Hello from Rhodes, Greece

The 12 hour bus trip to Olympus set off from Goreme as scheduled at 9.30am. The bus was luxurious and very comfortable - leather reclining seats - headsets - huge windows and even seat belts. During the day we travelled through the magnificent Taurus Mountains as we wound our way down to the Mediterranean coast. As soon as we arrived at the Saban Pension in Olympus we were greeted by Aussies, Adam, Jayne and Mark who we had originally met in Egypt. Adam and Jayne had joined up with Mark's overland tour and were gearing up for an early morning departure. I was really exhausted after our long bus trip, so after dinner I was ready for a good night's sleep.


Olympus is the site of an ancient city and a 10 minute walk from our accommodation took us through the ruins and onto the beach. The water is crystal clear although the beach is a pebble beach and quite rocky. Word was out - there were hundreds on the beach enjoying the sun and the sea. Our second day at Olympos is a rest day as the Turkey Trots have caught up with us - have started antibiotics so should be spot on in about 24 hours.


The following morning we took the little bus to the highway 11 klms away and waited for the bus to Kas further north on the Mediterannean Coast. Our bus climbed up over the mountains and down into Kas (pronounced Cash). As we came down the mountain the views out to sea were quite spectacular. Mark had recommended the Ates Pension as a great place to stay so we checked in and were given a room on the 3rd floor with a balcony and views out over the bay - just gorgeous. The rooftop is the restaurant and living area - all open air and with great views.


We had bought the kids some t-shirts so headed into town and posted a parcel off to home. About 3 klm across the strait from Kas is one of the Greek Islands called Kastellorizo. Pat's mate Mick "Wombat" often chats about this island, where his descendants came from, so we decided to book a trip out there for the following day. That night we had dinner up on the Terrace and watched the sun set over the Mediterranean.


What a wonderful place we have arrived in - Kas - this part of the Mediterranean Coast is special - there's probably not enough superlatives to describe it. The little town is spread out around the bay and is dotted with an abundance of beautiful little restaurants - no shortage of eating places here.


Our ferry headed over to Kastellorizo on time and we sat up the front on the foredeck enjoying the scenery and the sea breeze. We cruised into the main Harbour on the island quite a picture perfect location. Many original buildings have been rebuilt and restored - the buildings are brightly coloured and skirt the clear aqua blue waters. Kastellorizo was used as a refuelling point for Air France's sea planes on their way to the Middle East and Egypt - it was also a major Mediterranean shipping port.


Historical Note: It concerns the prosperous past of Kastellorizo, when it was one of the more important shipping centres of the Mediterranean, with a population of over 10,000 and its decline, brought about by emigration and a series of disputes linked to international politics and war. Key dates in this sequence are the 1913 uprising; the French occupation 1915 - 1921; the Italian occupation 1921 - 1945; the earthquake of 1926; the systematic bombings and fires of 1943 - 1945; the evacuation of the island and the horrific return journey of the refugees in 1945, when transport caught fire.


The island has had its fair share of tragedy and sadly it succumbed to invasions, fires and earthquakes. The residents were finally evacuated to the mainland and other countries, especially the Middle East, in 1926. There seems to have been a big emigration to Australia around this time - which would explain why Mick "Wombat" is over there, and such a valued Australian at that! We spent a lovely day on Kastellorizo and returned to Kas in the afternoon. In the evening we walked into town to enjoy the local cuisine and the atmosphere.


The following morning, we said goodbye to Kas and headed to Fethiye further north along the Turkish coast. We took the shuttle bus from town to our accommodation, but on arrival found out that ferries to the Greek Island of Rhodes wouldn't be leaving for 3 days, so we made a quick change to our plans. We headed back into town and caught the next bus further on to Marmaris where ferries do leave regularly for the Greek Islands.


Marmaris does not have the appeal that Kas does. It is a major centre for package holiday tours from Britian and other places so the town is jam packed full of holidaymakers. Developers have put up major buildings with little or no town planning in place. After dinner we headed back to our hotel and relaxed around the pool in the cool of the evening. The days here are hot and muggy - nothing like the heat we have already experienced, but it is very humid.


The fast ferry left for Rhodes at 9am so we headed off to visit another Greek Island for a couple of days. Rhodes is the largest island in the Dodecanese group and due to the group's close proximity to the coast of Turkey, this group of islands has also suffered a turbulent past. The island of Rhodes is famous for producing the most flowers and sunny days in the Greek Islands.
Rhodes has a World Heritage listed Old Town and is the largest inhabited medieval town in Europe. Most places seem to have their own little claim to fame and they love to let visitors know what it is. It's a great Old Town to explore, but like many other places with rough cobble-stoned streets a few hours walking around takes its toll.



In the late afternoon we hired a little Hyundai and headed south-west out of the city to the coastal down of Lindos where we stayed the night and went out for some Greek dinner - a nice little change after Middle Eastern food.


The island is very mountainous with beautiful scenery and coastal views from high up in the mountains. I think Pat forgot he wasn't in our 4WD at one stage, as he took a fork in a road which took us down the mountainside and through pine forests to the coast. At times the road resembled a bit of a goat track. The maps are quite hard to read and many of the roads are not marked, so it's a bit of a guessing game at times working out the best route.


We had a couple of hours spare before we had to return the hire car, so we found a lovely little beach and spent the time relaxing. Once again, the Mediterranean has very rocky beaches, but the water is crystal clear. Pat loves lying in the sun but I much prefer a shady tree.


Pat's cousin Terri, has a very close friend who she grew up with in Bundaberg - she lives here on Rhodes, so tomorrow morning after breakfast we're heading off to catch up with her.