The summer in Ireland this year has been horrendous. Rain almost every day. A cheap all-inclusive trip to the sun was called for and I decided to go to Rhodes as it’s been many years since I’ve been to Greece. I have to say it is by far one of the most impressive Greek islands I have visited. The fourth biggest in Greece, it is similar in many ways to Cyprus as it’s a natural gateway to Asia, Africa and Europe.
From my hotel room I could quite clearly see across the Mediterranean Sea to the coast of Turkey, but I didn’t avail of a trip to Marmaris choosing instead to visit the old town of Rhodes, the port of Rhodes, and the town of Limnos.
As a storyphile I’m a fan of ancient Greek mythology and I wanted to see where the ancient wonder of the world, the Colossus of Rhodes, once stood. Constructed circa 292 BC, a 32 metre (105 foot) statue of Helios is believed to have looked over the port, but it was destroyed in an earthquake 54 years later. Nothing now remains but two statues of deer are situated on pedestals where, as is shown in many pictures, the sun god’s legs once straddled the entrance to the harbour.
To my dismay a taxi driver told me the Colossus was not located there at all as the port would have had to be closed for some time during the construction of the mammoth statue. This would have hindered trade resulting in an economic downturn and put Rhodes at a naval disadvantage when war was always a threat. Scholars, therefore, have put forward other locations in the locality as to where the statue once stood, if it existed at all as, sadly, the laws of physics dictate that the straddled legs would not be able to withstand the weight of the rest of the statue.
However, despite scientific laws and construction problems, I’d like to think the Colossus did exist and there is debate as to whether to build another, but that conversation is on-going. For now tourists have to settle for the deer.
The old city of Rhodes can be entered via a few gates from the port and I spent a very pleasant afternoon walking around the walls via what was once the moat. Inside the walls the town is abuzz with tourists frequenting the numerous shops, bars and eateries, and I have to say the streets were extremely clean, and the history of the medieval town oozes from many stones, some decorated with emblems, others with small statues of saints, dating back to the Crusades.
The acropolis in Rhodes stands on a high point overlooking the harbour and is under renovation, but just below the stone pillars is an amphitheatre, the remains of a library and a stadium. This was most impressive as my imagination ran wild hearing the roar of the crowd cheering chariot races and other sporting events enjoyed by the Ancient Greeks.
The acropolis in Lindos, a town 50km south of the city of Rhodes, is in the centre of a fortification and accessible via two hundred or so steps. I took my time heading to the top, wary of the stone pathways as I suspected they could be slippery, but I did pause to admire the mosaic patterns made from black and white pebbles that can be seen at various locations en-route.
At the top I was rewarded with a spectacular view of the Mediterranean and the acropolis has been renovated to give a better idea of what it would have looked like centuries ago. I’m sure it would have been painted too in reds, whites and golds allowing it to shine brightly above the town, beckoning the people residing below to climb up the hillside to worship.
Between Lindos and Rhodes is Seven Springs Valley a beautiful wooded area with a waterfall, a gurgling stream and a lake. Here I learned of the importance of deer on the island. Not only are they a source of food, venison being a delicious meat, but, according to the Delphic Oracle, the ashes of burnt antlers when placed around the entrances to buildings ward off snakes. I didn’t see any deer, except the two statues at the port, and I didn’t see any reptiles either!
Finally, as a film buff I was interested to learn that The Guns of Navarone was filmed in Rhodes back in 1960 and one of the stars, Anthony Quinn, became quite smitten with the island. So much so he bought land there and a beach bears his name. I didn’t visit the beach but I’m going to rewatch the movie to see if I recognise any of the rustic landscape with its olive trees, sites of historical interest and the port where the Colossus supposedly stood.
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