This trip started out with just Turkey…..the highlight of the trip was to be a gulet cruise along the Lycian coast. Initially we had enough people interested to look into doing a private charter but as often happens as time went by they changed their minds and it ended up being only our friends Rae and Glen and Ken and I. We then had to go for a “tour”, which then morphed into a second week tour of historic sites along the Lycian coast. It was an excellent trip booked thru Explore Worldwide. As with all our holidays, while still working, time was precious so we tried to include whatever else seemed to be logical add-ons to get the most out of our vacations. With the Greek island of Rhodes just a hop, skip and ferry ride away from our Turkey trip starting point we worked that in too….the Rhodes had to go to Rhodes!! The best flight options to get us there and back from Turkey were thru Frankfurt…..but a few days earlier than we’d planned so made good use of our start days in Mainz Germany.
This journal is in 4 parts: Part 1 Mainz and Rhodes, Part 2 Turkey – Tour of Ancient Sites, Part 3 Lycian Coast Gulet Cruise and Part 4 Turkey – Istanbul
Mon June 8
On time into Frankfurt. Flight was OK, certainly better than most service wise, seats were comfortable, or as comfy as they can be for a 10hr flight. Bathrooms on this plane were downstairs!! Kind of a good idea…you went down a winding staircase and there were at least 10 bathrooms!
The airport is not terribly nice and doesn’t seem too organized to me. Not great signage but appears to be some renos happening so maybe that’s why. Just followed everyone else. Went through customs with no problems and picked up our luggage which came along pretty quickly.
Trains are right in the station. You buy your tickets from the travel office. Didn’t see any kiosks. Tickets to Mainz 3.40E each. Train takes about a ½ hour. Took a taxi from the train station to our hotel (6.00E), the Novotel.
Had a bit of a rest and headed out to explore. Rather cloudy and a bit chilly but wandered all over. Many, many nice shops here. Tons of shoe stores!!!! Even with the converted $$’s the prices are pretty good. Quite pretty in some areas I think with all the half-timbered buildings. Beautiful Mainz Cathedral (St Martins), which we couldn’t go in (renos)….apparently it had to be completely rebuilt after the war. Good job as it looked much like the original. Everything pretty well closed up around 6, including many restaurants….maybe we were just too early??. A few outdoor cafes but nothing really for dinner.
Long day anyway, so we just headed back to the hotel and had a great dinner there. Schnitzel, potatoes with bacon, 2 salads and some really good bread. Way too much food!! Ordered the Riesling “Kabinett” because I knew it from the wine club…..was very good.
After dinner we walked down to the river to the river cruises/ferries kiosks, but nothing in English! And no people to ask. So tomorrow will head down there around 7:30 to see where we can get info. Really could have used a phrasebook!
Back to the hotel room around 9. Made some tea and that was it for the day.
Tues June 9
Up early…..really early, like 3:30AM. Gave up trying to sleep so made some tea and read until 6AM when all the alarms and wake-up calls went off.
Took a taxi down to the river around 7:30 to buy tickets for our “Rhine River cruise”. Decided to only go as far as St Goar and back. Didn’t leave until 8:45 so we were a little early. Bought coffees from the ticket guy (4E). Boat tickets were 76E for both of us.
Very nice KD boat that is really more of a floating restaurant. Weather was pretty iffy. On and off rain and quite chilly. Only us and 6 others initially on the boat. More got on at all the other stops.
Just as the boat left we ordered breakfast in the restaurant. I had the “big breakfast’ which was cold meats, cheese, hard boiled eggs, croissant, bun, crackers, bread, various jams and spreads and a little pot of coffee…..way too much food again (9E)!! Ken ordered eggs and ham (4.80E), which came with more bread….he shared all my stuff too!
Had started to rain pretty good just before we boarded but had eased up after breakfast. We ended up staying inside instead of going up on the deck until Lorch and Loreley rocks.
Passed so many beautiful little towns and villages…..Kaub, Bacharach, Oberwesel etc. The road runs right along the river (both sides)….would be great to have a car. A pretty drive and to be able to stop at some of the pretty towns. And castles…….around every bend in the river there is another! Just beautiful….some right at the top of a cliff/hill, some restored, others in ruins. Just fantastic! Vineyards everywhere.
Every inch of the land, including the bits between the road/railway tracks and river is planted in grape vines. The vineyards climb up hills that look impassable for people or vehicles. We saw a helicopter doing the spraying and they have these little funicular type contraptions to take workers and at harvest time, the grapes, up/down the hillsides. There is no way you could get any type of vehicle up some of the slopes.
Had warmed up a bit when the sun came out so we got to enjoy a lot of the sights from the deck at the back of the boat.
