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Welcome to my travel log! You will find here a lot more than in the travel reports, stripped from political correctness. Enjoy! 
Sep 24, 2003 02:00 PM Santorini (GR) - Firostefani
The village of Firostefani was where I wanted to stay on Santorini, and this was where I got the taxi driver to take me from the airport.
It is much quieter than Fira town, and it boasts magnificent views of the island, the volcano. It is located walking distance from the capital and it less touristy with much better accommodation prices.
The village has also several little churches, which are probably the most photographed buildings on the Greek islands. The one on the front page of this story is perhaps the typical picture featuring Greece on travel and tourist folders, calendars, postcards, etc. So, even I decided to put this one on the title page of this story.
There are also many more other interesting buildings in Firostefani, much less shops and tourist-focused establishments, and of course, there are no unbearably odoriferous donkeys, which smell horribly and stink horrendously and whose extremely sad eyes scream ‘please, please do not sit on my back!’
Couple of my favourite structures in the village were two defunct windmills, now being a part of a restaurant. They are great, because they are the only completely round buildings on the island, and therefore contrast beautifully with the surrounding houses.
The hotel in Firostefani, in which I wanted stay, was all over sudden full and I had to look for alternatives. It was early in the morning, so the chances were not too bad. A number of little hotels in the closest vicinity were also full for the first night I wanted to stay, so I kept looking and found a lady, who was letting rooms.
Her room was extremely basic, located in a basement, but it was clean and cheap. I did not really need a swimming pool with a bar overlooking the magnificent caldera. Did I? I can tell you that I successfully substituted this with several pints of beer drunk in a friendly rooftop bar with scary (much better than I ever expected) view on the major part of the caldera.
Being in Firostefani meant that one had to do a bit of hiking in either the direction of the capital town or the other direction to admire unforgettable views over the island. Those views only and, possibly flights around the islands, could reveal how striking Santorini really is. How, the towns and villages are built on the ridge of this magnificent volcano’s crater. It is amazing how people choose to live in such conditions. It is a pain in the arse to come down to the water’s edge for fish or transportation and seating on a volcano’s crater, is like waiting for a disaster to happen. Again. However, if it happens now on the same scale like it did 36.5 centuries ago, this time at least it would not bury (or sink in water) the most important civilisation in Europe. Would it?
So, I did end up walking along the ridge of the inhabited crater, through narrow streets among white washed houses and huts. Sometimes, the street, or rather pavement, was leading right on the edge of the caldera providing for breathtaking views. I most definitely enjoyed these walks and the views were more than spectacular. I mean it was perfect. Great exercise in a splendid environment.
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Sep 23, 2003 02:00 PM Rhodos (GR) - Siana
Rhodesians have contributed to the world of alcoholic beverages with souma. There is a small village in the interior of Rhodos, Siana, which is famous because of this drink.
I am not sure what from souma is made, but whatever it is, it does not make a tasty drink. It is possibly the worst alcohol I have ever tasted in my life. I seriously struggle to describe how terrible it is. It is revolting! I do not even want to think about it.
Siana is not the village I will remember for its culinary values. We stopped there for lunch and we all hated it. I think we ordered lamb chops and pizza and none of them looked or tasted like they really should. I do not want to waste time and space to describe how badly these dishes tasted.
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Sep 23, 2003 02:00 PM Rhodos (GR) - Camiros
Camiros, another legendary city, or rather coming straight form mythology, is today badly ruined and it takes creative imagination to picture what this place looked like during times of its glory. None of the buildings remain and there are stones scattered around the area, which do not prove that they were part of a great city. The surrounding gardens are pretty, though.
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Sep 23, 2003 02:00 PM Rhodos (GR) - Rhodes Town, the last night
The modern part of the city, north of the old town, is bustling with nightlife, and there is also quite pleasant beach. The beach was easier to find, and I was such a wolly, and did not spot the street running parallel to the beach (two blocks in), which was just the longest bar on Rhodes.
From door to door there were bars, clubs, discos and restaurants, and my hotel (Hotel Africa) was almost immediately at one of this street’s ends.
I could not believe that I missed all the fun as I discovered this strip on the very last night! Many of the bars were really cool and most of them offered free drinks. Unfortunately, some of the drinks were awful, although they were large and if one cares that it should hit you, then I guess that would be perfectly fine. Even those ‘ones’ should be careful though, because many dodgy establishments serve illegally produced alcohol, which is closer to methyl than it is to water.
