At night you can almost touch the stars over Lindos. I
first heard about Greece at the age of five or six. The moment I laid eyes on
the book “My donkey Benjamin,” a story about a little girl that finds a baby
donkey in Lindos on Rhodes. I started to call all donkeys by that exact name
and imagined Greece to be one of these magical far flung places.
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| On the beach in Lindos, Greece |
I'm visiting Greece for what feels like the thousands
time. The last time I went is only a few months ago, when I went to Athens to go on a culinary safari and to look at Street Art. If you travel through
Europe in summer it usually is so very busy, crowded, fun mayhem. Call it
whatever you like. Everybody is out and about. For people living in the cold
countries of Europe, summer is the time to celebrate. After months and months
of grey, rainy, snowy, darkish times people want one thing: sunshine.
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| Lindos the ancient white village in Greece |
When I booked my flight to Rhodes I was
prepared for all the craziness that comes with a European summer vacation. As
the plane flies over the Mediterranean Sea I let my view gaze over the endless
blue, there are many islands, like hover boats silently floating in the flat
sea. This is thanks to the slightly hazy conditions. I already used the word
blue. Greece, the Greek flag is white and blue and so is the scenery, all the
way to the horizon. It looks beautiful from above.
I pick up my rental car at Diagoras Airport
and adjust the surfing equipment on the roof and head towards Lindos. Rhodes
Old Town would have been a great choice for a base too, food and nightlife are
both great here but I wanted to stay in a small village and closer to
Prasonisi, an excellent spot for wind- and kite-surfing.
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| Boat with Greek Flag in Lindos, Greece |
Lindos – swimming,
hiking, shopping and eating
Lindos is an island in the Dodecanese in Greece. 1,000 people call Lindos, one of these picture-perfect Greek villages,
home. White houses, pink bougainvillaea, sleeping cats, fig-trees plus ancient history. I’m
forever intrigued as to whether life is better in a small village or in a large
urban environment with a high population density? In the
eighties of the last century, the Lindians decided to make the most of tourism,
and they rented out every single room they had, probably even down to their
broom cabinets. Over the decades tour operators, mostly from the UK took over
the ancient white village. I have been several times to Lindos over the years,
and this time it feels as the Greeks would want to take it slowly into another
direction.
Many Greeks work in trendy and owner run
stores, selling products made in Greece, they give you a warm welcome and at
the same time are ready to talk about the political situation in their country.
They don’t hold back about anything, when they talk about the, as they call it,
crisis. In true Greek fashion, I love that. I spent so much time talking to
Greeks about the current situation, and it was amazing to get all these
different opinions, ranging from “It is the Europeans fault, they forced
austerity measures on us,” to the exact opposite “It is a homemade problem, and
Greeks are not used to paying taxes.”
If you go away on a trip, any trip really, the
experience comes to life if you speak with as many locals as possible. It also
pays off to walk into the opposite direction. There is beauty everywhere in
this ancient village. I spend my time swimming, hiking, surfing,
eating, shopping, sipping coffee and cuddling cats. I went to bed late and got
up early. Here are my top tips for wonderful experiences in Lindos.
Eat
Kataifi
Chopped walnuts, cloves and cinnamon, spun
delicately in filo pastry shreds, lightly bathed in syrup, made from honey or
sugar, is a classic Greek dessert. Kataifi is a tiny piece of art and if you
can bring yourself to cut it up, rest assured that it is absolutely yummy to
have it for coffee and cake in the afternoon.
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| Eat Kataifi when in Greece |
Eat Greek Yogurt
with honey and walnuts at Gelo Blu
Yogurt producers enrich milk with yogurt cultures (lactic
acid and bacteria) and then let it drain to separate the whey from the yogurt. The
result is a thick and creamy yogurt that consists of ten percent fat and tastes
less sour compared to plain yogurt.
Make your way to Gelo Blu (a café that has been here for as
long as I can remember) in the morning, find a place in the shade in the pretty
white and blue courtyard and order a Greek Yogurt with honey and walnuts. The
yogurt of a thick texture, which can be mixed with the honey wonderfully, will
keep you well-fed till lunchtime, but you might consider checking their menu
for more delicacies.
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| Greek Yogurt, honey and walnuts at Gelo Blu in Lindos |
Look at
all the pretty corners Lindos has
Travellers want to get lost; at least that is
what literally everybody who knows a thing or two about travelling tells them
it is what they want to do. The village of Lindos is simply too small to
seriously lose orientation. Just look at all the white there is, Lindos is an
ancient white village, take the time to look for lovely photo opportunities and
just enjoy the tranquillity of all the many deserted lanes fringed with white
cubic houses and huge wooden entrance gates.
