from the market, but that was the extent of our exploring for the day. The rain let up a bit, so Jonah played outside before taking his nap. Before dinner, Jeremy, Jonah, and I took a walk through the village. It was a lovely break in the storm.


That night there was a major thunderstorm that lasted well in to the morning. Around 9:00 am it completely cleared up, so we made a last minute decision to head to the other side of the island to check out another ancient city, Ialyssos. Back in the day, ancient Ialyssos spread over the northwest slopes of Mt. Filerimos, looking over the coast toward what is now a town called Kremasti. (Brief aside: The ceiling of our lovely house constantly sheds some rocks and dust, and I was just startled by one such downpour at the desk on which I’m typing. So it goes with a 17th century house.) Only the summit plateau of the ancient city at 876 feet contains excavated remains, including a Christian basilica (Church of our Lady of Filerimos, portions of which date to the 5th century C.E., built by Byzantine monks), foundations of a Classical 3rd century temple dedicated to Athena Polias and Zeus Polieus, traces of Phoenician paving, and a 4th-century Doric fountain (one of few such fountains to have survived in Greece). The summit of Mt. Filerimos became the first base for the Knights after their arrival on Rhodes. Unfortunately, no one with a key was around to let us in any of the buildings. Oddly, there were two guys in a small room, but they said the monks weren’t around to show us in and around.

As far as we could tell, the current residents of the summit are one beautiful and loving gray cat and a ton of peacocks. Jonah started in the back carrier but soon wanted to get down and walk around. When those peacocks came around, he quickly turned to me and pleaded, “Uppy, mommy”. He loved the cat though. It was so sweet with him. It rubbed up along side him, and Jonah tried to grab its tail. I had to explain that the cat would come to him if he just stood still (which it did) and that the best way to treat a cat was to be gentle in petting and not grabbing anything, particularly its tail. He got it for the most part, but that tail was quite enticing. Jonah loved walking along the forested path to another part of the ruins, and he picked up rocks and pieces of the trees on the path, handing them to me to hold for him. It was the first time he did that. Normally he tries to put as many things into his hands as possible, sometimes under his arms, but this time he handed everything over to me to collect more but also, and I think mostly, to maintain his balance on the rugged terrain.

We enjoyed a nice lunch in Kremasti, which is a cute town with a lively main street (though most stores were closed because we were there during siesta—yes, siesta, it’s still very much alive in small villages). On the drive home the clouds became increasingly dark and gray. As we neared Vlicha Bay (the bay immediately north of the bays of Lindos), it started to rain. The way the sun shone on Vlicha Bay before the sky opened up was unreal. We stopped the car first above Vlicha Bay but then rounded the bend to the overlook above Lindos to watch the downpour. (There was no hurry to get back at this point, as we wanted to avoid having to trudge up to the house from the car park in the pouring rain.) It looked like it was going to be a short downpour, and it was. We got out to take pictures of the amazing view of Lindos right as the rainstorm was passing, with the contrasting blues of the ocean and shades of gray in the sky, along with a beautiful full rainbow over Lindos bay and shadow one soon after. It was a spectacular sight.

When going to bed that night, my mom said to Jonah, “I love you,” to which Jonah replied, “Night, night. Meow.” He’s so funny. He often says “I love you” back, but I guess he decided to provide an alternative reply that night.

On Thursday, the last day of my mom, Jen, and Lee’s visit, we had a mellow day in Lindos with a little shopping in the village, a visit to the main village church (Church of the Assumption of Our Lady, built in the 14th century with amazing 18th century Byzantine frescoes), coffee at Melia Café in the afternoon during Jonah’s nap, and a lovely dinner at the delicious Italian restaurant (Il Palazetto) in Lindos. We had the most decadent, yummy molten chocolate cake and the same amazing chicken we’d enjoyed there during our last visit to the restaurant.

