What a fun and unexpected day! We started off to see another monastery (at Kim's request) and the road was mountainous and full of twists and hairpin turns. About three quarters of the way there we had a little confusion about what Athena wanted us to do. We were in a small town with an interesting looking church and we decided to stop and regroup and have a look. The church was locked but we decided to explore an abandoned building that was on the square.
We discovered later that the beautiful Venetian building was once the mansion of the Italian Govenor who was in charge on Rhodes when the Italians ruled the island. What an amazing place it must have been in its heyday! It has been abandoned to time but it is beautiful in its decay. Bright hues of peeling plaster, cracked staircases loose balconies, and fading hand painted wallpaper all made for a fun hour of discovery for all of us. I could have the photoshoot of my dreams in that place!
Across the square was another building that we ventured in to. It was much more institutional and had a very creepy aura. Upon inspection we decided it must have been a mental institution (metal doors, some bars, abandoned medical equipment ). We didn't spend a terribly log time in this building, and found out later that it had been a sanatorium rather than a sanitarium. Injured Italian soldiers were cared for here.
Once we made it to the monastery the day had heated up. We arrived just ahead of a Russian tour group so a missionary volunteer hurried us through a tour of the beautiful little church. The inside was filled with beautiful unrestored frescos from 1200-1300 years ago.
We walked the grounds and upon our return the missionary offered us bread "in hospitality from the monastery". We were then offered a cup of hot tea which was rosemary steeped in hot water. This was a very organized place and they had a gift shop on the way out. The shop was mostly orthodox icons and souvenirs so we left without any new treasures. We did have a conversation with a priest from Virginia who seemed to enjoy speaking American English for a change.
As we left the monastery we saw a sign that said "castle". Shall we? Ok! We followed the winding road to the steep uphill climb (thank you little rental car!) to the ruined castle. We decided a castle picnic was in order and we packed our lunch coolers up to one of the turrets and enjoyed our al fresco lunch. The breeze was whipping through the turret and we were shaded from the brutal sun so a delightful time was had by all!
After wandering the castle we headed back to our favorite Golden Beach for a swim and the home to pack. Back to Athens tomorrow.
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