I’m being brief today as we’re back in Rhodes for three days, and I’m coming to you from a hotel room. We’ve got bits and pieces to do and one of them can only be done today, and as there’s no boat to suit on a Thursday, we came over yesterday morning. This enabled us to take our time, and to spend a couple of days at the Castellum, a hotel we’ve stayed at before. Last night, we chatted to some nomads who wanted to settle in Turkey, but now can’t, so are spending their time alternating between EU and non-Eu countries until the wife gets her/European Irish passport, when they can settle in Greece. They are staying at this hotel because all your meals and drinks are included. When they started here a few weeks ago, it was €35 a night for them both (for us, it’s now only €55.00). When you think that includes three meals a day (and the food is fabulous), snacks, drinks, tea, coffee, water, cleaning, bills, TV and great rooms, it’s a pretty cheap way to live.

On the walk here, we took a road not so often travelled (by us), and it struck me that, as with Symi, when you get off your usual beaten path, you see so much more of interest. I’ll try and get some more photos today, but we came across magnificent buildings like this one…

We also discovered to my delight that we are staying between two music shops, and each one is only a three-minute walk away. One was closed last evening, but the other was open, so that was me contentedly browsing for half an hour. The thing about music, for me is, I don’t know what I want to learn or have a go at until I see the score, so browsing the physical pages is the way to go – you can’t do that online. I picked up some Debussy, had a look, and put it down. (It was for thirteen fingers, but only two hands.) I wasn’t going down that route, something grade six or seven is comfortable, so I opted for a new-to-me Mozart Fantasia in C minor, and a more grade eight-ish transcription of Vivaldi’s Four Season, which I thought might be fun on the old Joanna (Piana/Piano, for those who don’t get the slang). I also indulged in a set of duets for me and Harry, though these will be for his sight reading, as they are about grade two, and he’s working on his four.

So, that’s me all caught up in a brief post, and now I’m off for my all-inclusive breakfast.

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No, I didn’t see him there, of course, because he died some time ago (1990), but when I was there recently I passed by his old house. This is one of those places you might not know about, and might not think to visit, but should you find yourself in Rhodes with spare time, waiting for a ferry or something, you might want to pass by and take a look.

The Lawrence Durrell House (Villa Kleobolus) is a little villa by the old Turkish Cemetery and the Mosque of Reis, right next to the Casino. It has also been described as the gatekeeper’s cottage, which it may have been, and it’s right on the edge of the road, so easy to view. Durrell was there from 1945 to 1947 and was working for the British government because Britain was overseeing the Dodecanese for a while following WWII. The British administration was using what is now the casino, so the villa/cottage was handy for work. As Information Officer, he supervised the publication of three daily papers, in Greek, Turkish, and Italian.

I am not sure of the status of the property today. I read that ‘it houses the Association of Literature and Arts but it was closed’, but that was in a review on Trip Advisor, so… I’ve never seen it open for any reason, it doesn’t look used, and I’ve never seen anyone going in and out. I’m sure you could find more info about the place on a trip to Rhodes, I only mention it as something of interest to see while you are there. Also nearby, you will find the soup and salad bar (more or less opposite) which is a handy, healthy and relatively cheap place for lunch.

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Today, a few colourful images to brighten up what’s started as a cloudy and windy day. 14 degrees outside at 7.00, but colder in the house and certainly colder in the office. Things will warm up though, as I set about considering the next story to write while I wait for the last one to come back from the proofreader.

Meanwhile, the photos. Some streamers left over from a party or early carnival event, our first hibiscus flower of the year, a cyclamen seen with many others during a walk, a pink sky of a few months back, and the green of spring out there in the Pedi valley, or nearby, I can’t remember exactly. I’ll leave these with you as I set about my notebook and research material.

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A wander around the upper village the other day resulted in a couple of interesting photos. With the first one, I was attracted to the straight edges and lines of the building behind the ruin contrasting with the stones and texture of the foreground. (That’s about as arty as I get.)

The second one gives us a chance to be armchair architecture archaeologists if we fancy it, and we do that by wondering how what’s left behind tells us what was once there. Or, we can guess. A fireplace on the left means that must have been the kitchen area, and as further evidence, there are the remains of the plate rack — the alcove to the right of the fire arch. A doorway into the next room/main building. Two arches supporting it all? A cellar? A tunnel between buildings? Further investigation is needed, but it’s a private plot, and high up, so I’m not going scrambling.

Just shows you what you can find when you explore the back lanes of the village, as this ruin is not alone. It’s interesting how many people say they’ve never walked around the village lanes because they are afraid of getting lost. You can’t, really. If in doubt, head downhill and you’ll either meet a road or, eventually, the sea. That is if you don’t meet a dead end, in which case, you double back. It’s well worth the effort of climbing up the steps or taking the bus or a taxi, and then getting off the beaten track. Just turn off the main path and see what’s around the corner. Explore.

I shall be doing more of that later because it’s a lovely day here, crisp, but calm and sunny so far, and perfect weather for taking a walk.

By the way, ‘My Life in Ruins’ is the title of a comedy film featuring Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and Richard Dreyfuss. It’s set in Greece, where it was filmed, and is a fun thing to watch. I believe it was renamed ‘Driving Aphrodite’ for the UK release, so it has two titles, but it’s the same film.

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There’s something of a conspiracy against pedestrians going on in certain streets in Rhodes. In some cases, the pavement is only about 18 inches wide, and yet, there’s still a tree in the middle of it, or a lamppost. This, I believe, is a way of keeping down the weight of pedestrians. Too much around the middle and you can’t pass between the tree and the wall, so you are compelled to step sideways into the road risking life and limb. If someone’s coming the other way, you have that terrible decision of which way to step and often end up doing the stranger dance, where you sidestep in the manner of a foxtrot only to end up mirroring each other. There should be an unwritten rule that you always step to the left or the right, so we all know what we’re doing.

As you might guess, I did a fair amount of walking around Rhodes the other day (nine miles in total), and all this for a quick checkup at the docs as part of my annual health insurance. You’ll be pleased to know, as I was, that everything is ticking over nicely in the ticker department, tubes clear, levels fine, blah-di-blah. The half hour with a consultant cost me €20.00, and the appointment was at my convenience. Don’t get me started about how wonderful the health service is here, I’ll never stop going on about it.

That view, if you were wondering, was from the waiting room, and I took the photo to remind myself to tell you that the Plaza should be reopening soon. (Next week, I think.) this is the hotel where many Symi people stay or hang out while waiting for the day to pass before the ferry leaves, or when on their way to and from the airport. It’s been closed for a while for a refurb, and the last time I saw it, some of the balconies were missing. They are all back now.

Also noticed in Rhodes, there’s a new Goody’s, which is a viable alternative for Mcdonald’s which is also undergoing a refurb so that’s closed too. The orange blossom is out, even on trees that already have oranges on them. If these are the same trees as they have in Athens, then the oranges aren’t for eating, and the trees are purely for decoration. (And for forcing overweight pedestrians to walk into oncoming traffic.)

And lastly, this building which I liked the design of. It’s on Canada Street if you want to go and gawp. I passed it on my way to do some man shopping at Pappou. Man shopping is when you know what you want, you go in, get it, come out and carry on as you were. This I did for some tea bags on my way to the boat. Tea bags which need to be immersed in hot water, which is what I am away to do now. Have a fun weekend.

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