We said our good-byes that night because my mom, Jen, and Lee were taking off the next morning at 5 am. I was quite sad to see them go. We’d had such a great time together, and it was so nice to have their company during my days when Jeremy worked. I felt the same sadness right after Macartan, Jacobia, and Aoife left our Connemara house in Ireland. Part of it was definitely that they were staying with us, so we had them around all the time. Don’t get me wrong—it’s wonderful to have the time alone with Jonah during the days and time at night with both he and Jeremy. I truly cherish it. But I do miss the connection to our family and friends back home.

On Friday when Jonah woke up, one of the first things he said was “Safta?” He was looking for my mom, which made me so sad for him. We explained to him the night before that she, Jen, and Lee were going to be gone in the morning. He understood on some level, but I think he didn’t want it to be true. He asked for my mom all day long, and at night before bed he asked for all three of them. He continues to ask for my mom on and off throughout the day, and tonight he again asked for all three of them. It just breaks my heart.

Thankfully, Jeremy took Friday off because he knew he was going to have to work on Sunday. We also knew the weather was going to be better on Friday, which would give us a chance to do some exploring together. We headed south to check out the southernmost tip of the island, Cape Prasonisi. Along the way, we passed a couple abandoned churches in an area that also had an abandoned silk factory, we’re guessing from the time of the Italian occupation in the early 1900s. Likely the churches were no longer needed when the factory closed and whatever community was there dwindled in size. We stopped at the silk factory to take a peek around. I could have spent the better part of an hour there, but we needed to move along. (I’m always the one who wants to investigate these things, whereas Jeremy tends to focus more on the place we’re supposed to be going. I do my best to limit the number of detours I suggest we take, and Jeremy seems to do his best at happily—that may be too strong a word—going along with my desire to take detours. I did want to peer in the abandoned churches, but these guys of mine do tend to see more churches than they’re inclined to check out. But Jonah seems to come down closer to me on this one, saying, “Church, in” when we pass one that I’ve pointed out to him.)

As we were approaching the cape, we passed military installations, including large areas of land with signs indicating live firing took place on them. Recently someone told us that the military has taken to teaching their soldiers cultural dance because there isn’t much for them to do. They apparently join in local celebrations and wow villages with their dancing prowess. Another thing we saw on the road to the cape was a sign that read: “We need bathrooms in Prasonisi”. It was absolutely one of the most bizarre signs I’ve ever seen. The thing we didn’t see much of were other cars on the southern island roads. We might have passed maybe five an hour, but that’s about it. The south side of the island is hardly developed at all.

I wish we’d taken my mom, Jen, and Lee to Cape Prasonisi (although the hiking would have been too strenuous for my mom). It’s not really highlighted in any of the tourist materials we have, but I thought it sounded like a cool place to see. It was better than cool. It was absolutely beautiful. The cape is mostly separated from the main part of the island, joined only by a narrow, sandy isthmus on which summer beachgoers enjoy small waves crashing (maybe lapping is the more accurate word) onto the sand from two directions. It reminded us quite a bit of Omey Island in Connemara, although these beaches were littered with trash all over, a sadly common sight at the beaches here in my experience. The western side of the isthmus is a windsurfers’ paradise, while the eastern side of the headland is much calmer. Apparently during the winter, the isthmus disappears altogether. The isthmus was there and navigable in our car, but the local tavernas (and everything for that matter) were closed. The place was a bit of a ghost town.

We drove as far as we could, first across the isthmus and then up the first hill onto the cape, but the rains had really torn up the dirt road such that big crevices made the road impassable after a short distance. We thought the tip of the island was just over the first hill, so we put Jonah in the back carrier and set out. Little did we realize that it would take another 45 minutes or so to reach the very end. At the top of the first hill, there were dozens and dozens of cairns. There were so many it was hard to figure out which direction exactly they were pointing us toward. We made our best guess and headed slightly west—score! The views back to the isthmus, along the sheer cliffs of the mainland, and down to the tip from the path were outstanding. And there weren’t just dozens of cairns; there were hundreds. That alone was an amazing sight. We decided to add another by building our own small one.

