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Rhodes Holidays Places Of Interest
n the ancient world,
Rhodes was seen as the The formidable city walls from
island of the Sun God the 15th Century are an
Helios, who crossed the firmament impressive sight. You can walk
with his team every day. The along part of them to enjoy a
bronze statue, the “Colossus of wonderful view of Rhodes old
Rhodes”, was one of the Seven town. The Turkish quarter with
Wonders of the Ancient world. its oriental mosques, in which
Today Rhodes with its 2000 year time seems to have stood still,
history is a fascinating mix of is also worth seeing. In the
beaches, nature and testimonials. tangle of small alleyways you
will stumble again and again
Rhodes City (Rhodes) across quaint nooks and crannies,
but the old town is at its most
A walk through the old town of beautiful in the early evening
Rhodes is at the same time a when the dwindling sunlight
ramble through the thousands of lights up the streets of houses
years of history of the city - dating from the Middle Ages in
from the Archaeological Museum gold.
with its ancient statues, graves
and ceramics, you can go down Valley of the Butterflies
Street of Knights to the Palace (Petaloudes)
of the Knights dating from the
Middle Ages which has not Butterfly Valley is a narrow,
suffered any damage to the lush forested valley through
present day. Not far away you which a beck runs - this idyll is
will find modern boutiques, bars ideal for walking and taking a
and cafés which invite you to picnic. At its upper end there is
pass away the time and take a an 18th-Century monastery which
stroll. is worth a brief visit.
to Rhodes. The fact that this
Those visiting the valley, settlement has been constantly
however, generally have other inhabited since the ancient world
reasons. The “Valley of the is unsurprising when you consider
Butterflies” is not so-called for the scenic position of the
no reason - thousands and village between the hills and the
thousands of rare harlequin sea. The whitewashed houses form
butterflies with their red and an arch around the hill, which is
black wings live here. It is, crowned by the Acropolis
however, not always possible to surrounded by an enormous wall
see them. You will mainly come from the Middle Ages which can be
across them in the summer months seen from the village.
between June and August - in late
summer they lay eggs, in April On the way to the Acropolis, you
the caterpillars hatch which may easily get lost in the maze
transform in June and spend the of alleyways and in many places
summer in the valley. Why this stumble across well maintained
species of butterfly has come to silicic mosaic floors with
settle in this area of Rhodes can splendid patterns. The so-called
be explained by a botanical captain houses from the 18th
particularity - amber trees, Century, which are decorated with
whose aromatic resin attracts the complex façades, are famous. At
harlequin butterflies and on the the excavated site at the highest
bark of which they feed, only point of the Acropolis you will
grow in this area of the country. find the Temple of Athena Lindia,
which was meant to replace the
Lindos old wooden temple and which was
constructed in the 6th Century BC
A stay in Lindos in undoubtedly under the rule of Kleoboulos.
one of the high points of a trip Here, you can walk over the
terraces, pass by an Exedra from ring - the monastery was to be
the 3rd Century BC, through an built where her ring was found.
impressive portico and the The church is worth a visit due
gateway which forms the entrance to its frescoes with scenes from
to the holy temple area. the Old and New Testament, which
mainly originate from the 16th
Thari Monastery (Moni Thari) and 17th Century, although some
date back to the early 14th
The Thari Monastery, a Byzantine Century.
gem, lies south of Laerma in the
middle of the island. It is run Kamiros
by a few monks who have their own
radio and TV programs. It was The ancient pottery town is
empty until well into the 1980s admittedly one of the less
when Abbot Amfilodios first gave important ancient sites on
it a new lease of life. The Rhodes, but is nevertheless worth
monastery goes back to the 13th a visit. The picturesque Kamiros,
Century and was built on the site nestled between green hills not
of an even older building. far from the western coast of the
island, is the smallest of the
The basic legend says that a three ancient sites of Rhodes but
Byzantine princess from lost its importance after the
Constantinople suffered from an merger in 408 BC of the separate
incurable illness and almost died site with the capital Rhodes
alone in the woods of Rhodes. The City.
mild climate and the bubbling
springs in the area cured her and Kamiros is a homogenous
she founded a monastery to show Hellenistic settlement whose
her thanks. She determined the inhabitants were farmers and
site for this by throwing her craftsmen, often potters which
gave Kamrios its far-reaching and pink rockroses - a sight to
reputation as a pottery town. sweeten the tiring walk. If you
Ceramics from Kamiros were can reach the summit, the
exported nearly everywhere in the breathtaking view of the island
world known at the time. The and the sea is worth it.
architectural uniformity of the
town is due to the fact that the Here you can also see the scant
entire town was completely remains of a Zeus Sanctuary from
rebuilt shortly after a serious Mycenaean times. A gruesome
earthquake in 226 BC which legend surrounds this - the altar
flattened out the town. It was is said to have been designed in
finally abandoned after another the form of a bronze bull in
earthquake in 142 BC, after which which people were locked away.
the population lost their Then a fire was started and those
destroyed town. inside died a painful death. The
priests of the sanctuary
Ataviros interpreted the screams and cries
for help of those sacrificed as
At 1,215 m, Ataviros is the an oracle. Even today inhabitants
highest mountain in Rhodes. The of the village tell this story at
ascent is extremely hard and you the foot of the mountain.
should allow approximately 7
hours to get there and back and Epta Piges
make sure that you have good
footwear with you. It is best to The “Seven Springs” are a
start the walk from the tiny waterfall which is formed from
village of Embona. The otherwise the meeting of several springs to
sparse mountain is covered in irrigate the Kolymbia plain. Here
spring by a gory sea of white and you will find a tavern which will
blue sage, light-blue anemones tempt you to while away long
periods of time with its tables Embona
under the shade of donated
sycamores and numerous peafowls Embona is one of Rhodes' largest
which form a tryst. mountain villages and is the wine
capital of the island. At the
Epta Piges is a popular place for entrance to the village you will
the residents of Rhodes, who like find the Emery winery, which
to bring picnics here, produces excellent wines and can
particularly in the summer also be visited on weekdays -
months. It is pleasantly cool with wine tasting included, of
here even in the height of summer course! Its fame is due to the
thanks to the water and close-by Athiri grape, which thrives
pine forests. It is hardly wonderfully on the small terraces
surprising that legends claim on the western slopes of Ataviros
this place was a favourite with and has been cultivated since
nymphs. A 150 m long water tunnel ancient times. Attempts to
links the beck to a lake. Only cultivate this type of grape
the courageous should take this outside Rhodes have always
route to the lake, since the failed.
tunnel is pitch black. For those
less adventurous there is also an Due to its famous wine, the
overground route, but it is village has been taken over by
slightly longer. Fans of rare mass tourism. Not a day goes by
plants will also appreciate this without the arrival of coaches of
area, as light-blue mandrakes, tourists. Many of the local
for example, grow here which have taverns offer Greek evenings with
a human-like figure and are said folklore dance shows. Those
to have had magical powers in the wishing to have a slightly
Middle Ages. quieter visit to Embona should
take a short walk to the quieter
and more traditional part of the and weaved goods which are made
village where you can buy rugs in nearly every house in Embona.
About the Author:
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Published At: www.Isnare.com
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