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Sep 22, 2003 02:00 PM Rhodos (GR) - Lindos
Lindos is an ancient, mythological and mythical town in the middle of the eastern coast with almost impressive ruins at the top. The town at the feet of the hills (photograph below) is picturesque but spoiled by excessive number of tourist groups.
I liked they way it clings to the hill and the tiny households holding on to their traditional way of decorating the dwellings and little gardens.
The hilltop route is an interesting climb, and it can be tricky to find the right way in the town to the path. It is ever more interesting with people who took the donkey ride. Not to the top, but from the top to the bottom. The interestingness of the ride is about the donkey making it down to the town without falling down on the slippery stones. The people’s faces, who ride the donkeys give away for certain that this time round it is the people, who shit themselves and not the donkeys.
There was this girl on a donkey, which clearly struggled on the path down to the town. She had an expression on her face that made me laugh hard, that I nearly pissed and shitted myself. For a week, I could not forget her grimacing, horrific fear in her eyes, and the rivers on sweat flowing from her temple down to the cheeks, the neck, the back and, I am more than certain, all the way down to the other cheeks.
There is a great view from the top, particularly to a great sandy beach of a croissant shape, which I did not visit.
The top is where, according to mythology, Lindos, Helios’s grandson, built a city. Today, it is badly ruined, but what remains definitely stimulates imagination. It must have been a great and marvellous city with the best view on the Mediterranean at the time. The columns, the stairways, the courtyards and plakas, you name it. And that beautiful beach in a shape of a croissant below!
Unfortunately, there is not much to do in Lindos, apart from lying on the beach in the shape of a croissant. The town is minute and it is overcrowded with German, Dutch and, even worse, Italian tourist groups. The nice seventeenth century whitewashed buildings are great to a look at, but the vast majority of them are simply tourist-trap-shops.
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Sep 22, 2003 02:00 PM Rhodos (GR) - Faraklos Castle
The castle of Faraklos, the largest castle on the island, is not easy to find. I think we spent almost an hour before we took the right turn.

The castle is badly ruined but it has absolutely great location. It makes a tremendous impression. Faraklos village, on the coast there, is small and there is nothing to do but lie and ‘vege’ (Julia Robert’s expression from “Pretty Woman”) on a small and clean beach. There are a number of interesting looking eateries, but I failed to spot anything good to eat. And mind you, I was looking for great seafood of course.
If I think about it for a minute, I conclude that Faraklos is so much a better place to beach yourself in Rhodos. Much better than those terrible, over commercialised plastic-fantastic resorts. Faraklos has at least atmosphere and local feel.
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Sep 22, 2003 02:00 PM Rhodos (GR) - Moni Tharri
Supposed an interesting monastery, Moni Tharri, which cannot be seen from outside, is difficult to be admired. It is the first monastery on the island, but it looks modern and tourists are not allowed inside.
I tried to take a picture, but I could not get a clear view on it. I seriously cannot say anything more about it.
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Sep 22, 2003 02:00 PM Rhodos (GR) - Prasonisi
The most southern tip of the Rhodes island is called Prasonisi. It has a marvelous great beach, which is larger than average. One can actually drive on it. We did!
Although, weather was not particularly beachy, there were a few people lingering on the beach until late afternoon. Many of them were practising skills with their kites, and many were windsurfing.
I think this beach is considered one of the best Greek beaches for windsurfing. A few booths directly on the beach were selling and renting all the necessary equipment. That was very convenient. Having said that the guys in the booths did not look particularly busy that afternoon. It was late and people might have already left for the day.
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Sep 22, 2003 02:00 PM Rhodos (GR) - Monolithos Castle
Amazingly situated, the Monolithos Castle pictured above, is a dream come true location for photographers. It was built on a hill, almost directly by the western coast hill. The views from there are breathtaking. From a certain point, one can admire both the sheer hill on which the castle stands, and the long, steep cliffs along the western coast.
When I was visiting, it was not easy to photograph, because of annoying overcast and the sun shining almost directly into the lens. However, the result was interesting, because at that time of the day, the sun rays produced gentle and saturated colours, which added to the ambiance and the magic of the spot.