We eventually arrived at the tip and discovered a lighthouse with several goats that inhabit the area (and, as per the usual, goat poop everywhere—we managed to avoid dog poop in Barcelona, but I’m pretty sure we’ve stepped in plenty of goat poop since we arrived on the island). By this point, Jonah was getting tired of the ride, so we did a quick switcheroo (i.e., put Jonah on my back), and made our return journey at a brisker pace. Amazingly, we had the cape all to ourselves with the exception of the two jeeps that separately made their way by us on our return voyage. We keep being the only ones everywhere we go, an amazing part about traveling here in the off-season.

From the cape, we headed north up the west coast of the island (remember, we’re on the east coast) toward Monolithos castle. The water on the west coast is just stunning—two-toned blue and surprisingly calm. While the bays on the east side are two-toned, the open ocean is a deep, dark blue. The sand on the west also is darker and finer (more like silt). The lovely water on the left made the drive to Monolithos beautiful. One minute we’re driving along a sandy beach, and the next we’re in the midst of what looks like an alpine forest. We stopped in lovely Monolithos village at a restaurant with an amazing view of the hills and ocean below and about five cats looking to enjoy some of our food (we obliged).

Onward to Monolithos Castle, a spectacular Crusader castle on top of an enormous rock pinnacle at 787 feet high. The walls of the castle (originally built by the Knights and restored by one of the Grand Masters in 1480) remain, along with the whitewashed church of Agios Panteleimon and another structure below the walls on the ocean side with an intact sloped, stone roof. The most amazing thing about the castle is the absolutely unbelievable views of the coast below. We just couldn’t believe how glorious this place was. Again, we were the only ones at the castle. From the castle we headed home, driving across the middle of the island through lovely hill villages and forested areas.

On Saturday, Jonah decided to wake up at 4:25 am, I think because he was out of sorts with my mom, Jen, and Lee leaving. The only thing that kept him calm in his bed was me rubbing his back, which I could only do for so long without breaking my back and destroying my knees. So I eventually had to take him out of his crib and rest him on me while rubbing his back. We both fell asleep for about 30 minutes, but at 6:30 am I was awake and exhausted. Nonetheless, we headed toward Lardos to visit another monastery in the area, Moni Ypseni.

Located about two kilometers into the hillside above Lardos village, Moni Ypseni has a large monastery, chapel, hostel where the nuns live, and path with the different stations of the cross (including painted descriptions of them). It’s not an old monastery, dating to about the mid-20th century, but it’s a lovely setting nestled in the hillside with a small grape vineyard next to the main monastery building. The grounds also have a volleyball court and BBQ, so the nuns must party in their own way. ;) We put Jonah in the back carrier and walked up the path to the top of the hill for a gorgeous view of the landscape below, all the way out to the ocean. The summer fire scorched the area something fierce. Given how close it came to the monastery (literally within 50 or 100 feet of some of the buildings), it’s amazing that everything is still standing.

On the drive up to the monastery, we must have passed about 5 or 6 little churches, consistent with my “churches everywhere” observation. We also drove by a huge, nicely kept soccer field where a bunch of women were practicing. Many little towns we’ve driven through have very nice soccer fields. Our little Lindos even has one just outside the main part of the village. We also passed a site we’ve seen over and over again—men on motorcycles or scooters with little kids (including babies) riding on their laps, none wearing helmets. Crazy, crazy.

From Moni Ypseni, we drove just outside Laerma to Moni Thari. Jeremy hadn’t been, and I wanted him to see it. Plus, we were meeting a friend of Ann and Guy’s (who own the house we’re staying in) and her two out-of-town guests for lunch in Laerma. At Moni Thari, we saw two priests washing their dishes in one of the old fountains. Jeremy thought I was crazy, but I was so psyched!! It was just cool to see these monks going about their daily routine. Jonah greeted them (as did we), and they were very sweet in how they responded to him. We also saw the old priest who had blessed Jonah the last time we were there, and again Jonah called out to me a sad little “mommy” as the priest neared Jonah. And, again, the priest gave Jonah candy. We found an old playground at the church in Laerma, where we hung out while waiting to meet Mary and her friends. We enjoyed a tasty lunch, which included homemade bread from the village, before getting caught in the beginning of a huge rainstorm and heading home.

