An Aegean adventure: Archers star Amy Shindler visits Patmos, Leros and Rhodes
It was only when we were halfway down the mountain and the sun was dipping romantically into the sea that my boyfriend mentioned the poisonous snakes. Apparently Patmos is famous for them. Not to worry, he called as he trotted off ahead – they would only attack if we disturbed the rocks. Great, I thought, as I slid through a pile of scree, ripping the leg of my capri pants.
I began to question the wisdom of abandoning a perfectly good path to tear down the side of a snake-infested mountain as we attempted a short cut to a beachside bar. But there’s something about the Dodecanese islands that makes you adventurous.
Stepping back in time: Amy visits classical ruins at Kameiros on Rhodes
Maybe it’s due to the ease of jumping on a ferry and within a few hours emerging on to the pier of a different island, with its own distinct character, landscape and history. You sometimes feel as if you’re closer to the land of Homer’s Odyssey than to 21st Century Greece.
We chose three islands – Patmos, Leros and Rhodes – to visit in eight days, a schedule that allowed time for sun, sea, sightseeing and snake-running.
After a four-hour flight from the UK, we landed in Rhodes, capital of the Dodecanese islands. This was also the centre of government back in the days of the Knights of St John, who occupied the region from 1309 to 1522.
Their legacy remains in the form of castles scattered across the islands, including the spectacular ruin named after them that overlooks the town of Lindos on Rhodes.
Rattled: Patmos is famous for poisonous snakes – which only attack if visitors disturb the rocks
Perhaps the most breathtaking is the imposing Palace of the Grand Masters, which dominates Rhodes Old Town. All turrets and buttresses, it was built – fruitlessly as things turned out – to keep out invaders from Turkey. In the excellent archaeological museum you can see cannon balls that were fired over its parapets.
The old town that was once the centre of Aegean trade is now an attractive jumble of tourist shops, hippy bars and upscale tavernas. It’s more laid-back than infamous Faliraki just down the coast, but we still found ourselves dancing with locals to a live band in a moonlit piazza.
The Ottoman legacy is distinct here, with magnificent mosques and cobbled-street bazaars selling everything from hand-carved chairs to fig cake soaked in ouzo.
Many buildings have an Eastern influence, with courtyard gardens and mosaics. Our room at the sumptuous Spirit of the Knights Hotel included a hammam, while the breakfast featured a croissant the size of my head.
Ancient legacy: Castles are scattered across the islands, including the spectacular ruin that overlooks the town of Lindos on Rhodes
With explorer’s zeal coursing through our veins, our next stop was Leros, an island known for its peaceful, pastel-hued fishing villages and hidden coves – and for being the Second World War battleground that inspired the film The Guns Of Navarone.
Here you can explore underground tunnels used by Allied troops, while ghostly shipwrecks provide an underwater museum for divers. In the town of Lakki, the clock tower is frozen at the exact hour of the first Luftwaffe raid. Despite its disturbing past, it’s a beautiful island somewhat off the tourist trail. In the tiny town of Platanos we found some of the best baklava in Greece, and honey-golden kataifi – another fabulous pastry that melts in the mouth.
Off the tourist trail: Leros is known for its pastel-hued fishing villages and hidden coves – and for being the Second World War battleground that inspired the film The Guns Of Navarone
Patmos was our favourite island – it’s skirted by crystal-clear waters and pine forests, with ancient pilgrimage paths criss-crossing its interior. It’s along these dirt roads that Christians and tourists flock to visit the Holy Cave of the Apocalypse, where St John the Theologian conceived The Book Of Revelation.
We climbed further up the dusty road to the pretty, whitewashed village of Chora which surrounds the formidable and beautiful 11th Century Monastery of St John; a fairytale castle built to protect its religious treasures. And then, like heroes after our brief trek, we took the bus back to the harbour for red mullet followed by moussaka.
It’s surely what Odysseus would have done, given the chance.
Amy Shindler plays Brenda Tucker on Radio 4’s The Archers.
