Honeymoon in Rhodes

One year after our wedding, Linnea and I traveled to Rhodes, an island belonging to Greece but closer to the coast of Türkiye. Since we went to the U.S. a few days after our wedding to have the reception in St. Louis, there wasn’t time for the traditional honeymoon right afterward.

Observations

Before digging into our daily itinerary, I will note some observations, as Rhodes is certainly a very different place than Finland:

• Nordic tourists: We noticed a lot of Nordic visitors and even passed Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian bars and stores. One jewelry / watch shop claimed to speak Finnish and advertised accordingly at the front of its building. A few restaurant workers were excited to practice some Finnish phrases with us. And Linnea couldn’t help but point out or give a knowing glance every time we passed or encountered fellow Finnish travelers. There were generally many tourists, and we were surrounded by an array of languages.
• Heat: With temperatures between mid-20s and high-30s (°C), it was overwhelmingly hot at times. I mean, we knew it would be hot, but we didn’t realize it would feel that hot. Originally I requested the last week of September off from work due to the anticipated heat, but it was declined since I was already taking an irregular time off for holiday (August). So we went ahead and booked the trip, fearing that if we didn’t go then, the honeymoon might not happen. Though St. Louis has similar temperatures in the summer, after living in Finland for five years, my body was not ready, and Linnea’s certainly wasn’t either.
• Bottled water: As an environmentalist at heart, it pained me to buy so much water, which we did because some advise not to drink the tap water in Rhodes. Throughout the trip, we ended up buying about 35 liters of water! Luckily the prices were much cheaper than in Finland.
• Roads: Scooters, tiny cars, and taxis were definitely the preferred modes of transportation. It made sense because the roads (and sidewalks) could be quite narrow at times. We routinely saw kids riding scooters without helmets. Pedestrians don’t have the right of way like in Finland, so we had to be on high alert when crossing the road.
• Street cats: Cats were everywhere, and people would leave bowls of food and water out for them.
• Beaches: While some of the beaches have the idyllic white, soft sand, many beaches are made up of pebbles, seemingly transported from a garden shop. After our first beach visit, I had to buy swim shoes to save my feet.
• Cicadas: The cicadas were extremely active during our trip. The sound was almost deafening at times. At one point we had to cover our ears and quickly retreat from a corridor of cicada-filled trees.

Day 1: Arrival

In the morning we took an early direct flight to Rhodes. From the airport we took a bus (standing-room-only) to our hotel, which was nicely located within walking distance of several beaches, the port, a bus station, restaurants, shops, and more! This felt quite different from our current apartment in Helsinki, where it takes us 45 minutes to get anywhere by public transportation. Even though it was easy to get to our hotel by bus, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the local people, whose daily lives are surely interrupted by all of the tourists filling up the public transportation between the airport and the city center (apologies!).

After a classic meal of gyros, which we ate several times throughout the trip, we headed back to the hotel to rest (the 6.20 flight started to kick in!). A few hours later, we took our first beach trip to Paralia Elli (Elli Beach), on the western side of the island. It was super wavy and far saltier than the water in Finland, with the Baltic Sea known for its low-salinity. Later in the evening we headed out again for appetizers at another restaurant. We were a bit taken aback by the restaurants and bars trying to persuade everyone to come in, even somewhat aggressively. This reminded me of my time studying abroad in Spain. Though this is probably common, it is strikingly the opposite of typical Finnish behavior.

Day 2: City tour

After a decent hotel breakfast, we started the day with a Hop-on, Hop-off bus tour around Rhodes Town. Since the bus only came every hour and it was hot, we decided to ride through the whole tour first before getting off at Old Town. The highlight was the palace, with its medieval features and cool interior. We ended the night with a quick dip at Elli Beach, this time on the eastern side of the island, followed by watching the sunset at the northern tip (the same beach wraps around this point).

Day 3: Symi Island, including Panormitis Monastery

Today we went on our first of two day trips. We took a 1.5-hour boat ride from Mandraki Port to Archangel of Panormitis Monastery. While initially frustrated that I accidentally queued to purchase prayer candles instead of paying what I thought was the entrance fee, the chapel and museum were definitely worth seeing. Next we ferried another one hour to the main port of Symi Island, where we had four hours to explore. However, it was so hot that it felt that we could barely do anything. We did manage to enjoy cold drinks and gelato at a cafe and walk around for a hot second before visiting the beach, which was the saving grace.

Day 4: Faliraki Beach

This day marked our first wedding anniversary. It has felt like a short time and a long time at the same time! To celebrate the day, we went to Faliraki Beach – chosen for its beautiful white sands – on the eastern side of the island. We booked chairs and an umbrella outside of a restaurant and beach bar, where we could order (soft) drinks. Since we were able to stay cooler and hydrated, we relaxed at the beach for a few hours. After freshening up and resting at the hotel, we went out again to have cocktails and dinner. The benefit of the hotel’s central location was being able to come and go without much hassle.

Day 5: Lindos, Tsambika Beach Lagoon & Anthony Quinn Bay

Today’s adventure once again began from Mandraki Port. This time we traveled about two hours south along the eastern side of the island to the town of Lindos. After lunch, we slowly walked up the hill to the Acropolis, stopping at every shady spot and for gelato. The views were amazing from the top. However, once we reached the Acropolis, we simply turned back, not having the time nor energy to enter. On the way back to Rhodes Town, the boat made two stops: Tsambika Beach Lagoon and Anthony Quinn Bay. Both were stunning, but especially the latter because there was more to see underwater. Though we didn’t snorkel in earnest, we saw small black fish, tiny blue fish, and even a jellyfish, in addition to the various rock formations. After returning, we walked to the shore near our hotel, picking up pitas along the way and eating them on the beach. Unfortunately, the trip took a turn for the worse in the night.

Day 6: Sick day & museums

Linnea had already begun feeling off yesterday afternoon, but it escalated later in the night. Long story short, we took a taxi to the emergency room, and Linnea was given fluids for heat exhaustion. While in the waiting room, I saw a few other people stumbling in with similar looking symptoms. That heat was no joke. Despite trying our best to stay cool and keep hydrated, the hot boat ride – somehow void of nearly any breeze – tipped us over the edge. The reception took Linnea’s European Health Insurance card, and we paid nothing for the visit. Coming from the U.S., this is nothing short of a miracle. During the wait I applied for my own card, which only required filling out a few questions.

With Linnea miserably but safely in the hotel room all day, I went out in the afternoon to visit some museums in Old Town, namely Our Lady of the Castle Church, Decorative Art Collection of Rhodes, and the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes. Although our daily swimming streak was interrupted, at the end of the day I took an evening stroll along the beach.

Day 7: Departure

Thankfully Linnea was feeling better today, and we were able to venture out to the beach one last time before leaving. Afterward we attempted to find a cool restaurant where Linnea could eat, but they were mostly all open-air and much too warm, even with air conditioning. So Linnea rested at the hotel while I found my last Greek meal.

And that’s a wrap! Despite the heat and medical complications, we had a great honeymoon in Rhodes. (Even so, I would not advise anyone to go in July.) The trip ended with a flight delay, in which we stood on the loading ramp for nearly an hour. It seems a panel above the seats had fallen off during the previous flight. Of course we sat right underneath it, laughing a bit that the fix was just tape after the long wait. In the end we arrived at 2 am back to Helsinki, where it was still light outside and the high was in the low-20s – my kind of summer weather.

As a side note, I became a Finnish citizen this May! When I started this blog more than five years ago, I could not have imagined ending up where I am today. Thanks for following along on my journey!