Yesterday, Jeremy had to work, so Jonah and I ventured into the neighboring town of Pefkos through which we had driven the day before and discovered a little play area next to a restaurant that is closed for the season. It had rained quite a bit during the night and did so on and off during the morning too, but it was fairly clear when we ventured to Pefkos around 9:45 am. The play area had a couple of little cars for Jonah to scoot along, a play kitchen and house, a couple of seesaws, some random little balls, and a few other plastic play structures (you know the type—Little Tikes structures people put in their backyards). The ground surface was some sort of Astroturf, which turned out to be great given the rain. Jonah played for a bit (very excited about it) until it started to rain again, so we took shelter in the car. Jonah enjoyed sitting on my lap in the driver’s seat as we waited out the storm, which didn’t pass quickly enough for us to go back outside. He LOVED turning knobs, pushing buttons, making the windshield wipers slosh back and forth, changing the radio stations, you name it. He kept saying, “Go, go,” hoping that I would start the car and let him sit there on my lap. Sorry, goose (my latest nickname for him because he is a “silly goose”), but we’re not pulling the motorcycle stunt.

After a great nap from which he awoke totally refreshed and in a fabulous mood, we quickly put him in the back carrier to check out the Lindos acropolis. (We opened the door to his room after his nap to find him standing in his crib, opening his dresser drawers, and talking to the picture of the baby on his bag of diapers.) The acropolis is free on Sundays, and since I’d already paid for it twice (at a steep 6 Euros a pop), we decided to visit on a day when we didn’t have to pay. The sky was clear, and the view from the top was gorgeous. We only had about 10 minutes to cruise around the acropolis because it closes at 4:40 pm during the off-season. From the acropolis, we strolled down through the back streets of the village, passing about four little churches on the way.

Today looked much like yesterday, with a trip to the play area in Pefkos. It rained in the early morning, but it stopped around 9:30 am in time for us to venture out. It actually turned into a fairly warm day—could have been at the beach. Perhaps tomorrow or the next day… At the play area today, he learned to park his little car. As he was playing at the pretend kitchen, he looked up and said, “Park, mine (looking for his parked car). There it is.” Then he proceeded to walk over to his car.

After Jonah’s nap, the three of us walked around the village to explore some of the back streets and more of the churches. I had Jonah in the back carrier to make it easier to navigate the stairs, steep inclines and declines, and the occasional rocky path. The narrow pathways of Lindos are adorable. And there seem to be churches at every turn. I read in some book that there are something like 15 churches scattered around this tiny village. One would think this was a huge village by virtue of that number, but there are about 750 residents here in fact. Apparently during tourist season you can go on a tour of all of the churches. The number of churches in Lindos is a result of the custom of ‘tama’. Tama is a solemn promise Christian Orthodox believers make to a religious figure in response to their prayers being heard. A tama can include many different things—from a large candle to an entire church. I think we’ve probably only seen about half of the churches in the village, including St. George Hostos, which is among the oldest on the island, dating from anywhere between the 8th and 12th century (depending on the guidebook). Many churches are tucked away, only to be found if strolling down the particular little pathway on which they’re hidden.

We also walked by the old Moslem cemetery from the time of the Turks. Sadly, it’s in complete shambles and clearly hasn’t been cared for in many, many years. The sides of the tombs appear to have been brightly painted with blues and reds at one time.

In addition to the many churches in Lindos, there are cats, cats, and more cats. The cat population of the village likely rivals that of any major U.S. city. Really, yesterday we walked by one street that had no fewer than 15 cats lounging around. And then there are the dozens of cats that live a short stone’s throw from our front door by the three garbage dumpsters. I love cats, so I like having them around. The sad part is the fact that there are too few people to feed and care for them.

