Today's temp: 15-11 degrees, wind: N/NW - cloudy and sunny. No rain expected! :)
Today, we drove south, again in the direction of Lindos. After
the four-lane main road become a 2-lane road, to our chagrin, we were stuck (again)
behind two tanks! The many bends and
hills makes it impossible to pass them, so we just had to be patience.
At the
village of Ghenadhi, we stopped at a local coffee bar/restaurant for a double cappuccino,
which is served here with whipped cream! A few men were playing sheshbesh, while in the other corner, another group of men were having a chat. The women were working hard in the kitchen....
Refreshed, we we crossed the tail of
the island towards the west coast. According to our host, Stergos, Monolithos is
a very worthwhile place to visit.
Monolithos: Whitewashed courtyards with geraniums, stone houses with tile
roofs looking out over the waves, the rocks with the mediaeval castle at their
peak, windswept deserted beaches for playing games in the waves - a landscape
of unspoiled beauty. The village itself is small and well-kept, built in the
form of an amphitheatre at the southern and of the wild western coast, with
just a few small tavernas.
The main attraction of the village is the mediaval castle, standing among
the pines on the great outcrop of an isolated rock from which the name
Monolithos (lonely rock) is derived.
Leave your car at the bottom and a ten-minute walk will bring you to the
summit, where your only company is the sea and the fragrance of the wild herbs.
Within the castle walls stands the church of Agios Panteleimon.
Outside the village of Monolithos is the medieval Castle, built on top of a
100m rock. This castle was built in 1480 by the Knights of Saint John to protect
the island from attacks from pirates and enemies. It was an important signal
station of the Knights who, via a chain of fire and light signals, sent
messages to their castle in present day Dodrum (Turkey). Monolithos castle was
never conquered. The ruined castle now offers great views of the sea and the
two islets opposite to it. Inside the Castle, there is a small working chapel
dedicated to Agios Panteleimon (Saint Pantaleon). Access to the castle is by a
staircase cut into the rock. On the climb up to the top, you are likely to see
hundreds of small piles of rocks from 3-10 in number. These piles are left
there by the visitors as a form of a memento.
The winding, descending road towards the castle was
already breathtaking. We parked the car near a deserted restaurant and geared
up. The wind was sharp and cold, so we were grateful for our rain jackets to
keep us warm. Up on the hill, from the ruined castle we had an amazing view of
the sea and nearby islands. We ate our sandwiches near the little whitewashed
chapel, and almost spent an hour up that hill. There was nobody to disturb us!
The breathtaking view from there that looks over the sea and the numerous
islets off the western coast, the mountain of Akramytis and innumerable hills,
as well as the village of Monolithos below. As a visitor said: “In Greece, you
know, the landscape often gives you a sense of the presence of God. The site of
Monolithos is certainly one of these”.
From the parking lot, a steep, narrow and winding road led
us all the way down to Fourni beach – one of the most beautiful beaches on
Rhodes. We were the only visitors! The pebbled beach was covered with dry sea
weed, which looked like paper streamers. Via a narrow and steep rocky path, we
climbed up to the plateau and soon found the caves Stergos told us about.
Twenty years ago, he had seen a skeleton in there. On the other side of the
plateau was another small bay with more caves which could only be reached by
sea. At the end of the promontory was some
kind of tower, which, according to Stergos, in ancient times was used by the
pirates to light fires (like a lighthouse). This post was near the coast and
could not be seen from the Monolithos castle. You won’t find that kind of
information in the travel guides! 😊
It was wonderful, down there on the beach, all by
ourselves. Wim even got his feet wet in the cold sea! We collected some
beautiful coloured pebbles as a souvenir to take home. Remembering Stergo’s
explanation about the stars in the sky, Wim took a handful of sand as a
reminder that, like sand grains cannot be counted, also the stars in the sky are
uncountable!
Later than usual, we began on our journey home. Crossing
the center of the island, we took the beautiful route of the mountain
village of Embona (wine country), Appolona, Platania, Archipoli, past the seven
springs, to the main road, no. 95 and then – Faliraki, home.
Today, we had driven almost 167 km.
Such an amazing, awesome day it had been! Again! Thank You, Lord, for your
protection and blessings!