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| Church of St John in Lindos - dating from the 14th century |
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| Three-wheeled vehicle - Lindos, Greece |
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| It is all white - Lindos in Greece |
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| Lindos - cosy under a tree |
Olive wood
products at Tree of Life
A heavenly smell of olive oil floats gently
through the air. If you are into cooking, this store is for you. The wide range
of cutting boards, spatulas, honey dippers, bowls, spoons, ladles, pestle and
mortars, citrus reamers, is arranged orderly all over the store, on the
counter, on shelves, on the floor, on the walls. The olive wood is a hardwood
and as such non-porous and what I especially love is that it doesn’t absorb
bacteria. It is a tough decision; each piece is unique. I'm fascinated to hear
that experts can tell from the pattern, from which part of the tree the wood
was cut. You find the store if you walk up towards the Acropolis, it is next to the Captain's House Bar (stop here for a Frappé to cool down, it is an amazing property and so very friendly).
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| The Tree of Life in Lindos, Greece |
Kori Lindos
– a store for daughters and sons
Kori means girl in Greek. But this store is
not only for girls, it is for everybody who loves beautiful handmade Greek
products. If you enter the store on one of the main arteries in the village
make sure you talk to the lovely owner and cuddle the very cute cat. I bought a
knitted matiasma, the evil eye for EUR 29. Just in case someone will throw an evil eye on
me, I have help now, it apparently wards off bad luck and it looks beautiful. In summer the store will be open till 11pm, check their website for more information.
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| Knitted Evil Eye from Kiri in Lindos |
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| White cat lounging on the floor in the entrance of Kiri in Lindos |
Lemon or
Orange Cake?
I enter the Rainbird Bar and take a photo of the
sign that advertises cake, the guy who works here asks me whether I am going to
put it up on Facebook. He shows me a photo of himself, on another guy’s
Facebook feed, smiles proudly and says with a twinkle in his eyes “I'm now
famous in London.”
Take a seat and enjoy the magnificent view,
the only decision you have to take for now is whether you would love to eat Lemon or Orange Cake?
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| Rainbird Cafe. Tough choice: Lemon or Orange Cake |
Drink in
the blue and turquoise of the water
I go swimming every day; in total I swim 15
hours or so. As I glide seemingly weightless through the refreshing cold of the
water, I think of Nikos Kazantzakis words “happy is the human, I thought, who,
before dying, is found worthy to sail the Aegean Sea.” I know I’m not a sailing
boat, but this is exactly how I feel, totally grateful; there is nothing else
at all I would want to do in this exact moment.
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| Swimming in the Mediterranean Sea in Lindos, Greece |
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| Glystra Beach not far from Lindos in Greece |
Blue Eye
Clothing
Super cute store right in the middle of
Lindos. Kaftans, Pashminas, Jewellery …. Browse summer dresses from Madame ShouShou by designer Elena Kordali. Try sandals by designer Aris Tsoubos, the
pompom ones are adorable. Check out the newest bikini styles from ckantova by
designer Christina Kantova. Pick whatever you fancy in this super cute store,
and feel good about it, everything in this store is made in Greece. Opening
Hours 9am till 11pm (in summer), please check their website for more info.
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| Blue Eye Clothing in Lindos, Greece |
Stay at Lindos
Comfy Suites
I love to stay in casual but stylish
surroundings where I can sleep on an eco-mattress and use eco-cosmetic
products. Every day I wake up in my white and light grey designed room, I think
what a lucky person I am; it looks delicious together with the deep blue of the
sky. Breakfast is extensive and full of Greek treats, the view from the bright
white rooftop terrace over the village, the Acropolis and the Mediterranean Sea
is simply magnificent. I love my daily walks through the village to go for
coffees, to a restaurant, or to the beach, and I love to come back late at
night, when there are only the stars and a few cats around. Check their website for more info, I booked my stay online directly with them.
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| Stylish find: Comfy Suites in Lindos, Greece |
Cuddle the
cats of Lindos
Over the course of my visit I found out that
each of the cats lives in their very own district of the village. I became
friendly with some, since it was always the same cats at certain points along
my route. I wish I could have taken one of them home.
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| All the cute cats of Lindos |
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| Doors. Photo Art in Lindos, Greece |
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| I heart Lindos, Greece |
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| Doors of Lindos, Greece |
What do you like to do in Greece?
From Berlin with love