Passed the famous Loreley rocks. The river is quite narrow at that point and takes a bit of a turn.
Many, many cargo type boats, or barges on the river. They are really low and long. Looks like people live aboard some of them.
Arrived at St Goar at 11:30. Had to catch the return boat at 2:20. Very cute city. Wandered a bit, stopped for coffee and Ken had a “Loreley” cake (chocolate cake covered in chocolate icing that looked like the rock (??)). Some very nice shops……found the Wusthof store where Linds bought my scissors and paring knife….fun!
Took the little train up to the Rheinfels Castle. (2E for the train and 4E each to get in to the castle). Would have been a pretty tough walk up the steep hill. The castle is pretty much a ruin but you get the idea of what the place would have been like. Lots of skinny windy staircases and walkways. Fantastic massive old doors and hardware.
The views up and down the river from the top are spectacular. The weather turned really sunny and warm so a treat to see it all. A few school groups but not really many other people. Was fun wandering around the ruins and watching the various displays they were putting on for the kids…..shooting arrows and sword fighting etc.
Took the little train back down to town to catch the boat. Was starting to cloud over and had gotten a bit windy.
Maybe about two dozen people on the boat. Sat in the covered area on the back deck and ordered some rose wine, chips and peanuts!! Was fun sitting and watching all the castles and towns going by.
It was still warmish but had started to spit a bit then it turned into a torrential downpour……thunder and lightening to go with it. The wind picked up so we ended up back inside. Unfortunately from that point on it stormed just about the entire way back. Finally the sun came out and it warmed up again around Kaub. Very long boat ride back 4 hours because I guess you are going up stream. Very long, scenic and exciting with the storm but a bit too long. In hindsight we should have taken the train back, but oh well!
Back in Mainz around 7. Had dinner in a nice place across from the theatre. Ken had turkey scaloppini and I had sausages with potatoes and cabbage….and wine! All very good.
At the hotel around 9. We both took those Nyquil sleeping things to hopefully get one good night sleep.
Tomorrow night we have to catch the 11PM train back to Frankfurt to head to Rhodes!! Exciting!!
Wed June 10 (1st part)
Those pills worked wonders! Slept pretty good. No rush to get up and out early today.
Out the door around 10 and started to pour!! Hadn’t gone far so went back to the hotel to borrow umbrellas. Found a café for coffee and croissants. Ken had a decadent “cupcake” covered in chocolate and marzipan icing!! Energy, right?
Over to St Stephan to see the Chagall stained glass windows. Very beautiful church, inside and out. Why didn’t I take pictures????
Next stop the Gutenberg Museum. Quite fascinating really. Great display of printing processes from 900AD up to the 18th century. Saw the Gutenberg Bibles……who knew there was more than one. The detail, and colours, in them and all the other printed material on display is incredible. I can’t imagine the time it took to produce some of it. A lot of Asian printing artifacts on display. Unfortunately not a lot of the information was in English so couldn’t always appreciate what we were looking at. Too bad, no photos allowed.
To the train station to see if we could buy our tickets for tonight, but can’t buy them until 2 hours before train departure. Nice lady showed us how the machines work so we were good for later. Lots of trains that seem to run every 20 minutes or half hour.
A bit scary around the train station…..lots of skinheads just sort of hang around in big groups making a lot of noise (no idea of course what they’re saying). A little intimidating and definitely don’t want to make eye contact with anyone.
Found a nice place, called ALEX in the main square for a drink. Did think about having our late lunch there but the waitress was really cranky. Had our drinks and left. Went across the square and had a great lunch. Thin crust pizza with lots of cheese and proscuitto e fungi. Ken had a cheeseburger and fries…..MCCAIN fries!! All the cafes had signs saying they selling MCCAIN FRIES!!
Back to the hotel around 6 for to pack up and grab a nap before heading off to the train station at 11:00 and part 2 of today!!
Wed June 10 (2nd part)
Woke up around 8:30 from our nap, made some coffee and finished packing up. Checked out at 11 and took a taxi to the train station.
Managed to buy our tickets for the 12:02AM train with no problem but it was only 11:15. Many strange people at the train station. It was a long ½ hour or so. Many normal people too of course. Lots of people just hang around on the platforms drinking beer……apparently you do not need a ticket to be down there!!
Safely on the train and got off at the right stop at the Frankfurt airport.
I would like to come back to Germany and spend more time…..maybe a road trip thru all the little towns and villages. I think learning a bit of German would have been helpful too….other than bitte and danke. Next time I’ll definitely have a phrasebook. Ordering food was hard……I love “wursts” but was so worried about getting blood sausage I only ordered it when it clearly said “bratwurst”. Oh well……on to the next adventure, some warmth and sun!
