Adventure in Rodos

After landing in Athens after a twenty hour travel journey I was less than excited for the overnight ferry ride to Rhodes. Sleep was my number one priority and any moving object with an engine was loathed. But alas, on the ferry we went, beginning our sixteen hour trek through the Aegean sea, we finally made it to a semi-permanent destination; Rhodes.

My first impression of Rhodes was really my first impression of Greece overall. As we drove along the coastline roads, surrounded by beautiful mountains and crystal clear water, the first thought that came to mind was how beautiful it all was, how different from home. Rhodes is so many things; it's gorgeous, it's relaxing, it's crazy, it's unique, it's ancient, it's a tourist town, it's Greek, it's Turkish. But without a doubt, Rhodes was incredible.

Our first destination after getting off the ferry was to Lindos, a small town on the coast of Rhodes. There we began a long steep, slippery climb to the acropolis which was built sometime during the tenth century B.C.

And yes, it's still standing...well, sort of. I was amazed by the acropolis. To see something that was made using ancient techniques and building materials still standing thousands of years later is so incredibly breath-taking. It's hard to stand there and imagine that it was once used by ancient people, but people who were more or less, just like us. After exploring the acropolis of Lindos, we drug ourselves back to the bus and headed for the Belvedere hotel on the other side of the island.
The Belvedere was awesome, minus the fact that air conditioning was not included in the price of rooms.   And since Greeks don't believe in doing anything indoors, I forgot what air conditioning felt like for a while.

Okay, let's be straight here. The drinking age in Greece is eighteen. Of course we're going to capitalize on this experience. Don't get me wrong, we didn't toss drinks back like they were nothing. But chilling at the hotel bar, ordering a drink every now and then was only part of the experience. I learned very quickly from my time spent at the bar that Europeans are much more friendly than Americans. They'll come up for a drink and strike up a conversation with you, a random stranger that they've never seen before and will most likely never see again. It's really interesting to hear their perspectives, their stories, and to joke around with them. That was actually one of the coolest experiences I've had while in Rhodes. We also made friends with the bartender (I promise, it's not as creepy as it sounds). He was such a nice guy and he lived in New York so he spoke really good English. One night, we all stayed up until almost four in the morning just talking with him. He was a little crazy, but so nice. He made the best drinks too!

During our adventures through Rhodestown, we ended up coming across and traveling through what we deemed "scary street." Now you could imagine all kinds of things that could make a street scary and you would probably still leave something out. From drunk guys invading your personal space and yelling at you to stop at their bar to crazed moped drivers to textbook cases of the stereotypical "thug" look, blasting music, bright lights, this street was scary. Once these guys brand you as tourists, you're marked for good and they're coming after you for your  business. As freaky and as uncomfortable as it was, it was actually a cool experience to see the Greek nightlife. This was no tourist street. This was where the locals socialized. It was really neat to be a part of that.

Ancient Kamiros

The rest of the trip consisted of visiting more ruins, like Ancient Kamiros and exploring the old part of Rhodes. It's so amazing to stand on something that was built thousands of years ago. I just wish we could see what this stuff really looked like back then, see it filled with people, living their lives.

Although Rhodes was a blast, I have to admit, I'm happy to be back in Athens, settled into the dorm, not living out of suitcase. Athens doesn't seem to be as tourism oriented as Rhodes so I'm hoping we'll have some authentic Greek experiences!

So far, I've really been impressed with Greek life. Everything is very different but I love that. It keeps things interesting, teaches me new ways to do things. Though I could do without the school part.....

Greece is amazing. It has done as promised. It has taken every expectation I had, thrown it out and replaced it with incredible experiences that I will never forget. And this is just the first week.
So to that I say, yamas! Cheers to Greece!