Temp.
17-13 degrees. Wind; west. Cloudy
Grateful
for feeling rested we got ready for the long trip south. Today was our last
full day, so we left already at 9.15 a.m.!
The
beautiful east-west road became familiar to us, but it didn’t become boring,
because of the beautiful forests and views it gave us. There was more traffic
on the roads, probably because it was Sunday. We hoped the Tavernas were open.
There was
plenty of activity in the mountain village of Embonas, famous for its wine, at
the foot of the Attaviros mountains. We even had several Tavernas to choose
from to get our morning caffeine shot. From our table near the window, we saw
the local fish monger selling his (fresh?) fish from the back of his truck to
the locals. It took quite some time before the cigarette stench was gone from
our clothes. There seems to be no anti-smoking law on Rhodes…
In the
lovely village of Siana we followed the narrow road downhill to the Apolakkia dam
and the artificial lake. At first, we remarked about the good quality road
(yellow on the map), but after reaching the level of the lake, the path became
dirt road with gravel. No problem. (We were in for a nasty surprise though!)
We passed an area that had been very muddy
indeed, but at least it was dry now and we could pass on higher ground.
Suddenly, there was a BIIIIIIIG puddle in the bend of the road… Gulp. What to
do next? We decided to keep to the right as much as possible and not to get
stuck in the middle of this who knew how deep mud puddle.
Of course,
the front wheels began to spin, and the right wheel lacked the necessary grip
to continue. I got out of the car (Wim couldn’t, on his side there was the
puddle) and found a partly submerged piece of cloth. This she put before the
front wheel. After several attempts, we managed to get the car to the other
side, helped by Petra’s pushes. How
grateful we were that we made it!
The dam
itself wasn’t spectacular and there wasn’t a lot of water in the lake, but the
peace and quiet was fantastic. And the surrounding hills, of course!
Thankfully,
we were able to continue south, and didn’t need to take the same road back
again! 😊
We didn’t want to spend
too much time here, because we still had to drive back also. Until now we had
driven 108 km. After eating our sandwiches, we began the home journey around 13.00
hours.
The
western coastal road to Rhodes city is mostly a two lane but well kept. There
was a lot of Sunday traffic, but still very little compared to Israel. Many
drivers don’t bother with a continuous line and pass when it’s convenient for
them to do so. Traffic signs forbidding a U-turn are also just for show… 😊
Besides these minor things, (especially compared to Israeli driving habbits), driving on Rhodes is fantastic.
At 14.30
hours, we drove up the steep path to our apartment – home again. Time for a nap
(Wim) and for Petra to download the pictures and write the blog.
Today we
had driven a total of 188 km. – the longest tour of the holiday!
Tomorrow’s
blog post will be written from Jerusalem, as the end of our wonderful has come.
☹
Stergos,
our host, graciously allows us to stay until 15.00 hours, which gives us time
tomorrow morning to visit Kalithea Springs and the Bee museum. The car must be back
at 16.00 hours at the Airport and the flight to Athens is at 19.30 hours. The
connecting flight to Tel Aviv is at 22.50 hours, where we hope to land at 00.45
in the morning.
But that’s
for tomorrow!