Thurs June 11
This day started right at 12:01AM!! Got to the airport and found the shuttle to terminal 2. Easy to find the TUIFLY line up and check-in……..only one at that time of morning! Got checked in by just after 1AM so had until 2:55 for boarding to kill some time. Wandered around, had coffee and muffins and wandered around more. Finally thru security around 2:30.
Boarded the plane at 3:20 and we were on our way. Flight was just over 3 hours. Dozed on and off.
Arrived nice and early. Had to ask to have our passports stamped…..because you know the Rhodes are in Rhodes!!! Not necessary of course because they’re both EU countries. Immigration lady said we didn’t need to have them stamped so we explained why we want the stamps…..seemed to be a bit of a hassle for her but she did it!!
Caught a taxi (18E set price to old town) and called the hotel. Taxi dropped us at the D’Amboise gate where Duncan met us and then led us thru the windy, narrow maze of streets to our hotel, The Spirit of the Knights. OMG!!! This place is awesome. Better than the pics and reviews. The room is lovely. The owners are lovely.
It’s 10AM, we’ve changed into summer clothes, it’s warm and sunny and just beautiful. They made us coffee and some little snacks and we’re just sitting on the patio enjoying it all. Lots of chairs, tables, plants, ponds and even a little plunge pool. I sat for an hour or so reading and updating my journal, Ken went and had a little nap, then off to explore! Yes, it’s still Thurs. 24hrs with only a couple hours sleep
I LOVE IT HERE!! Very touristy, much like Capri but you can’t help but like it! Lots of stores that all sell the same stuff, restaurants that all have the same food…..but just being in the old walled city is almost magical. The streets, or alleys, are all done in stone, some in very intricate patterns and some large black and white round stones. All the buildings are old, some look ramshackle but most are really well preserved and well kept. A few pretty treelined streets just inside the walls, which were much appreciated in the mid day heat. Very easy to get lost in the maze of streets.
Found a restaurant on a roof in the main plaza by the marina entrance. Lunch was good but I think I got ripped off when I told him I wanted seafood and wasn’t sure what to order and could he suggest something for me. Which he did, sort of a special dish that wasn’t on the menu!! Our lunch was well over 60E! Not including the wine! The view made up for it….I guess. Huge cruise ship in port so very crowded.
Managed to find our way back to the hotel around 2. Ken went and had a snooze, I sat out on the patio with a G & T and read for a bit, then went and had a nap too.
Headed out for dinner around 6:30. Had an excellent dinner at Archipelagos in the same area we had lunch. Again up on the roof with great views of the square below and the marina area. I had this absolutely incredible roast chicken!!! A thigh and something else that had delicious crispy skin in a casserole dish, that was still bubbling when I got it, surrounded by crusty roast potatoes all with dollops of some kind of mild cheese melting all over it
Pretty much right back to the hotel after dinner. Sat around and had coffee and chatted with Felicity and her kids (owners). Very interesting lady!
Took a Nyquil sleeping pill so will hopefully get a really good nights sleep….it’s been a long, long day!!
Might rent a car tomorrow and visit Lindos!
Fri June 12
I cannot believe this is only our 2nd day here!!
Up early (6:30) and went out to the “gazebo” to read for a while before breakfast (starts at 8:00). The bed was really comfortable….so had a pretty good sleep. Duncan was at the desk and got some coffee to tie me over until Ken surfaced. The garden here is just lovely. There are many beautiful plants and trees. Spider lilies hang over the pond with trickling water, bougainvillea and other flowering plants climb up the old stone walls, a few palms trees, bamboo and other potted plants. There a few steps, lined with lanterns that lead up to a little dipping pool. It’s very peaceful and a great place to start the day.
Great little continental breakfast. They will do an egg for you too. Ken had a hard boiled one.
Duncan helped get us sorted with a car rental and off we went to do some touring. Very, very hot today.
I think it was about an hour drive to Lindos. Eventually some great views of the sea along the route, otherwise quite industrial once you get out of the old town.
Lindos is very pretty. Somewhat touristy. Only a small area of shops and restaurants really. And donkey rides up to the castle if you want. Very nice sandy beach…..2 beaches actually, both very busy. The water is a gorgeous deep/bright blue and clear as anything.
Had lunch at a place call Dimitris. Greek salad was really good, gyros (pork), tzatziki, with pita type bread. Chatted with the waiter/owner. Asked where we were from etc. Told him I was Lindos Rhodos…..he laughed so I showed him my ID, he laughed even more and we got our beer for free!! Fun!
Left Lindos and headed inland and up over a mountain to get to the other side of the island. Found a winery so we stopped and tasted a rose and a red. Bought the rose to share with R & G at some point when we meet them in Turkey.
