My Passion for Rhodes
Copyright © 2014
I want to take you on an adventure,
A trip to my Rhodes,
To inhale the turquoise of the sea,
To discover hidden corners,
To meet wonderful people.
My Rhodes – to taste the little intoxicating tastes,
To get to know the secrets of the countryside
and the city.
To smell, to touch,
To feel through dancing feet,
To listen to the music, the waves, the language,
To collect experiences along the way,
To take them home,
To open your heart,
And to get excited.
Rhodes
Gods
Created Rhodes,
Surrounded it with iridescent blue waters,
Filled out its curves with sparkling green,
And kissed its face with hues of peach.
They brought down the Goddess of music
Placed a bouzouki in her hands
And gave her the voice of the wind
And rain
And sea
And heart,
And commanded her to sing.
I always believed that happiness exists in simple little things.
But to write with passion you must be in love.
Rhodes was love at first sight
All my senses awake there
On this fairy tale island
From excitement to silence
From sunrise to sunset
From the great Greek Gods
To the warm welcoming people
From the endless fascinating blue of the sea
To the waves of the beautiful bouzouki music and the soulful words.
And I find myself
Coming again and again to this paradise.
The coming pages explain why I love Rhodes.
The blue Aegean sea
Take a ride, or a walk, go barefoot, or swim.
Just breathe in and worship the magnificent Turquoises and blues.
Discover why Poseidon chose to live here.
Collect beautiful sea pebbles
And put them in a transparent box –
To remember the Aegean sea.
Poseidon
Poseidon
Smiles at me
From his turquoise ocean
He bares his muscular torso
Bronzed by the summer
He knows that I will give myself to him
Any time he desires
All the blue words
Swim around
In my head
For him
I would be
A small mermaid
Or even a goldfish
If only I could
Drown each dawn
In the turquoise of his eyes.
The colorful old city
Look around, taste, smell, touch (start with a corn-on-the-cob cooked on burning coals).
Walk around Socrates St.
And discover the colorful alleys
Between the ancient walls.
You’ll find here natural products such as
Olive oil, olive soaps,
Cookware made of olive wood, local jams, ouzo candies.
All the basic elements are here: glass, ceramics,
Fabric, gold, silver, wood, iron and so on.
Look at the beautiful things they produce .
What a celebration of colors.
You’ll find art in everything.
And don’t leave without drinking a glass of Ouzo with coffee.
Take a break in the Socrates garden .
Have a good local beer with fresh Greek salad, and rich vegetarian moussaka (piping hot) baked in the oven.
Muse in the breeze blowing through the garden trees
With relaxing music is in the background.
http://www.socratous-garden.gr/
***
The thick rich yogurt with melting honey
Probably produced the queen bee herself.
And…
You must taste the Greek Coffee.
The Blue Lagoon
Come and sway to the Greek spirit
In the most enchanting place,
With live authentic music, and the moon shining above
(this place literally has the sky as its ceiling).
Very nice hospitality and unique atmosphere.
Drink, dance and listen.
To get away from it all and commit yourself to the atmosphere that takes you away. To get to know new friends from all over the world and Greeks with soul. Not to hesitate to join in the circles of simple Greek dances, some of them led by non-Greek guests.
Later when the night and the heart are warm,
the Blue Lagoon takes on more of a Greek nature.
To see the Greeks dancing the incredible Zabekiko while friends honor the dancer by kneeling on one knee and clapping hands to the unique rhythm.
Yiannis Klouvas, the owner of the Blue Lagoon, his family and the staff ensure an unforgettable experience.
2, 25th Martiou Str. 851 00 Rhodes Tel. +30 22410 32632, 76072 – Fax +30 22410 37114
Open every night from 20:30 till 24:00
http://www.lepalais.gr/html/lagoon.htm
Efta Piges- the seven springs
To meet the royal blue.
Take the wild road, surrounded by fragrant pines and huge pine trees,
Meet the crabs and the wild peacocks spreading magnificent colorful wings
In their courting dance.
Discover the aquamarines and blue-green springs
And some secrets of nature.
Lindos
Lindos is a beautiful legend, a village of mountains and white houses, on the eastern part of the island. And at its feet, a clear sea which you can’t resist.
The best way of course is to climb the paths and steps leading to the top of the mountain, there you find the ancient acropolis of Lindos, one of the most impressive and ancient sites of Greek culture, with the temple of Athena. To look from high, feeling like a Greek deity, while the ships in the bay below appear to be mere toys.
