My Road To Happiness

Since my father’s illness and subsequent changes at work, I won’t be going back to Lindos for Easter this year as I’d hoped. So, to quench my desire, here is a terrific video that not only shows one of the best places to go in the village, it shows off the village well too.

Maybe next year.

I haven’t finished writing about my trip yet but the Greek sections are more or less complete. I read them over the other day and realized I don’t have too much more to relate in terms of events. Next project is describing my one day in Paris. Read the rest of this entry »

Yeah. Not really sure what happened here. This appears to be the day I “lost” while in Lindos. Here’s what I do know:

1. I spent the previous night in the apartment on Mt. Everest.
2. I met Vanessa’s father (Spa Lindos) and committed to staying 2 nights in one of the Tsambika’s Studio Apartments he owns just below the Acropolis (and across the alley from the Melenos Lindos Hotel).
3. I twisted my ankle when I failed to see that the extensive private balcony in my new apartment has a step down right in the middle. Typical.
4. I tried to ignore that I twisted my ankle and walked around on it all day. Ouch.
5. I went back to Rhodes, packing everything I owned and checked out hastily, with my heart beating double time from excitement, like I was going on the lam. I think that’s because it was so spontaneous and I was going “off plan” with no idea how it would all turn out. Cool.
6. I nearly tipped over the Toyota Yaris (twice!) as I attempted to get down to and back from the parking lot at the the main beach in Lindos. Totally scary.
7. I hauled not only my belongings from the car (1 rolling duffle, one large duffle strapped on top) but the items still waiting in Mt. Everest (big satchel and many plastic bags) from one end of the village to the other where the new apartment was.
8. I had another unremarkable dinner at another large, empty restaurant called Symposio. At least the waiter was a cutie.
9. I collapsed in a heap at the end of the night in my new apartment. Read the rest of this entry »

Tuesday morning I get myself up early and back to Lindos in time to meet Becca at the beach. I pack a bag that contains what I need for the beach and for a possible overnight stay. Once I saw how easy it was to find a room just by walking into a shop with a “room to let” sign over the door, I began toying with the idea of abandoning my “craptastic” apartment in Rhodes for the rest of my stay on the island.

Craptastic Apt in Rhodes town

There are 2 beaches. The “main beach” that you see on your drive in and the one that is just over the hill, behind the Acropolis. The beach at St. Paul’s Bay is nearly deserted and Becca tells me that she and Nathan have had this spot all to themselves for weeks.

Today there are a few people coming down with their kids so we make our way to the other end of the beach nearer the small restaurant. It’s wonderfully warm (though the water’s still cold) and I lay down and let the sun do it’s work on my frame. You know how you feel the sun start on the outer layer of your skin? Slowly it seeps into your muscles and they start to lengthen and let go of any residual tension. You feel a sleepy and it’s hard to keep your eyes open. If you let yourself go, the last thing you’ll feel is the warmth make it’s way all the way to your interior, down into your bones and you feel “well”. Read the rest of this entry »

Just a quick note that I updated many of my previous posts on my trip to Greece with new photographs.

Check it out here: http://myroadtohappieness.com/blog/?tag=greece

I’m still working on writing about the other days I spent in Greece, but just to be helpful and to keep the content coming, here’s some things I learned on my trip that might help you.

DO – pack only 1 carry-on bag and a back pack or large (but manageable) tote. If you’re traveling alone, and not checking into the Four Seasons, you need to remember that it’s all up to you. You will be hauling all that luggage to hell and back.

I knew this. I’m not a novice to traveling efficiently or alone. In fact I spend about 3 days a month on the road for work. Yet somehow, I convinced myself that I had to travel like Mariah Carey on this trip. I paid the price.

Yeah, this was basically me.

I went to Greece with a large rolling duffle packed to the gills and a large, unwieldy (albeit good looking) tote bag.

I thought I’d be using my apartment in Rhodes as “base camp” and driving all over the Island on day trips. I’d even brought my trusty expandable duffle for the trip home when I would need more space. It’s about the size of a hardback book when folded up and expands to an enormous size when unzipped.

If you’ve read about the trip you’d know I bugged out of the duggout about 3 days in.

Anyway, let’s just say that all the moving around I did and hauling through airports and schlepping up the cobble stone streets of Lindos has to be the reason I lost all that weight. So, technically there’s a up side. However it was NOT comfortable and I needed a massage to undo the damage.

Here’s all you need to bring for a 1 week trip to the Greek islands: I have linked to the items I brought that worked and I recommend for you – or to give you a better idea of what I mean Read the rest of this entry »

Whew! I’m writing this from Day 7 and although I wouldn’t characterize my days as hectic or my writing about them difficult, I sure seem to be falling behind!

Let’s see, I guess we’re at Monday morning by now and I’m driving back to Lindos. The previous night was rough. Somehow I managed to get a migrane that put an ice pick in my right eye that no amount of Tylenol could touch. All I could do for relief was keep the lights off and an ice pack on.
Fortunately, the pain subsided early in the morning and I grabbed a couple hours rest before getting back in the car.

It’s another sparkling morning and luckily there isn’t much traffic. I pull into the parking lot above the town square and make my way to the restaurant where Becca works. She’s not there yet so I tell Alex’s son, Costa, to let her know I’ll be nearby. Just around the corner is Gelo Blue. This was the first gelato shop in the village. The fresh cream and fruit used to be flown in from main land. Now they also serve coffee, simple sandwiches and dessert.

Double Greek with Sugar, please

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve arrived late in the day so it’s easy to find parking in the lot closest to the entrance of the village. From there it’s a short walk down a steep drive leading into Lindos.

Entrance to Lindos Village

The narrow cobble stone streets are shaded by awnings that meet from opposing sides of the street. Grapevine leaves are cultivated to grow over the walk on a series of wires strung between the buildings in a makeshift trellis.

This makes a hot day bearable and it’s easy to wander slowly, taking pictures every few feet. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s Sunday and I sleep ’till noon. It’s partly that I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since I left Cleveland and partly the Cuttysark and Coke I drank at the Bouzouki the night before.

I had the foresight to buy eggs so I poach myself a pair and match them up with a slice of brown bread toasted under the broiler in the easy-bake oven they’ve provided at my “condo-minimum”.

I take my time getting ready and try to manage my expectations. Rhodes City was a disappointment and I’m starting to worry I’ve come all this way for a place that looks like the scrub covered hills of southern California and acts like a NJ nightclub full of Persian gigolos. Read the rest of this entry »