After passing the small fishing village of Haraki heading south, the 7km. long
Kalathos beach comes into view whilst to the right, the whitewashed
houses of Kalathos village on the lower slopes of the hills can be seen.
Above the village and amongst these hills Aegean Homes are building
Kalathos Heights, an exclusive community of villas with private swimming
pools each with stunning views of the surrounding hills, the beach and the
crystal clear waters of the Aegean.
View from Kalathos Heights.
(Please click on image
to view larger photo)
A further 4 kms. down the coast road is Lindos, probably the
most famous village in Greece and the Greek Islands. As you turn the last
bend before the village a view awaits you like no other. The white sugar
cube houses nestling on the slopes of the Acropolis upon which lies the
partially restored 4th. century BC temple of Lindia Athena. The
temple is surrounded by medieval castle walls built by the Knights of St.
John to repulse the Turkish invaders. Below the Acropolis on the northern
side are the main crescent shaped Lindos bay and beach and below the sheer
southern cliffs the delightful St. Paul’s Bay where the apostle first
landed bringing Christianity to the island. This is now a popular place
for holiday weddings.
Lindos and the Acropolis at
sunset.
(Please click on image
to view larger photo)
Lindos brings people back year after year.
Although the advent of mass tourism in the 1970’s has inevitably seen
the development of the village from a quiet Aegean backwater to the
thriving resort it is today it is still a place like no other. The whole
village is a designated archeological site and any development is strictly
controlled.
The houses range from 16th. century Captains Houses through to late
19th. century and on to a few recent additions that have necessarily been
built in traditional style.
The Acropolis at Lindos. |
Lindos - looking across St Pauls bay. |
(Please
click on images to view larger photo)
|
The village is traffic free ( apart from
the donkeys that take tourists up to the Acropolis ! ) as the streets are
very narrow. Illuminated signs are not allowed and the bars have to turn
off the music at midnight although taxis will take you to a disco outside
the village if you want to dance the night away.
|
|
Early
morning in a Lindos street. |
Ancient
amphitheatre at Lindos |
(Please click on image
to view larger photo) |
Village shops sell locally made crafts such
as leather sandals, belts and bags as well as the usual tourist items and
dining out ranges from simple, traditional tavernas to gourmet
restaurants.
Lindos - view from the main square.
(Please click on image
to view larger photo)
Many famous artists, writers and musicians
have lived and worked or had holiday homes in Lindos over the years having
succumbed to its charms and famous faces can still occasionally be seen.
|
|
|
Lindos has beautiful beaches with stunning views. |
Lindos taxis. |
(Please click on image
to view larger photo) |
Continuing south about a kilometre from Lindos you can see the sheer
cliffs where The Guns of Navarone was filmed. Unsurprisingly this area is
now called Navarone Bay. A further couple of kilometres brings you to Pefkos
which in the past was the summer home of many Lindians as cooling breezes
made the heat more bearable.
However, in the last 15 years Pefkos has developed into a purpose built
resort in its own right featuring mainly good quality studios, apartments
and hotels.
In the hills above the resort Aegean Homes are building beautiful
villas, with stunning southerly sea views, at Pefkos Heights.
View from Pefkos Heights.
(Please click on image
to view larger photo)
After leaving Pefkos a short drive brings
you to Kiotari which features a few 4 and 5 star hotels and some
beachfront tavernas and bars and little else. It is in this quiet spot
that Aegean Homes are building just two large exclusive villas set
together in peaceful rural surroundings with unbelievable sea views.
Evening View from Kiotari Villas.
(Please click on image
to view larger photo)
Just inland from Kiotari, up a winding mountain road, is the village of
Asklipio which maintains the traditional Greek life.
Named after the doctor that founded the first hospital in the Dodecanese in the 6th century BC, the village also boasts the oldest Christian church still in use on the island which was founded in the 11th century AD.
Overlooking Asklipio are the ruins of a crusader castle from which there are stunning mountain and valley views.
Ancient crusader castle overlooking
the village of Asklipio.
(Please click on image
to view larger photo)
A little further down the coast is Gennardi, a mainly traditional
village with some tourism. Thereafter the rest of the east coast is
largely untouched by any significant development.
PRASSONISI
At the southern tip of the island is Prassonisi, a small outcrop
of land connected to the main island by a wide strip of beach which in
winter in often covered by the sea.
It is here that the Aegean and Mediterranean seas meet with the Aegean
to the west usually rough and the Med to the east calm. An amazing sight !
In summer, when the beach is uncovered, it is a favourite spot for
windsurfers as the wind is fairly constant and the surfers can choose
between flat or choppy water.
Prassonisi - the southern most tip of Rhodes.
(Please click on image
to view larger photo)
|