Three Slow Days in the Medieval City of Rhodes

Our first glimpse of the walled city of Rhodes (Rodos) came shortly after the sunrise as our ferry slowly sailed into the busy Mandraki harbor. Through the summer haze the magnificent bastion emerged behind the masts of modern yachts and tropical palm trees -- reddish, looming and more colossal than in my imagination. Something just didn’t quite fit my skewed impression of whitewashed Greece Islands -- this was almost a Pingyao, or perhaps more like a Carcassonne, dropped right onto the eastern edge of the Aegean Sea.



From the circular fort in the harbor to the gargantuan defensive walls to a moat wide enough for soccer for the town’s children, everything alluded to a long history of warfare, or at least of active deterrence. This was, after all, the near-impregnable stronghold of the Knights Hospitallers, who brought their French fortification engineers to this eastern realm of the Mediterranean to construct a seaside fortress to rival the naval powers of the day. For a couple hundred years these walls turned back a multitude of invasions until the golden age of the Ottomans, some 500 years ago.



The walls and gates were never breached by force, and instead the Knights were allowed to vacate freely and eventually move to Malta. The peaceful resolution ensured the preservation of the 15th Century architectural details, including the massive turrets and crenellations as well as much of the old town. For the modern day visitor it still is a complete medieval city in the finest traditions of Western Europe, except for its curious location right next to the Turkish coast.



The Knights left their marks with their immense defensive structures and Gothic town, followed by the Ottomans with their geometric ornamentations, mosques and bathhouses, culminating with an Italianate palace courtesy of Mussolini. Part French, part Turkish, part Italian, and part Greek -- there is simply no other place in the world possessing this marriage of styles. We'd been looking forward to having this UNESCO World Heritage Site as our last stop on our 18-day trip through Greece.



The major attraction for us was spending a few days within the oldest inhabited medieval town in Europe. The architecture of the old town appeared so influenced by medieval France that we could easily imagine ourself in the Dordogne, except for the greenery of palm trees growing haphazardly around street corners.



Walk into any side alley in the old town and you’ll be surrounded by hewn stone walls supported by Gothic flying buttresses, with cute wooden balconies overhanging the narrow cobblestone paths. It was time to ditch the maps and lose ourselves in the maze.



As the medieval town itself was the focus of our stay, we didn’t pay extra to see any of the sights in town apart from the Grand Master’s Palace. Occupying the highest point of the old town, the palace offers some great views of the lower part of the town, not to mention an escape from the 35-degree heat outside.



While some visitors shun the Grandmaster's Palace for its dubious reputation as an unauthentic, 20th Century Italian reconstruction of the Knights’ old headquarters, that plastic surgery of the exterior mainly affected the pseudo-medieval appearance of its walls and rampart. The best, authentic stuff are still inside its grandiose halls.



Most impressive were a number of beautiful 2000-year-old mosaic, pillaged by the Knights from various neighboring islands in the Aegean and brought here to embellish the flooring of their leader's grandiose residence.



This might have become another Elgin Marbles dispute if Rhodes didn't end up with the Greeks in 1948. Now these sublime mosaics continue to greet their admirers as part of a well-protected, and most importantly, Greek UNESCO site, and there doesn't seem to be any plans to return them to Kos and Chios yet.



Leading from the palace back to lower town was the picturesque Street of the Knights, a wide, cobblestoned medieval boulevard lined with 15th Century quarters of the Hospitallers. This is all aesthetically pleasing and it's understandable why the tourism industry always bills the Grandmaster's Palace and the Street of the Knights as the main draws. But these only represent a segment of history left behind by French and have little to do with the daily lives of the town's modern inhabitants. Fortunately something much more authentically local is just around the corner ...



By far my favorite activity was visiting the town’s old Ottoman Hammam, i.e. public bathhouse. I know what you're thinking ... yes this is linked to a period in Greek history that many locals would rather forget, which probably explains why so few Turkish bathhouses remain in operation within Greece today. But Rhodes is just 25km from the Turkish coast, and the Yeni Hamman still serves the several thousand ethnic Turks remaining on the island today.



I haven't been to a Turkish bathhouse since Rudas in Budapest a few years back, but the procedure was simple enough: bring own towel, deposit valuables and clothes in the locker, and head straight for the steam bath. The attendant of the day was curiously an elderly English gentleman, who nonetheless gave me a very thorough scrub of everything I accumulated through two-and-a-half weeks of backpacking.



