Rhodes/Rodos
June 28, 2024
We arrived in Rhodes, or as the Greeks say, “Rodos,” on Thursday morning. I’d printed directions from Google Maps before we left, in case we had a problem with WiFi and GPS.
That’s a whole other story!! After hours of research and purchasing European eSIM cards for our phones, we discovered your phones have to be unlocked and it takes 60 days after final payment to unlock them!!
I put in a request for a refund for our European eSIM cards, and we went with AT&T’s international plan, $12 for the first phone with maximum charges for 10 days and $6 for each additional day per phone—only when data is used. Thankfully, you’re only charged the days you use the service.
All I can say is it’s a good thing we had that access. And not just for the GPS.
We drove for over an hour trying to get the less than 2 miles from the ferry to the hotel. The problem: it kept directing us down a street with a gate.
After Google Maps wouldn’t give us any other way, we tried the Maps feature built into the iPhone—Wally driving and me navigating—both of us encouraging each other to see the adventure and not get frustrated.
Before we left, I typed up and printed our whole itinerary, so I had easy access to the phone number of the Evdokia Boutique Hotel.
Wally told me to call and ask how to get there, so I did. He (we found out later his name was Savvas, the owner) said to drive to Kolona Harbor and park and he would send the electric car to come get us.
We found Kolona Harbor easily enough. Parking was another story.
Did I mention it’s tourist season? Greeks and other Europeans travel to the islands like Americans travel to the Gulf Coast and Florida.
Half an hour later, we called the Evdokia again to tell them we couldn’t find a place to park and ask what to do.
Savvas said, “You can’t find parking? This is Rodos. Of course, there’s parking. You want me to come show you where to park?”
His question sounded like he expected us to say, “No, we can manage it.” But this was no time for pride.
Though it felt humiliating, we said “Yes!”
Five minutes later, he showed up on a motorcycle and told us to follow him. After looking all around where we’d been looking and finding nothing, he drove up the gated street and told us to stay beside him when the gate opened, so we could get through.
Amazing the kind of access you can get when you’re with the right person.
I had picked the Evdokia by searching for a hotel near the ferry that included breakfast. When I saw “Evdokia,” I thought it was meant to be because Evdokia Gouras Gennis was the name of my Yiayia’s younger sister, who also helped raise my dad the first five years of his life. She was also my godmother.
Being in old Rhodes, this building would have certainly been here when my grandparents married here in 1934.
Upon entering, we headed up a large round staircase.
The staircase opened into a large room where we enjoyed breakfast each morning.
The hotel was more like a bed and breakfast with about 8 or so rooms off the main room.
The only thing about it was that it was very hot. We tried to get a breeze by opening the windows and our doors. The worst part was trying to sleep.
The next morning, Wally wrote this to our kids:
”Dumb American story, or maybe just dumb Dad. Last night we sweltered and sweated and barely slept with no AC and 85 degree breeze which did not come in the open window. Um, what’s that white box way up there on the top of the wall? We’d seen no thermostat. No, it’s that remote by your bed (which we’d thought was for the tv). I’m sure our Greek hosts had a good laugh, and we will get some rest tonight.”
Needless to say, we slept much better our second night!
Mostly what we’ve seen in Rhodes is shop after shop manned by people standing outside trying to get you to come inside. And people, people, people speaking so many languages. We’re enjoying excellent food and weather. Wally has commented about how he has not seen a cloud since Atlanta.
Rooftop meal. Turkey in the background across the sea.
Largest bougainvillea we've ever seen! Just beneath the wall surrounding "Old Rhodes."
Turns out that the hotel being in “Old Rhodes” means it’s enclosed by a wall—like we read about the wall around Jericho or Jerusalem. On Friday, we walked the kilometer on top of the wall, which provided an excellent view of the dry moat as well as the town.
After walking around the wall, we finally made it to the archaeological museum. We saw some ancient gems, but no record of any jewels donated by Mussolini.
