Lindos, Rhodes

The town of Lindos, on the east coast of Rhodes, is a popular resort town with tens of thousands of Europeans flowing to its beaches in the summer. The high season hasn't started yet, so the crowds are thin. Strolling along the narrow streets, many with pavement and floor designs made of colored stones, is easy. We hear a lot of French, German, Danish and Swedish being spoken by tourists. No English, though.

The town is a World Heritage site, its sugar cube buildings dating from medieval times. No cars are allowed--only scooters, donkeys, and pedestrians.

Above the town soars the 4th century BCE Acropolis. It's built on a promontory that separates the two main bays, both with beautiful blue-green water and sweet, though rocky, beaches.



The Acropolis's main temple, built to honor Athena, is mostly a ruin, with only a few columns standing. A female deity named Lindia was being worshipped here thousands of years before Athena showed up.

The Romans built on this site, as did the Knights of St. John, who constructed a medieval fortress around the Acropolis using blocks from the ancient temples. This 12th century religious order, also called Knights Hospitallers, came from European Catholic countries to care for wounded and sick crusaders. They arrived in Rhodes in 1309, built a huge hospital that Nancy and I saw in Rhodes' Old Town, and defended the island against capture by the Turks for the next 200 years.
The morning was rainy as we ascended the winding stairway to the Acropolis. When we reached the top, thunder rolled from the thick dark clouds, and lightning flashed above the sea. It was thrilling. I felt close to the ancient deities who once filled people with awe...and occasionally still do!

Becky