The locals really know how to relax! I didn't realize it at the time, but according to my camera's timestamps I must have spent about 3 hours in the bathhouse on one afternoon. IMHO this is an excellent sightseeing strategy as well -- refreshing yourself inside the Hammam away from the scorching afternoon sun, then head back out to explore more the town in the cool of the evening.



I'd probably rank Rhodes right behind my favorite Greek islands of Symi and Santorini. While it's true that parts of the walled city has been completely overrun with tourist-gouging restauranteurs and cheezy souvenir stands, the medieval town itself is large enough to foster the survival of authentic, sleepy neighborhoods for a glimpse of the good life prior to the arrival of mass tourism. For its unique combination of medieval romance, laid back Mediterranean vibe, and of course great local food, it's difficult to beat this remote southeastern corner of Greece.

Symi - Restaurant and Hotel Reviews

No seafood lover should leave Symi without tasting its unique contribution to Greek cuisine, a local species of miniature shrimps known simply as Garidaki Simiako, or Symi Shrimps. What these tiny morsels of crunchy shells and succulent meat may lack in size, they more than make up for with some of the best shrimp flavors we’ve ever had, in any nationality or cooking genre. In fact these tiny crustaceans are so well-celebrated on the island that they even get their own annual festival day in August, when the entire community comes out for a mouthwatering cook off. To this day these shrimps remain one of my favorite memories of Greek food -- it was that good, and you shouldn’t miss it either.

We came across three recommendable restaurants in Symi, and (surprise, surprise) the best two were referred to us by the locals.


Food Review: MERAKLIS (Symi)
Address: Near St. John's Church, Yialos, Symi
Hours: 11:00 – Midnight
Website/Map: From SymiVisitor.com
Directions: Head to the square at the end of the harbor. Facing the sea, you'll see a small alley on the right hand side. Meraklis is half a block away down that alley, on the right hand side.


Our favorite, and probably one of the local favorites judging by the number (and girth!) of its Greek-speaking clientele, was the tiny taverna of Meraklis. As the place was somewhat hidden in a side alley half a block from the harbor front, Stamatia, our host at Marika Rooms, had to give us specific instructions to locate what she called her top choice for a taste of the famous Symi Shrimps. While the taverna itself was small, its tables sprawled out to cover a good portion of the alley and would become even busier in the evening.



We started off with a mysterious but excellent appetizer that belonged to the -salata category, though I’m not sure what it was called exactly -- it was simply what other tables were having and looked good to me. To my tastebuds this appeared to be a refreshing spread of minced crab sticks, celery and sweet red peppers, perfect on the fresh-out-of-the-oven bread. Please leave me a message if you happen to know what this is called.



Keeping with the seafood theme we ordered the Shrimp Saganaki, which did not come in a Saganaki plate somewhat to our disappointment. Perhaps a result of the mild sunny climate of the island, the Saganaki here seemed to take on a much lighter taste compared to the same dish in mainland Greece, with less spices on the sauce, a thinner tomato paste and a non-melted cheese. While they’re a little different from my expectations, the shrimps were fresh and meaty and the all flavors came out very well. But in terms of the depth and concentration of flavors, these large prawns were simply no match for their diminutive cousins, our next dish and the pride of all Symiots ...



The famous Symi Shrimps were in season -- bite-sized, bright red in color and best of all, laden with flavor-bursting shrimp caviar. Anyone who has ever made a bisque knows that the shell is always the tastiest part of a crustacean, and with these miniature shrimps none of that would go to waste. The shrimps were fried in NOTHING but garlic and olive oil until the shells crispen to a delectable crunch, and served with no other sauce or flavoring. Even the lemon was redundant. The result was some of the sweetest, crunchiest and most flavorsome shrimps we’ve ever had.



Look closely and you can see an abundance of delicate roes carried by the shrimps in this mating season, adding to the fullness of flavors with their briny zest. One word of advice though -- not all Symi Shrimps are equal and not every restaurant makes this dish as well as Meraklis does (see review for Taverna Giorgo and Maria below). If I ever return to Symi, Meraklis would top my list for restaurants to revisit.

Bill for Two Persons

Seafood Salad	Euro 4
Symi Shrimp	Euro 10
Shrimp Saganaki	Euro 10
Bottle of Water	Euro 1.5
Bread	Euro 1
TOTAL	Euro 26.5 (CAD$42.4)

Food Review: TRATA (TRAWLERS) (Symi)
Address: Trata Square, Yialos, Symi
Hours: 11:00 – 22:00 (unconfirmed, based on observation)
Website/Map: N/A
Directions: Ask the locals where the Trata Square is -- it's on the right side of the harbor if you face the sea. The Trata taverna is right on the square.

