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Introduction to our Trip to Rhodes
In Germany, people are able to take off quite a lot of time for vacation . This is great, since Germany has a short summer that is warm and comfortable. This means you can extend your summer with vacation if you plan it well. I was able to make my summer last longer this year by going to Rhodes, Greece. In only 3 hours, I was in Greece, near the Turkish coast and could experience much warmer weather than what we see here in Berlin. There are also many islands nearby so the flight there had a nice view in the last 30 minutes before the island.
Landing on Rhodes
While landing, it felt like there was no land under us. The runway is very close to the beach and it looks like you might land on water. The island welcomed us with a very warm afternoon. This was especially nice because we came from rain and wind in Berlin. Next, we took a bus into town for the low cost of three euros per person. The ride only took thirty minutes and the walk to our hotel was another ten minutes. In total, we spent about four and a half hours of travel time from our door in Berlin, to a new world in Greece. Pretty amazing! It was only another thirty minutes of getting ready for dinner before we had our first meal, octopus with fava bean mash and a glass of red wine.
Transportation around Rhodes
Usually, I like to take the bus or train when I travel but this time we rented a car. It was a great decision! Renting a car gave us much more freedom to do what we wanted to do. It also helped us keep distance from others during this pandemic. We booked our car very late so it was too large and a bit too expensive. Remember to book your car early to get a better deal! It was still worth it since we explored many beautiful beaches and towns. We also used the rental car to drive back to Rhodes city before our flight home. It was much more convenient than waiting for bus!
Which is the Best Beach in Rhodes?
We chose to see a few different beaches since there were so many options and we had a car. If you also have this freedom to drive around, use it to find some new spots! Rhodes has many different types of beaches. You can find a beautiful sandy beach with nice lounge chairs like Pefkos or you can find a crystal clear, rocky bay for some nice snorkeling like in Paralia Agios Pavlos. If you want a nice view and some nice food, check out Grande Blue. Here we had an amazing view with some mussels and an ice-cold beer. The restaurant is about 100 meters above a beautiful, rocky bay and has a lot of seafood on the menu. Another great spot to relax on the beach all day is Tsambiko beach. You just have to know it is more crowded and the people who work there will try hard to sell you a chair. Once you settle down, it is a great place to relax with a book and cool off with an occasional swim. This beach is also great for more water activities like parasailing, jet skiing and tubing.
Food on Rhodes
Greece is well known for many nice foods and a few that stand out to me are the different cheeses, grilled meats, seafood, coffee and the various liquors. Cheese is on just about every plate in Greece, from salads to baked goods and is often very good! This trip, I decided to stick to mainly fish and salads and was very happy with my meals. I had plenty of great plates and really enjoyed eating all the less typical plates that are difficult to find here in Berlin. One of my favorites was a seabass that was prepared with a spinach rice and a beet paste. The colors and flavors were both amazing and unique. The view was also one of the best parts of the meal. We were right next to the beach, with a view out to the water and coastline. We were lucky to be the only ones in the restaurant at the time and to watch a beautiful sunset.
Island Hopping from Rhodes to Symi
When you think of Greece, you often think of islands. They have countless islands, all with their own unique styles and attractions. Even though we didn't have tons of time on Rhodes, we decided it was important to see another island or at least to get out on the water. On the last day, we were able to book a day trip to the island of Symi and it was a great decision! The boat trip began along the Turkish coast and came to an end in a beautiful, natural harbor. The ride into the harbor was very beautiful and had vibrant, turquoise water. From the ferry, we saw colorful buildings all over the mountains around the harbor. As we got off the ferry, we could smell the grilled fish from the many amazing restaurants. Although we were unlucky with our meal, we had a great walk around the harbor, enjoying all of the colors, homes and beautiful boats. We also found an unbelievable beach just outside of the harbor, where we could swim above an incredibly deep and clear underwater cliff. After our swim, we had to go back to the ferry and return to Rhodes. It was difficult to leave such a beautiful location but we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset over the old city that was lit up with an orange tint. This was a great way to finish up our beautiful trip and I think it helped us to say goodbye the next morning as we boarded our plane.
Travel Terminology
Extend - To make longer or increase time
Runway - The long strip of pavement used for planes to take off or land
Decision - A choice or path that you agree on
Was worth it - The time or effort put into something turned out to be a good choice; it was not a waste of time or energy.
Explored - To expand your view or perspective of something by seeing and doing more in that area;
Convenient - When something is easy or doesn't take any extra effort to do; on the way or simple to see or do.
Lounge - The relaxed form of sitting or laying around; often used to describe types of chairs that put you in this position
Crystal clear - Common phrase that describes incredibly clear water or other transparent objects
Mussels - The shellfish that has a black shell with an oblong shape; not to be confused with muscles of an animal which is pronounced the same
Settle down - To relax or come to a resting point; also for a more stable stage in life, e.g. "to settle down and have kids"
Occasional - When something occurs here and there but not all the time; infrequently or less that frequently
Stand out - To be notable or to not be similar to the surroundings; "I stood out like a sore thumb (common phrase for out of place) at the formal event with my boardshorts on."
Stick to - To remain with or choose to only have a limited selection
Attractions - Things that are considered interesting or fun for visitors
Harbor - An area in the water and near the shore where boats are kept; they are often protected from the weather in some way
Vibrant - Very strong in color or contrast
Turquoise - a color between blue and green
Ferry boat- a boat used for transporting people or vehicles across the water
Tint - When something has a tendency of a certain color or shade.