Totally got lost returning the car. Lots of one way streets never seeming to be going in the right direction. Did get there eventually.
Walking back from the car rental place we stopped a really neat huge outdoor plaza type place with a self-service food bar and regular drink bar. Really neat areas with different table and chair set ups, a couple of big screen TV’s showing soccer games and concerts…..probably lots of fun in the evening.
Back to the hotel for a drink and then back out to do some shopping before dinner.
Met some people in a store that were from Chilliwack (Marie and Doug) and Burnaby (Dick and Pat) !! Chatted for a bit and invited us to join them for dinner at Rustica, which is just around the corner from our hotel. Had a great dinner and evening drinking and chatting. Doug and Marie knew Brian Minter, who Glen and Rae also know…..small world! Not back to the hotel until almost 1AM!
Great day and evening!
Sat June 13
Up early…….found some coffee and chatted with Kara for a while. Met the people from Israel and chatted some more. Very nice and very interesting to talk to.
Collected Ken around 9 for breakfast. Every morning you get fresh squeezed orange juice, fresh ground coffee (French press). Today was a menu with fresh fruit, croissants, toast, cheese and meats and eggs. Ken had scrambled today.
This place is really fantastic. They change the beds every day and it is kept absolutely immaculate. Very pleasant, interesting people. Super service…..they constantly know what you want or are right there if you need something but at the same time very relaxed and laid back. Fun chatting with them…..lots of good stories about the family. Felicity has one or two biological children and the other 17 are, or were, foster kids, Kara and one or two others who run the hotel with her.
Wandered around a different area of old town this morning enroute to the port to check where to buy ferry tickets to Marmaris….can only buy them the day before??
Went to the Palace today. Just wow!! Very good museum type displays. The place is massive and has an incredible history.
Lunch and shopped for hats!! Ken bought one that says Rhodes on it and got another free when we told the guy our name. I bought a straw type hat and sunglasses!!. Picked up tea towels that say Rhodes on them for the Rhodes’ and Steve and Di.
Back to the hotel for a drink, rest and chat with Felicity et al. Cleaned up and headed out to do a bit more shopping and just enjoy the much less crowded streets (cruise ships leave around 5) Around 9 we stopped in at Rustica again. Very good food and a fun place. Was just going to be something light and simple but ended up having a great dinner. Platter for two for 40E…..a ton of food! Free ouzo to start and a glass of Mextaca, the Greek brandy, after. Ran into the Israeli couple on the way back to the hotel. Had coffee and talked with them until almost midnight. Very nice people with some very interesting stories to tell about living in Jerusalem.
Sun June 14
Up early today. Had breakfast and off to buy our ferry tickets. First place we went to said there were no tickets available!!! A bit of panic for a moment then we went to the place next door who said no problem lots of tickets available!! Got those and walked out to the marina where the Colossus of Rhodes supposedly was.
Two HUGE cruise ships in today…..disgorged about 5000 people into the old town so pretty crazy busy.
Along the pier a guy has set up a shelter for the feral cats. He feeds them and tries to get as many neutered as possible. Contributed to the cause. Carried on to the St Nicholas Tower and lighthouse. Watched a short video about the history of Rhodes…..interesting.
Walked into the new town because of the crowds…..nice walk along the water. Had a great lunch overlooking a park and the water. Spinach pie in puff pastry and Greek salad….with a huge big hunk of feta as opposed to the crumbled stuff that we get at home….all very good. Ken had a burger and said it too was excellent.
Really could spend days wandering around thru the little streets and alleys. Love how many places have little bowls of water out for the cats and dogs. Some great shops and tons of little cafes. I must say though the cobbled stones/rocks are hard to walk on…..very lumpy so easy to go over on your ankle. Have found flip flops to be the best to wander in, they kind of form around the stones.
Found a café for a glass of wine and had to sample their saganaki and mussels…..both very good.
Spent the rest of the afternoon just relaxing at the hotel. This place is so serene with all the plants and the water fixtures dribbling away. Ken snoozed, I read and chatted with people when they came along…..and of course had a couple of G&T’s.
Got to be a bit later than we’d planned for dinner so just went back again to Rustico! I had mousaka, Ken had the prawns….still sort of full from lunch and our snack. Free ouzo and mextaca. Loved the little clay jugs for wine, so asked if I could buy one or two……they opened their little store across the street to get them for me. They perfectly hold two glasses of wine. You can chill them in the fridge or freezer and will keep your wine very nice and cool! We got to sign their repeat customer book AND he gave us a bottle of their wine as a gift to take with us.
Back to finish packing up for another adventure tomorrow…..off to Turkey!
My Travel Journals 