Another restaurant highly recommended by our host lady, Trata was one of those anonymous little gems that we would never have discovered on our own. Tucked away on yet another side alley just east of the harbor front, this nondescript-looking taverna could fit into any Greek island anywhere. The quality of its cooking though was absolutely first class, and it was a shame that we only came for our very last lunch on the island.



Take this Imam Baildi for instance, which was easily the best vegetable dish of our trip. Period. There’s nothing fancy about it -- a slightly deep-fried eggplant shell, savory tomatoes and caramelized onions, and just the perfect amount of sweetening and fresh herbs. Probably every estiatorio in Greece has its own private recipe and secret little tweak, but this eggplant just turned out absolutely perfect. And the pleasant surprise was ... this was also one of the cheapest main dishes of our trip at only 5.5 Euros. You simply can’t ask for a better price-to-quality ratio than this.



I purposely avoided Italian food in Greece, after seeing the locals bastardizing pasta of various shapes and calling them Makaronia. But on this day my wife could no longer resist her craving we ended up with this sizeable heap of seafood pasta. Frankly I had no expectations whatsoever, thinking it would be about as authentic as Olive Garden's version of Spaghetti and Meat Balls. But I greatly underestimated the chef in this unassuming eatery. The shrimps were crisp and flavorful, the squids were tender, the clear sauce was full of chunky, garlicky goodness, and the pasta was just perfectly al dente. This was some of the best pasta I've had outside of Italy.

This was really an excellent little taverna, and our only regret was that we didn't have a few more days to sample more of its repetoire. That's something we have to save for next time.

Bill for Two Persons

Melitzanes Imam	Euro 5.5
Cucumber Tomato Salad	Euro 4
Seafood Makaronia	Euro 9.5
Bottle of Mythos	Euro 3
Bread	Euro 1
TOTAL	Euro 23 (CAD$36.8)

Food Review: TAVERNA GIORGO AND MARIA (Symi)
Address: On the Kali Strata, Horio, Symi
Hours: 11:00 – 22:00 (unconfirmed, based on observation)
Website/Map: N/A
Directions: It's near the top of the main staircase of Kali Strata. Everyone knows where it is so ask the locals.


If you're a traditionalist for food and wish you could just step into a Greek granny's kitchen for that timeless taste, this homey taverna may just be the best place on Symi.



Imagine your grandpa runs a restaurant in the Horio of Symi, with this picture perfect view of the village's ruined windmills. Grandpa George calls the shots while grandma still helps out in the kitchen, once in a while. Everyone in the village knows the place well enough that there's no need for a written menu -- you simply walk into the kitchen and point at whatever is cooking.



That's essentially what you can expect at Taverna Giorgo and Maria. Every dish is a family recipe, starting with this Bourekakia. I don't know whether they make their own phyllo, but it was as light and crispy as any I've ever tasted.



Inside the phyllo was a filling of fresh shrimp meat suspended in a delectable paste of dill and cheese. While the insertion of all that richness into a deep-fried pastry may sound exceedingly heavy, it actually didn't taste of any oiliness at all. This was easily the best dish of the meal.



The Psarosoupa reminded me of my own father's fish soup -- rustic, full of large chunks of bony fish, and unashamedly fishy in flavor. In fact that strong taste of fish was a little too much for my palate, much in the same way that my dad's soup used to turn me off when I was a kid.



But the distinction of the strongest flavor belonged to our main course, a large, unembellished dish of a slow-stewed spring lamb. While I had high expectations of rich flavors in the locally fed and grown lamb, its meat turned out so gamey that I couldn't even tell whether it was lamb or goat. I don't think my wife touched it at all.



At least the sweet Symi Shrimp was always a safe bet. IMHO the preparation of the shrimp here was nowhere as good as the same dish at Meraklis, and could have been sauteed a little longer and crispier. But I realized that perfect, crowd-pleasing executions are best left to the tourist-catering tavernas at the bustling harbor below. The attraction here at Giorgo and Maria is that of the village hangout, where one can chill alongside the locals and watch them laugh, engage in heated debates on politics, and just spending an evening as a Greek in general. Not a bad place for a comfy summer sunset on a remote island in the Eastern Aegean.