And afterwards, meander back through the streets of the village, narrow, with hundreds of stalls and stores, pubs, tavernas. The turquoise colors are in full display and it’s all so pleasing to the eye.
http://www.rhodesguide.com/travelguide/rhodes_beach_guide.php?ssp=25
And now, to the sea…but first…
The Nefeli restaurant – Lindos
The Nefeli restaurant offers wine, beer and a meal on the shore – a real treat. The restaurant is located in the picturesque bay of Lindos, literally a few steps from the shore. Just sit there over a glass of wine, and you are in a great state of mind. The service is good, the food is good and the place is the stuff of legend. Nikos and his family who own the place are friendly and can tell you stories. This is the place to catch up with your muse.
You are in a place that is timeless.
Lindos
The winds blow
In the turquoise dresses
Between white houses
The sea is a legend
And over a glass of wine
Time takes no account.
And now it’s time to dip into the clear beautiful sea. And if you have a snorkel, you can have an even better view.
The synagogue –
Connect with the roots of the Jewish people.
Just feel the holiness of the place.
See the old books and the festive clothes
And spare a moment on the wooden chair, where they used to pray.
Mama Sofia restaurant
When all the lights are on, and it looks like an enchanted kingdom of lights,
go and have a delicious meal with excellent Greek wine.
La spécialité de la maison: fish and seafood.
service with a smile.
Mama Sofia herself oversees the kitchen, with her secret recipes.
The salad, with its fresh shining tomatoes,
Onion and cucumber straight from the field
You can smell them.
And the big fat black olives –Kalamata olives
With slices of Feta cheese
They are all in the best olive oil ever.
Just one more glass of ouzo
Just one more glass of ouzo
And we’ll forget
The politics,
The scratches
The heartbreaks
The ashes of dreams
We’ll let the heart fill up with music
We’ll let the feet go dancing
With Yiannis, Nikos, Daphne, Maria and Eleni.
Just one more glass of ouzo
On this small enchanted isle
With the endless sea of blues and turquoise.
The Jewelry Store of Dimitris
There are many stores in the old city, with shiny crystals,
Swarovsky and precious stones, jewelry in gold and silver.
Dimitris owns one of these stores. He designs his own jewelry and has a wide collection of bracelets, chains, earrings, rings and other lovely items.
Dimitris welcomes you with a wide and hospitable smile, and is also quite a conversationalist with a sense of humor and impressive knowledge of philosophy.
From the first time I met him we engaged in animated conversations, together with the charming Daphne who worked for him.
In his store there is a huge sign which says,
“The only thing that I know, is that I don’t know anything.”
Socrates
“MAJESTIKE” .157, SOKRATOUS STR.
Café Chantant
Café Chantant is a tavern of local Rhodes inhabitants.
They don’t break plates anymore, but they do strew flowers everywhere –
on the stage, and on friends seated with you at the table.
This is where the local Greeks celebrate their traditional rebetiko music. It’s crowded here and full of cigarette smoke, but equally
full of atmosphere and real Greek tradition.
The musicians are great and authentic and the songs (most of which are new to us) are accompanied by dancing.
It’s open on Saturday nights till the wee (and I mean wee) hours of the morning.
Café Chantant is in the heart of the old city of Rhodes.
Dimokratou 3
Telephone +30 32277
The red choo choo train
A fun trip through the city of Rhodes. For adults too!!
The electric street train takes you on a lovely trip through the new and ancient roads of Rhodes. Through the ramparts, the walls, along the sea, through the port, passing the stadium, then climbing gently through the various quarters until the Acropolis on high, then back through the winding streets with amazing views of the ancient ruins and the sea coast. You can get on and off at the Acropolis.
Balsamico is a new legend
On the street across from the sea the windows are wide open, and you can see the beautiful sea, the sunset, the turquoise colored water, or the high waves when the wind blows. In Balsamico you feel as if you are in a magical space, designed from top to bottom with bold happy colors, made of real iron, wood, glass, stone, ceramic, and it’s as if you are in a dream.
You can eat all kinds of delicacies, that your Greek mother (if you had one) would have cooked for you in the old days. You feel that everything that is done here is done out of love, tradition and dedication.
On weekends and during the winter you can enjoy your meal with real live Greek music, with well known and beloved songs. The owner of this enchanted place is none other than Yiannis Klouvas who also created its twin location the “Blue Lagoon” in order to create a charming place especially for the winter and it’s open all the year.
Akti Miaouli 4-6 Rhodes town tel – 302241075967
Smells and tastes of Rhodes
*Melekouni – made of sesame, honey (and optional almonds), 100% natural and manufactured solely on this island. Buy a big box with individually wrapped portions but beware: there is the danger of becoming addicted to them. And they are not low calorie!!
*The local olive oil is unbelievable.
*The Kalamata olives are great and juicy.
*The local wines are special.
