That unique trait is that it was hot. Brutally hot. Unfathomably, uncomfortably, unbelievably hot. The temperatures must have been mid to high 90's with a stillness in the air from the lack of sea breeze on that side of the island. It is a place the Kool-Aid man would burst into jollily before realizing his error with a horrified "OH NO"! In true Murphy's Law fashion, Rhodes is a very mountainous country and naturally the Greeks were so strategically conscious that they stuck Lindos on the top of the biggest and hottest mountain in the general area, much to my elation. The heat got to be so bad that the soul sucking donkey tourist trap started to look tempting on the ascent up the mountain. Of course, I'm being melodramatic, the heat was probably last on my list of awe inspiring things I encountered that day. Lindos is majestic. It is a sweeping castle-fortress that still keeps its weary eye on the seas for sign of Turkish warships. Looking up at it from the base of the castle you could see the distinct difference in rock as your eyes traveled up the high walls. Starting with the original ancient rock, you could see as you ascended the Medieval architecture start to take shape as you reached the top. The ruins of Greek burial pits and a temple to Athena highlighted the inner walls of the castle with numerous Christian and Hellenistic religious artifacts scattered throughout. It was a sight to behold.
If artifacts and locations much bigger, older and more historically important than you are not your thing, than at the very least you would have appreciated the view Lindos had to offer. Even in its ruined state, the outer walls of Lindos sit on the edge of a cliff and look out for miles over open water. One could not help but try to re-imagine what Lindos must have been like in both of its primes. To imagine Hellenistic era Greeks worshipping Athena in her temple high above the sea or a medieval knight taking a header over the high walls in battle is what truly makes the location special; though it requires extra effort and imagination on your part.
After Lindos we were given free reign around the town that surrounds the structure for a good three hours or so. The group was hungry, hot and tired from trekking up the mountain so most settled for a cafe or something similar in town. We were all supremely jealous of the half naked Europeans who got to enjoy the cool waters of the bay while we marched around dazed like we belonged on the Isle of Misfit Tourists. A few friends and I were able to settle in at a nice cool cafe and bar where we ate traditional pita bread and octopus salad and drank very traditional mojitos to cool off (the drinking age in Greece is 18). We were then bused back to Rhodes town, hot, sweaty and wondering if Greek weathermen sucked as bad as American ones.
Rhodes is a resort town and a significant change of pace from Lindos. Lindos has been built up to be a bit of a tourist area, but the beaches of Rhodes town were tourist heaven and rightfully so. Our hotel came fully stocked with a pool, bar and a literal 100 foot walking distance to beaches. I had one thing on my mind going into that night though, and as much fun as swimming in the ocean was, I knew that we had been presented with an incredible opportunity. The European Championships (Euro 2012) were being held and it is highly regarded as one of the most important soccer tournaments in the world outside of the World Cup. The Greeks were on the ropes and playing the Goliath-esque Russians, who were heavily favored to win the match. I knew that I wanted to go to a local bar and cheer on the Greek national team with the locals because if the Russians put down the bottle and took care of business, the Greeks would be out of the tournament. If the Greeks pulled off the unlikely upset, they would miraculously advance to the quarterfinals. I was surprised that many of my classmates also wanted to come witness the potentially historic and exciting event. So, after the first sit down meal we had encountered in awhile, we proceeded off to find a local hangout spot to watch the game.
Boy, was that an adventure. While walking along the coast I noticed a rather noisy side street off in the distance and figured this was some sort of bar alley, a perpetual gold mine of drunkenness and stupidity, the perfect place to set up and watch the game. The street was crowded and full of drunk tourists and eager locals waiting to prey on unsuspecting Americans like ourselves. Going down that street went against EVERYTHING your parents told you not to do as a child up to and including "Don't put that in your mouth". Hecklers were offering to buy us shots if we came into the bar, the girls were caressed and bar owners began herding us into their own bar or establishment. The whole place just screamed "Dateline Special Report". I had encountered these sorts of places in Thailand and learned from my parents how to ignore and shake off hecklers as well as the number one rule: keep moving. The group was shell shocked after their first experience with the local nightlife but we found a nice bar at the end of the street and sat down and enjoyed the game.
GREECE WINS 1-0! An upset of mammoth proportions! I was expecting full blown rioting and was stretching out my throwing arm for some good ol' Molotov tossing. The celebration was slightly less Hollywood than that, though fireworks were shot off and the booze kept flowing. I felt a sense that was more similar to relief rather than jubilation from the Greek fans and understandably so. There was still a long way to go before hoisting the trophy. We traversed the "scary street" as it would later be called one more time and returned to our hotel after a very fun day and night out and about in Rhodes. From there on, I knew it was going to be a very good five days. I was right.
To be continued in Part III...
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