Bill for Two Persons

Symi Shrimp	Euro 10
Psarosoupa	Euro 9
Bourekakia with Shrimp and Cheese	Euro 7.5
Potted Symi Lamb	Euro 10
Bottle of Mythos	Euro 2.5
Bread	Euro 1
TOTAL	Euro 40 (CAD$64)

ACCOMMODATION

Hotel Review: MARIKA HOTEL (Yialos, Symi)
Address: On a terrace uphill from Nireus Hotel, Yialos, Symi
Price: 50 Euros
Website/Map: From SymiVisitor.com
How To Book: Through email to Stamatia's address
Directions: Walk along the north side of the harbor front towards the clock tower. When you get to the Nireus Hotel, there's a narrow flight of stairs leading up to a small terrace. Marika Hotel is right there.


One of the pleasures of staying in Symi is to stroll among the pastel-colored neoclassical houses in the tranquility of the early morning, prior to the arrival of the rowdy day-trippers. And for that the most convenient neighborhood is definitely the harbor (Yialos). We chose to stay in one of these 19th Century houses, in a relatively inexpensive, family-run hotel hosted by the cheerful Stamatia Morari.



While the amenities are quite basic, the location is extremely convenient especially for access to the Rodos (Rhodes) ferry. Our balcony even came with a peek-a-boo view of the sea in the direction of the Turkish coast. The narrowness of the alley funneled in the cool sea breeze, making air-conditioning almost optional even in the heat of early July.



Air-conditioning was provided nevertheless, as were a TV, a small fridge, as well as a simple private washroom and shower. And if you do stay here, make sure you ask Stamatia for her restaurant recommendations. Our stomachs were greatly indebted.

My Favorite Greek Island - Symi

I had one of those magical moments that I can't really put into words.



As travelers we occasionally experience these moments of stunned wonderment. Marco Polo must have had his share when he gazed upon the magnificent splendor of 13th Century Hangzhou and Beijing. Most seasoned travelers I've met can recall at least a few of these instances. Off the top of my head I can vividly remember two: the first time upon emerging out of the Batthyany Square metro station in Budapest and coming face-to-face with the dwarfing Orszaghaz across the Danube in gleaming white, and the second time on a boat slowly sailing into the small harbor on Symi.



I was breathless and speechless. As our touring boat sailed into the naturally narrow and steep harbor of Symi, we became surrounded on three sides by cascading layers of pastel-colored, neoclassical facades. The sheer beauty of the panorama and our closeness to these buildings -- the harbor was so narrow that these toy-like houses all seemed within arm's reach -- simply overpowered my sense of aesthetics.



No photo that I took could remotely do justice to that stunning beauty. While there were other spectacular sights on our trip through Greece from north to south -- Santorini's caldera and the cliff-top monasteries of Meteora spring to mind – our entrance into this little-known island of Symi became my favorite of all.



IMHO Symi is the most underrated among the Greek Islands, and to this day I still can't understand why it isn't on more tourist itineraries. While transportation options may be limited at times, it's only 60 to 90 minutes by ferry from the popular destination of Rhodes (Rodos) and is well within day-trip distance. And on top of regularly scheduled ferries, smaller tour companies in Rhodes operate daily boat tours to Symi in peak season.



In fact it was one of those pleasure boats that transported us to/from Rhodes, setting out on a day trip to the Panormiti Monastery (located on the far end of the island of Symi) and stopping at the harbor of Symi. We just opted to complete the return leg on a different date. While the trip was unnecessarily long, starting out at 10:00 and finally arriving at Symi harbor at 14:00, it did offer a tour of the remote monastery and also served as a cruise of the Turkish coastline along the Datca peninsula. But that entry into Symi harbor was what we've waited for all along.



Staged on the harbor's magnificent backdrop isn't your typical whitewashed, cubist Cycladic architecture that most foreigners have come to expect of Greek Islands. Over the past 700 years this island has changed hands through the Knights of St John to the Ottomans to the Italians, before finally returning to the Greeks only a couple of generations ago. Today the stately assembly of old mansions above the port has retained that refined Italianate feel, as if these seas were somehow an extension of Lago di Garda.



Most of these buildings date originally from Symi's heyday as a major player in the in the 19th Century sponge trade, and gradually dilapidated over the next hundred years during the island's decline. It wasn't until the late 1990s when Symi was reborn as a tourist attraction and many of the ruined shells of old houses were refurbished, mostly by affluent outsiders wishing to own a piece of heaven.