*The local honey is clearly manufactured by bees that are clearly in love with their product.
*Body care products made from olive oil are common in all the health stores.
*Umbrellas
There is a legend that Rhodes manufactures the best and strongest umbrellas.
You can find them (alongside the regular ones) at special stores. The prices are not cheap, but they are worth it. Luckily, it is unlikely to rain during the tourist season.
Greek is a lovely language
So that you will feel at home, show the Greeks that you care enough to learn a few words (this makes them very excited indeed).
yia sas – (hello (formal)
yia sou – hello (not formal)
efharisto- thank you
efharisto poli – thank you very much
kalimera- good morning
kalispera – good evening
kalinichta – good night
parakalo – please
sygnomi- excuse me
lipame – sorry
Yah mas!- Cheers!
kali oreksi- bon appetit
nai – yes , no- ochi
The Mediterranean Hotel
* Request a full sea view room with a great balcony the view there is spectacular.
* Service here is pleasant
* Location- you have the sea and you have the city- You have the whole world in your hands.
Thank you very much Mr. Andonis V. Cambourakis, President of Rodos Hotel Association.
Grand hotel
Wonderful location, between the sea
And the city.
Take a room with a sea view.
The service – starting with the reservation- you feel so welcome. The staff in this hotel are great, from their first hello of the reception you can tell they all want to please you.
The food is very good and plentiful, with a variety of dishes from different cuisines.
You can also make reservations to eat in the Italian or Chinese restaurants, without paying extra.
Sit on the balcony and have a glass of Greek Wine .You can buy it in the grocery around The corner,
ask for Nikos.
Nikos will tell you that all the Greek wines are Good – and he is right,
And he will show you other local products ,
If you ask.
So put your feet up, look at the sea, admire the sunset, enjoy the taste of the wine.
And don’t think about life. This is the life!
http://www.mitsishotels.com/Hotels/grand-hotel/location_78.htm
Memories
Memories in my hand
Like the pebbles
Of the sea
That I collected.
My fingers are still wet
And blue
From the turquoise waves
Which touched
The sea that opened
In my heart.
I still stand bewitched,
By the shells, the corals and the stars
That pulled me into depths
The likes of which I’ll never know.
Kritika
The long line of little old houses,
in pastel colors, along the seashore
I wish I would have one of them.
To open all the doors in the morning
To the blue breeze
To breathe the sea
To have my first café
And the Greek music,
Like waves capturing your heart tenderly
Weather it is Haris Alexiou singing
“Ola se thimizoun”,
Or Yiannis Parios singing “sagapo.”
To pray for a good day- Kalimera.
What can I tell you?
Heaven is here.
The friendly people who make you welcome in the island
Their smiles
Their warm heart
Their care
Their friendship
Their music
Their laughter
Their sadness
Their sense of humor
Their culture
Their pride
Their natural beauty
Their philosophy
Their wisdom.
Rhodes
On the Mountaintop
I stood between the glorious marble columns
And Aegean Sea
The Gods of past are resting now
They cannot alter history
The restless seas
Pours heartbeats into endless bits
Of light turquoise.
I stood between the marble and the waves
Eternity and life
And worshipped both.
Efharisto poli agapitoi filoi mou 🙂
Thank you so much my dear friends 🙂
Unforgettable moments from a great night in the Blue Lagoon
* Click to see the video.
Ηταν μεγάλη μου τιμή.
It was a big honor to meet
the Mayor of Rhodes, Fotis Hatzidiakos.
There are moments…
I stood there, so excited, and handed him
three of my books, on my love for Rhodes in Greek, English and Hebrew.
I must have practiced a hundred times, “Chairo poly kyrie Dimarche”
(Pleased to meet you, mayor), but I was frightened that I would mix up the syllables out of sheer nervousness).
The mayor bestowed on me the title of “Friend of Rhodes”, and I felt elated, and so proud, like I was an ambassador of Israel. .
I was blessed by the warmth I received from the people on this enchanted island of – Rhodes.
Ta leme 🙂 See you again
To read this book in Greek
Shulamit Sapir-Nevo
Is a writer, poet
and the CEO of OURBOOX.
She has published several books of poetry, a novel,
and a book of poems translated into English.
Her poems have been published in literary supplements, literary
magazines and poetry collections.
She received a creativity award, from the “Association for
the Advancement of Research, Literature, and Art”.
She has received several awards for her achievements in poetry.
She is a member of the “Israeli Writers Society”.
Published: Aug 10, 2014
Latest Revision: Jul 6, 2016
Ourboox Unique Identifier: OB-14657
Copyright © 2014
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Beautiful book of a beautiful country written by a beautiful lady
Thank you very much! 🙂
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