The top of the hill is great and although the castle is not badly ruined, and there is absolutely nothing to see, the spot makes a perfect place for a picnic and even getting jiggy with it. It is not entirely secluded place, so one (or rather couples) ought to be careful as tourists do venture there.
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Sep 21, 2003 02:00 PM Rhodos (GR) - Rhodes Town
A large island in the archipelago of the Dodecanese, Rhodos has much more to offer than just endless sandy beaches and more than 300 days of sunshine a year. It is also an island of outstanding natural beauty with landscape ranging from steep cliffs along the coast to rocky mountains in the interior to lush forests.
Rhodos is home to the largest inhabited medieval town in Europe, Rhodos Town, inscribed by UNESCO as the World Heritage site, a finest example of defensive city fortifications of the Dark Ages.
Despite those qualities, the tourist offices and travel agents around the United Kingdom advertise Rhodos as a beach resorts, which drives thousands of Britons to the island to party and lie on a private beach of an all-inclusive plastic resort located in the a town full of all the same resorts away from historical places. Actually, it is good that these awful artificial and over touristy places are nowhere near those tremendous historical monuments.
Although subsequently Rhodos was changing owners many times, from Greek, Romans, Crusaders, Ottomans, and even being fully independent, the first history of the island, and the most colourful one, was actually originating from Greek myths and legends.
The myths say that Rhodos was a woman, wife to the sun god Helios. They lived happily on this beautiful island. Their grandchildren, Camiros, Lindos and Ialysos founded cities on the island, which now carry their names. Little remains of ancient Camiros and Ialysos today, but Lindos is still great.
The island had become extremely famous in the ancient times because of the Colossus of Rhodos, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It actually has never been proven to have existed, and there are serious doubts about it alleged location if it actually did exist. There are absolutely no remains and no tangible evidence of it. Allegedly it was made of bronze between 294 and 282 BC and it stood 32 meters high, which is equivalent to 15-storey building.
The island’s capital, Rhodos Town, is a great medieval town, with fantastic old town and unforgettable atmosphere. It was founded by the three cities of Camiros, Ialysos and Lindos in 408 BC in order to consolidate their defence against the Persians or Athenians. The architect Hippodamos constructed the most orderly city of antiquity.
By the way, Rhodes has got a history to switching sides and allies as often as Christina Aguilera would change her clothes during an Oscar ceremony. It was allied with Athens against Persians in the Battle of Marathon in 490BC, then ten years later, it switched sides to join Persians in the Battle of Salamis against the Athenians. But when they lost, they re-allied with Athens. The same happened with the battles against Alexander the Great.

The city architecture has been changing several times as a result of series of powerful earthquakes. In 1309 the Knights of St John arrived and constructed, what remains until this day, the medieval city with impressive city walls.
The old town takes time to discover, it is a true medieval labyrinth of narrow cobble stone streets, sometimes leading to a tiny square or through the wall onto the moat. It is one the most picturesque cities I have seen in my life.
There are a few streets aligned with countless boutiques and shops as well as petite eateries serving all sorts of crispy gyros and ice-cold beer. But there are streets aligned with nothing, just doors to people’s houses. Whilst the former get animated during the day and late evening, the latter remain slightly creepy and mysterious, staying mute about the past and fascinating history of this place, I am sure. I loved getting lost there and going in circles trying to find the way out.
The single thing I remember from walking about the old town is the scooters, scooters everywhere speeding along the very narrow and cobbled streets. The riders have no mercy speeding between the pedestrians like those pedestrians were not there! That was not funny at all, since the streets were often so narrow that the scooter just fit there with the steering handles almost scratching the buildings on both sides.
In normal country, this should not be allowed. But hey that is Greece! If donkeys are allowed to stand for hours in full sun and shit on steep stairway creating hazard for all the users of the steps, including themselves, then I guess it is perfectly alright to allow scooters speed among pedestrians on slippery and very narrow cobble stoned streets causing the pedestrians heart strokes and sweat a little bit more. I am sure that the locals are well used to the danger, so it would be just the tourist who are at risk of leaving certain colour marks on their underwear.
The old port is pretty but less interesting. I was particularly fond of derelict windmills and a harbour fort. There was however nothing there to do and the waterfront few amenities did look particularly inviting.
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