A mix up of plates

Today is a sea day as we move from the Aegean Sea to the Mediterranean and our next stop, Palermo in Sicily. 

Fortunate really, as my and Shirley's plates were accidentally interchanged. I ended up with dairy in the sauce so have felt pretty ropey all morning.

The air and the sea have changed.

In the Aegean sea, it was calm and temperatures averaging 20°C by midday. Today, it's much cooler and the sea more agitated by a strengthening wind coming towards us. The temperature has dropped to around 15°C which sounds good by comparison with the UK at the moment (5°C), but still cool enough to warrant a jumper.

I suspect we'll all have a big shock when we finally reach Southampton. 

So, today is calm and quiet, but cool and breezy.

Let's see what tomorrow will bring.

Crete and the Greek Gods

Another island steeped in history, from the Roman's to the Italians and all the groups in between.

It's a self sufficient island, utilizing sheep and goats for milk, cheese etc.

They do import cow dairy these days. I suspect it's for tourist pallets more than anything.

The countryside is fertile and is covered with vines, almond trees, olives and greenhouses for salad vegetables, all of which are in season at the moment.

The orange trees span both bitter and sweet fruits. 

This is the wares of some farm or other in the village we visited. Looked really inviting. 

The religion is Greek orthodox as with the other islands. We visited one which was beautifully painted. The worl done is a recent addition.

I will post these when I get home as they will not rotate.

I didn't go out into the town. I had had enough of religion, the Greek mythology and the battles, each of which we'd heard about on each of the previous islands. So I went back to the ship, washed the dress I'd been wearing and went for a sauna.

Tomorrow is a day of rest; we're sailing towards Sicily.

From there we are back in the Mediterranean and on home territory. 

 

Rhodes (Rhodos)

An island of decaying 1960s square hotels and small modern homes intermingled with Medieval villages nestling in the hills or, like Lindos, frozen in time as a world heritage site.

In fact, most of Rhodos is world heritage.

The old town of Rhodos is a capsule of the many architectural influences from the Italians to the Turks to the Greeks and Ottomans. The arches above are the remnants of a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, a huge catholic church in one quarter. Turn around and walk on and you fall over a large mosque. Turn right and its the turn of the orthodox church. A little further and the Order of St John's.

A labyrinth of tiny streets where balconies almost touch. Sit on your balcony on one side and enjoy a leisurely coffee chatting with your neighbour on theirs.

If not, then visit the local square and sit under the olive trees which are probably over a thousand years old.

Rhodes or Rhodos is an island steeped in history.

Nowadays, the economy is driven by two things, tourism and olive growing.

Tourism employs most of the population for about six months of the year. Once the season ends, the people revert to the land and harvest olives.

The presses produce the various grades of olive oil, whilst the pips yield a thick, gel-like liquid which is used to make soap. The skins of the olives go to make creams and lotions for the skin. As our guide said, nothing is wasted. Even the prunings of the wood are either burned on the fire or carved into bowls and utensils. 

The old town of Rhodos is surrounded by a wall. The gates are strategically placed so the whole city is easily defended.

The town itself is split in two, one side, cafés, bars, restaurants and shops, the other houses, businesses and locals. 

Unlike Lindos, Old Town is still very much lived in.

January/February is off season but the temperatures are still high - approximately 20°C. This is the time when they repair, renew and demolish, so many places were in the process of demolition. 

Summers can hit the high 40°C and inland 50°C. Not the best time to come. They are also low on water so things are getting expensive for them (inflation is still high) and consequently, us as traveller's.

Today we tender

The ducks are ready and the anchor is away, now we wait for customs to give clearance.

It's another sunny day here and I'm off at 8.30am on an excursion which, I suspect, will take me to similar or the same places as yesterday. Oh well, hopefully I'll get into the shop at the beach of Aphrodite and pick up my obligatory fridge magnet.

Mine was the second trip out, leaving at 8.45am. Bit of a shock but I was awake by 6am so it wasn't the rush I thought it would be.

We travelled back to Aphrodite's beach but this time I went in the shop and found a really good Suncrest, one I use regularly when in Spain (Aloe Vera based)

So next stop was a set of ruins called the Acropolis of the Kings.

This is the atrium of the first tomb uncovered. It's been reconstructed to show how the dead were buried. No coffins were used. The entrance to the burial chamber (housing quite a few people) faced the sea; towards rebirth.

The whole hillside is littered with ruins, many still unexplored. The guide reckoned they had another thirty years there before everything was uncovered.

Next was the Mansion just outside the marina. This has mosaic floors both from pre-Roman and Roman times. The state of them is amazing and the colour!

I will post them separately as they keep turning to portrait and make little sense.

The site, like that of the Tombs of the Kings is very large and has received EU money to place covers over some of the mosaics. This part of the mansions outlying buildings is not covered and the mosaics here are stunning.

Coming back, I walked a short way along the promenade and sampled a gorgeous icecream; cinnamon and orange. What a delightful way to finish a nother lovely day.

Would I come back here? Yes, in December.