While its highly photogenic harbor front greets the majority of visitors, the real Symi hides further uphill in the main settlement of Horio, a quiet town of well-kept neoclassical houses along a wide cobblestone path. This is just the kind of place where children chase the soccer ball around the town square while their grandpas gather around the backgammon table next to the village store. The arrival of modern tourism hasn't yet touched this little corner of authentic Greece.



What preserves the town's authenticity from the onslaught of day-trippers from Rhodes is its geography -- the path into Horio is a gruelingly steep 350-step flight of stairs known as the Kali Strata. It would take us 45 minutes to make our way to the top, with stops to explore the shops and side alleys along the route. The colorful entrance to the stairs was well-marked, at least in Greek.



Wide terraces along the stairs provide the perfect spot for a coffee on lazy afternoons. The steepness of the Kali Strata translates well to lovely views of the harbor, and of the rest of the island and its surroundings. The land in the distance background was actually the Turkish coast of Datca peninsula.



The further we climbed along the Kali Strata, the more atmospheric the scenery became until we reached an area of narrow paths meandering through what appeared to be medieval-age stone houses and Byzantine arches. But far from deteriorating into an archeological ruin like Mystras, many of the houses were still inhabited by local villagers, as they probably have been for centuries past.



Perched at the very top of the stairs was the town of Horio, a ruggedly scenic locale flanked by a row of abandoned windmills and the ruins of an old Venetian fortress. As the setting sun cast long shadows behind the church towers, it was time for an early dinner on the terrace of the village taverna. Just the perfect way to round out a day.



To me Symi is such a magical place, so alluring that I can see myself settling down in one of these colorful houses along the harbor and retiring here some day. This is one of the few destinations in the world that I wouldn't mind revisiting year after year ... if only I live and work in Europe. Hmm ... maybe that's an idea.



PRACTICAL INFO 

TRANSPORTATION

Here's the downside of Symi's peaceful, pre-commercialized charm -- this rare enclave of tranquility has been preserved only through the lack of transportation options. And in the upcoming years of Greek austerity things may get even more interesting.



For years the villagers of Symi have run a reliable daily service to Rhodes under the communal ferry company ANES Ferries, and this service may be renewed in the future. But at the time of writing (summer 2012) things just changed and the larger Dodekanisos Seaways has taken over the route and providing one or two sailings per day during peak season, all on fast catamaran-type boats. If only schedules were this reliable during our visit! Check the official ferry company sites for the latest details, as things are changing so fast in recent months that schedules tend to become outdated the moment they're published.



And if you happen to just miss the scheduled ferries, do what we did and check around the boats at the Mandraki harbor on Rhodes. During the peak season there are at least two excursion boats per day taking day-trippers from Rhodes to Panormiti to Symi harbor and back. Our boat departed at 10:00, arrived at Panormiti at 11:30 and docking for an hour for pilgrims to pay tribute to the monastery, then taking a scenic cruise and arriving at Symi harbor at 14:00. Our one-way ticket cost 11.5 Euros per person, probably more expensive than the ferry but definitely a lifesaver after missing the ferry.



Once on the island, one can stay around the harbor or travel further afield by the hourly community bus. It's hard to miss -- a large, old green bus which runs the circular route up to the main town of Horio on the winding road and then down to the beachside village of Pedi before returning to the harbor. According to our host there are even a few taxis on the island, but we didn't need to inquire.



HOTELS

Thankfully hotel chains do not yet exist on the island. While there are a couple of three star hotels along the harbor front, IMHO private guesthouses provide better value, afford realistic glimpses into the homes of the islanders, and probably will provide you with the locals' suggestion for the best scenic spots and cheap authentic restaurants (as opposed to the hotel concierge convincing you to dine at their own restaurant).



Our guesthouse was just steps from the harbor, which I still think is the most picturesque part of the island. But the main town of Horio, an uphill climb of a few hundred steps from the harbor or 10 minutes by bus, offered a more peaceful environment among the 19th Century Italianesque mansions. Personally I still prefer the harbor for the abundance of photo-worthy spots as well as for ease of transportation, and I'll write a proper review of our guesthouse in the next article.



RESTAURANTS

Our hostess at Marika Rooms introduced us to two of her favorite eateries for one of the most mouthwatering discoveries of our trip. In fact we had some of our most memorable meals here on the island of Symi, due in large part to the island's own unique seafood offering, the tiny but unforgettable Symi Shrimp. The general quality of the food was so good, and the prices were so reasonable that I'll have to dedicate the next article to Symi’s restaurants.