There’s something of a conspiracy against pedestrians going on in certain streets in Rhodes. In some cases, the pavement is only about 18 inches wide, and yet, there’s still a tree in the middle of it, or a lamppost. This, I believe, is a way of keeping down the weight of pedestrians. Too much around the middle and you can’t pass between the tree and the wall, so you are compelled to step sideways into the road risking life and limb. If someone’s coming the other way, you have that terrible decision of which way to step and often end up doing the stranger dance, where you sidestep in the manner of a foxtrot only to end up mirroring each other. There should be an unwritten rule that you always step to the left or the right, so we all know what we’re doing.
As you might guess, I did a fair amount of walking around Rhodes the other day (nine miles in total), and all this for a quick checkup at the docs as part of my annual health insurance. You’ll be pleased to know, as I was, that everything is ticking over nicely in the ticker department, tubes clear, levels fine, blah-di-blah. The half hour with a consultant cost me €20.00, and the appointment was at my convenience. Don’t get me started about how wonderful the health service is here, I’ll never stop going on about it.
That view, if you were wondering, was from the waiting room, and I took the photo to remind myself to tell you that the Plaza should be reopening soon. (Next week, I think.) this is the hotel where many Symi people stay or hang out while waiting for the day to pass before the ferry leaves, or when on their way to and from the airport. It’s been closed for a while for a refurb, and the last time I saw it, some of the balconies were missing. They are all back now.
Also noticed in Rhodes, there’s a new Goody’s, which is a viable alternative for Mcdonald’s which is also undergoing a refurb so that’s closed too. The orange blossom is out, even on trees that already have oranges on them. If these are the same trees as they have in Athens, then the oranges aren’t for eating, and the trees are purely for decoration. (And for forcing overweight pedestrians to walk into oncoming traffic.)
And lastly, this building which I liked the design of. It’s on Canada Street if you want to go and gawp. I passed it on my way to do some man shopping at Pappou. Man shopping is when you know what you want, you go in, get it, come out and carry on as you were. This I did for some tea bags on my way to the boat. Tea bags which need to be immersed in hot water, which is what I am away to do now. Have a fun weekend.
