Our final trip while we were still classified as ex-pats was to Rhodes, Greece. Rhodes is the farthest island south and is actually closer to Turkey than to mainland Greece. It was first established in 6th century B.C., so it's the oldest place that we've been to! Plus, it's the island that gets the most sun and boy did we need the sun!! The best way to remember the 12 days spent there is through pics, so here we go!
Our villa, where we spent a significant amount of time in the pool. Aiden finally ditched the swimmies and was swimming beautifully by the end of the trip. Jeb, well he just kept jumping in over and over despite having the wear an ear band due to a burst ear drum prior to leaving England. And Jacob became the world's best Uno player in between swims.
The beach. We did every other day at the beach. It was hot and the turquoise waters were so soothing. We even did a sand castle competition, which mum and Aiden won. It took some training of the eyes to look straight forward at these topless beaches. And it's not what you think, most women sporting the bottoms-only look were not 20. Tom had always dreamed of rolling over to see a DD chest, but when it's on a 250 pound women, well, then you know that the day at the beach is done.
The Acropolis (Apollo's Temple). We chose the hottest day to do this! At the very top of the cliff in Lindos, lies an ancient Greek temple, which was quite large back in 6,000 BC when it was being used. Tom and I thought it was so interesting, while the boys, Aiden in particular, hated every single minute of it. Thank goodness for the donkeys that took us up to the top of the cliff and for the shops that distracted us on the way down.
These are the tiny shells that Aiden found one night while rock pooling. Too bad that one somehow got stuck up his nose the next morning. I am an expert on getting things out by now, so if you are a mom and you need to know - simply hold the side of the nose that is clear shut and put your mouth over the childs mouth and give a good blow. The shell shot to the other end of the room. Wonder what will be the next object, Aiden!
This was amazing. Two men on a moped with a donkey colt in between. Only in Greece.
Epta Piges, or the Seven Springs. Again, in the BC time frame, the Romans found these springs and figured out how to get the fresh water all over the island. We got to walk in ankle deep water through the Roman-built tunnel that was 1 Km long with the only daylight coming from the ends. It was a bit scary, but we all did it, including Jeb all on his own. Rumor has it that doing this will make you live longer. Fingers crossed on that one.
A bit of alone time for mum and Aiden. Went into town and then stopped by St. Paul's church. This is where Paul stopped on his journey towards Ephesus on one of his three missionary journeys. That one gave me goose bumps.
And finally, the glass bottom boat ride. 2 1/2 hours of pure pleasure! No life jackets for the older boys and bow riding at 30 mph! Did I mention the waves on the way back? I was certain we'd dock and I'd have lost one of them off the bow. But, being a mother of boys, I took a deep breath and watched them laugh it off. Out in the bay, the water was so blue and the views of Rhodes were spectacular! Aiden took the wheel by himself, which I couldn't quite believe and then Jeb shared the responsibility with the captain.
Our villa, where we spent a significant amount of time in the pool. Aiden finally ditched the swimmies and was swimming beautifully by the end of the trip. Jeb, well he just kept jumping in over and over despite having the wear an ear band due to a burst ear drum prior to leaving England. And Jacob became the world's best Uno player in between swims.
The beach. We did every other day at the beach. It was hot and the turquoise waters were so soothing. We even did a sand castle competition, which mum and Aiden won. It took some training of the eyes to look straight forward at these topless beaches. And it's not what you think, most women sporting the bottoms-only look were not 20. Tom had always dreamed of rolling over to see a DD chest, but when it's on a 250 pound women, well, then you know that the day at the beach is done.
The Acropolis (Apollo's Temple). We chose the hottest day to do this! At the very top of the cliff in Lindos, lies an ancient Greek temple, which was quite large back in 6,000 BC when it was being used. Tom and I thought it was so interesting, while the boys, Aiden in particular, hated every single minute of it. Thank goodness for the donkeys that took us up to the top of the cliff and for the shops that distracted us on the way down.
These are the tiny shells that Aiden found one night while rock pooling. Too bad that one somehow got stuck up his nose the next morning. I am an expert on getting things out by now, so if you are a mom and you need to know - simply hold the side of the nose that is clear shut and put your mouth over the childs mouth and give a good blow. The shell shot to the other end of the room. Wonder what will be the next object, Aiden!
This was amazing. Two men on a moped with a donkey colt in between. Only in Greece.
Epta Piges, or the Seven Springs. Again, in the BC time frame, the Romans found these springs and figured out how to get the fresh water all over the island. We got to walk in ankle deep water through the Roman-built tunnel that was 1 Km long with the only daylight coming from the ends. It was a bit scary, but we all did it, including Jeb all on his own. Rumor has it that doing this will make you live longer. Fingers crossed on that one.
A bit of alone time for mum and Aiden. Went into town and then stopped by St. Paul's church. This is where Paul stopped on his journey towards Ephesus on one of his three missionary journeys. That one gave me goose bumps.
And finally, the glass bottom boat ride. 2 1/2 hours of pure pleasure! No life jackets for the older boys and bow riding at 30 mph! Did I mention the waves on the way back? I was certain we'd dock and I'd have lost one of them off the bow. But, being a mother of boys, I took a deep breath and watched them laugh it off. Out in the bay, the water was so blue and the views of Rhodes were spectacular! Aiden took the wheel by himself, which I couldn't quite believe and then Jeb shared the responsibility with the captain. What a ride...and when I say ride, I'm not just talking about the boat. Greece was great. Ok, I will share my secret of kind of running the rental car into a stone wall and needing a police report. Have you ever been to a Grecian police station? We have. 5 times. They work slow and they smoke a lot. Try not to wreck your rental. BTW, the rental agency didn't even notice. Only in Greece. Laid back, lots of sun, and just what we needed!
