Monday 16 March 2015

Alas, Poor Doric...

I had occasion to be in Rhodes Town yesterday and so took a walk around the area they used to call Monte Smith, although more recently they've taken to calling it (more correctly too) The Rhodes Acropolis, a rather beautiful and quite spacious park wherein lies the restored 3rd century (before Christ) stadium and the remaining Doric columns (partially restored) of the impressive ancient Temple of Apollo.

It occured to me that most tourists only get to see this area when the vegetation is parched and dry in the summer months and so they miss the beauty of the place when it's green, as it is in mid-March. As the Hoopoes flew this way and that, I snapped away with the iPad and the results are here for your delectation and delight (hopefully!)...

The wild flowers at this time of the year are splendiferous


The 2,300 year old stadium was restored by the Italians between the two world wars. If you click to get the larger view you get a better impression of the scale, since there are lots of people out enjoying the weekend sunshine in shot.



Moody eh? Oh, all right then, I'll settle for "arty".

The columns are Doric, by the way. Thus my rather dubious attempt at a humourous title for this post.

Typical Greeks, never finish a building...

C'mon guys, dead impressive isn't it?

The view down over the town, with the snowy peaks of the Turkish mountains visible to the left.

This one's my new desktop photo.


After shooting that lot I went straight down the road from which the last couple were taken and into the Swedco Café. There's one on the corner with the traffic lights. If you haven't sampled their "Sorbeto" then you haven't lived. You can have either chocolate or caramel flavour and for €2.50 you get something resembling a "triple-thick-shake" that's simply TDF!! You know the kind of thing, they have to use extra thick straws otherwise you wouldn't be able to suck the stuff into your mouth. Glorious!!

6 comments:

  1. Looks lovely John. This place has been on my 'to do' list for some time now, and you know, I might just get there myself in the next couple of weeks before I start some serious work. Not sure about the milk shake though!

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    1. Well, it's more of a naughty version of a frappé than a milkshake really. Go for it girl!!

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  2. Gosh, another place I've never visited. Great photos but I can't see the hoopoes. How is it we find new places every time we come to Rhodes and STILL there are more gems to see? I don't suppose it will still be green in 4 weeks time will it? No matter, we are planning more 'cultural' excursions this time as so many bars etc will still be closed!
    Vicki

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  3. It's amazing how many people haven't been there, yet the columns of the Temple of Apollo have graced publicity shots of Rhodes on travel agent walls for decades. Mind you, these days most people wouldn't know what a travel agent was any more, eh?

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  4. Nor a Doric column...................for that matter!
    Vicki

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  5. oh wow will have to try find this place although have heard of it before. Lovely photos, thanks for sharing

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