So, before I end for now, here are the latest Jonahisms. Jonah continues to absolutely crack us up constantly. He also seems to have a bit of a harder time with transitions as evidenced by his 4:25 am wake-up when my mom, Jen, and Lee left. It also seems to take a day or so for him to get used to our new homes (“home” is what he often says when he wants to go back to our house) and his new rooms. Makes sense. It always takes me one not-so-restful night of sleep in a new place before I can sleep soundly in it. He recently started giving zerberts (i.e., raspberries blown onto skin), most notably on Jeremy’s stomach. It’s hilarious. He comes to me often to give me kisses, particularly when he’s feeling tired or needy.

Jonah is talking and singing up a storm. He sings “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” using his own “words” but always saying, “E-i-e-i-oh!!!” He’s mastered the concept of “back”. Did I already mention this? He understands that his back is part of his body, but he also refers to either going “back” somewhere or putting something “back” where he picked it up. A few days ago, he took a picture of him and Uncle Josh out of his photo album and said, “Josh out,” and as he tried to put it back in he said, “Josh back.” He regularly says something and either starts it or ends it with “mommy/mama” or “daddy/dada”. So, “Back, Mama,” I get when he wants me to put his half-eaten breadstick back in the bag, or “Mommy, uppy,” when he wants to get away from the peacocks that frighten him. This morning as Jeremy was about to Jonah to pick up our breakfast croissants from Café Melia, Jonah said, “Bye bye, mama. See you soon.” Before lunch he closed the doors to the sala and wanted out, so he said to Jeremy, “Daddy, help please.” There’s more, but these are the things off the top of my head.

So much for being brief… It’s like my fourth grade report on some Nancy Drew book. My teacher’s remarks included something about not needing to rewrite the entire book. I got a “B” and was devastated. At least give me an “A-” for this one.

Picture descriptions: Jonah on the stoop in front of his room just off the courtyard at our Lindos house; Lee, Safta (my mom), Jen, Jeremy, and Jonah at the beach in Lindos, just past where we enjoyed a tasty lunch at Skala; main Lindos beach with Lee and Jen; the Street of the Knights (Ippoton) in old Rhodes town; Jen and Safta in front of the Palace of the Grand Masters, old Rhodes town; Jonah enjoys the pigeons at Ippokratous Square by the Kastellania fountain and palace (formerly the stock exchange and courthouse of the Knights); old Jewish Quarter in old Rhodes town; Lee, Jeremy, Jonah, and lounging dog just outside the walls of old Rhodes town; Jonah and me on a donkey, heading up to the Lindos acropolis; St. Agatha monastery by Agathi beach; Safta and Jen in front of the 13th century basilica at Moni Tharri; roadside church outside of Pefkos; Agathi beach; ancient Kamiros; Jen and Lee at ancient Kamiros; Jonah leads the way for Safta and Jeremy and ancient Kamiros; enjoying lunch outside ancient Kamiros; Jonah enjoys the play area at the restaurant; view from Tsambika Monastery to Tsambika beach below; Tsambika beach; solar-paneled homes of Asklipio; Asklipio Castle; hanging with the goats at Asklipio Castle; Jen in the Lindos cave lived in by a couple of Irish guys a couple years back; Lee in the more ancient caves under the Lindos acropolis; Safta and Lee in front of the basilica at ancient Ialyssos; Jonah going after the Ialyssos cat's tail; view of Lindos after major rainstorm; Lindos streets at night; St. Paul's Bay in Lindos; in front of the isthmus at Cape Prasonisi; our cairn on Cape Prasonisi; Jeremy and Jonah look on at the lighthouse on Cape Prasonisi; view of Monolithos Castle on the left along the western coast of Rhodes; enjoying the view from Monolithos Castle; view of Moni Ypseni out to the eastern coast of Rhodes; roadside church in Lardos; Jonah enjoys his car at the Pefkos playground; one of the many little churches in Lindos, St. Demetrios Church; back at the Pefkos playground, Jonah mans the BBQ; another Lindos church, the Church of the Saviour; Moslem cemetery with Lindos homes and acropolis in background; Jonah reveals his political allegience in ancient Ialyssos; view of Lindos near sunset.