We pulled the car off to the side of the road, and a gorgeous view unfolded in front of us: the blues of Lindos bay, the whites of Lindos town and the majestic fort of Lindos Acropolis rising high above them. I couldn’t be more grateful for this stop to our wonderful guides for the day, Koula and Katerina; it was undoubtedly the most appropriate introduction after a long and winding trip. But I am getting ahead of myself.
I knew I wanted to visit Lindos even before we landed at Rhodes airport. According to my quick online research, getting there was a trivial task: one had to choose between a bus, a boat or rent-a-car. Little did I know at that time that in Rhodes we were expected by the wonderful Katerina and Koula, mother and daughter, who became our amazing tour guides to and around Lindos for a day. These two gorgeous ladies picked us with a car from our hotel, and we began our journey with a basket with home baked pastries, heartily laughter and brief catching up. (Now I have to explain here: Koula and the husband studied together. I have said it before, having friends all over Greece is one of the perks of being married to a Greek.)
On our way to Lindos we made a quick stop at the Monastery of Our Lady “Tsambika” which hosts the pronounced as miracle-working icon of Virgin Mary. According to the legend, the icon appeared at the top of a hill (where the initial “Tsambika” monastery was built). It was then found by a man whose wife was unable to conceive a child; the icon is said to have brought them the child they wanted to have.
Monastery of Our Lady “Tsambika”
We continued our journey, and it was then when we pulled off the car to the side of the road. There is no better way of soaking up the entire beauty of Lindos at a glance so keep your eyes peeled for this spot on the road.
Next up was the St. Paul’s bay and church right at the entrance of Lindos town. The sun was already high in the sky, and for a moment I wished I leave the sightseeing plan, and jump directly into the aquamarine waters. Meanwhile, Katerina was explaining me that the small temple of St. Paul’s has become a popular wedding location for both locals and foreigners, and I could easily see why; with almost white sand, water in all shades of blue, and a view of the Acropolis fort this place could easily tick all requirement boxes of any bride-to-be.
St. Paul’s bay and St. Paul’s temple, one of the most popular wedding locations on Rhodes
We left the car at the parking lot at the entrance of Lindos, and began our climb to the Acropolis. A labyrinth of small streets filled with tiny souvenir shops led us to caved in the stone stairs at the top of which the Acropolis was awaiting us. Now, it goes without saying that the views from up there were ah-mazing, and the pictures below testify to this, but I was far from prepared for what I was to experience. Flip-flops, and only a few drops of water at the bottom of my bottle were not in any way appropriate for the rocky terrain and burning sun. The Greek gods probably had a good laugh at my touristic amateurishness.
St. Paul’s bay, a view from the Acropolis
The Acropolis of Lindos, staircase of the Propylaea
Our wonderful guides for the day, Koula and Katerina
The town of Lindos, a view from the Acropolis
An hour later, all feeling smoking hot (in its most literal meaning) we left the Acropolis to explore more of Lindos town. Koula assured me that Gelo Blu is the best place for ice cream, and they definitely deserve the title due to their entirely home made range of flavors. Add some rustic exteriors and interiors dating a century back (with tons of whites and blues, so right up my alley), and there you have it: ice cream heaven!
As we sat in the back yard of Gelo Blu, sharing impressions of the day, I was grateful that it was Koula and Katerina who took us around the town of Lindos. Their engrossing stories about the old times made this one day trip to Lindos much more special.
Great ice cream and typical interiors @ Gelo Blu
Typical door design in the town of Lindos
The fort, a view from Lindos town
