Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! Merry everything and happy always!

An update since our last blog.

We sailed from Kastellorizo to Rhodes. Nothing eventful happened during this 12 hours trip. We were overtaken by a Cargo boat once and had a visit from a little sparrow. But that was pretty much it!

We prepared our fenders and ropes for the last time in 2022, then entered Rhodes marina.

We booked the berth for 2 months. We are located at the end of the pier.

The marina is really nice and not busy at all. The staff are lovely and regularly check in on us and the boats. There are only 4 live aboard boats (including us). We still have 20 degrees here in December which is really nice.

We have two completely different experiences, when walking either right or left out of the Marina.

• Turning right, walking along the beach for 30 minutes, brings us to the beautiful old town (tourist area in Summer) and the new town (a shopping area).

• Turning left, walking along the beach for 30 minutes, brings us to Lidl (walking past Gypsies / local Roma).

Our fist impressions - Turning right from our Marina:

In the old town, only a few coffee shops, restaurants and general shops remain open during the winter months (except when a big tourist boat arrives, see further below). It is beautiful to see this old town when nobody is here. Some pictures of houses, windmills, fountains, backstreets, castle and "pigeon holes:

The castle

As mentioned earlier, it is quiet when no tourist ships are here (which is most of the time). However, the shops and restaurants open for the day, when cruise ships arrive. This is also the only time, when we see gypsies (with babies), beg for money.

On offer, for the tourists, are clothing and souvenirs, penis shaped Ouzo bottles and all kinds of Cannabis (Medicinal cannabis is legal in Greece but illegal for recreational purposes).

In the new town, the shops, restaurant and bars remain open

Our fist impression, turning left from our Marina, on our way to Lidl:

People are still enjoying their morning swim.

Continuing our walk, we come across some self built benches and some kind of a boat shrine.

The environment changes further, the closer we get to Lidl. There is a lot of rubbish In front of the gypsy settlement.

Hmm, I initially did not understand why so many pavers were missing here and nowhere else we walked to..... then I saw them. The gypsies use them to hold down the plastic sheets and to keep their huts dry. You will also note the "personalised" fence.

Everywhere else in Rhodes they either have the typical blue or white tops.

We are automatically more careful with personal belongings but equally feel for the social issues they are facing. We certainly don't want to discriminate and pre-judge them.

Back to the Old Town. Love wandering around the empty back streets, get lost and not know where you come out!

Morning walk around the Rhodes Fortification wall which was built around the medieval town by the Knights of Saint John in 1309.

Caroline's new friend, fisherman Ioannis, He caught this big Octopus next to the beach!

Ha, ha, I understood just enough of the instructions in Greek..The one thing I could read is the "5" so assume its telling me to leave the hair conditioner in my hair for 5 minutes!

New solar bling lights around our boat pole which adds to the night ambiance

Another marina boat friend (from QLD, Australia) and Caroline decided to listen to some live Greek music and watch the locals dance.

Wednesday and Saturday morning Fish and veg/fruit market (10 minute walk from our Marina). Just a great way to interact with the friendly Greek community and to stock up.

Sven doing all sorts of jobs again. He always finds something to do.

We hired a car and drove around Rhodes Island.

Visited the church of the Virgin Mary near Archangelos. Walked up 300 stairs to the Chapel which had a nice view over the beaches.

Lindos was next on our program. Lindos is known for its clifftop acropolis, which features monumental 4th-century gates and reliefs from about 280 B.C. It felt like a ghost town, everything was closed.

Next stop was the Castle of Monolithos. The Venetian Castle was built in 1480 to protect the area from pirates and enemies. The Castle is ruined but offers great views. It is a nice walk up a narrow path with many steps. You can see the white chapel on top.

We also visited Kritinia Castle on the west side of Rhodes Island. It was built by the Knights of St. John in 1472 and overlooks the Aegean Sea.

We felt like some Asian food and enjoyed a dinner at a Korean BBQ restaurant.

Sadly, Sven's mum passed away. Sven travelled to Germany to be with his family and to bury her ashes. Elga, rest in peace. Sven returned to Rhodes before X-Mas.

There is a Christmas market at the Marina and I can't tell you how many times we have listened to "all I want for Christmas is you" and " Last Christmas I gave you my heart" and other similar songs.......

Santa visits the Marina and Xmas decoration at the Marina Restaurant:

Some city X-Mas decorations

and the Santa Clause outside the local Rhodes Strip Theatre. Good to see that they kept the Santa outfit decent.🤣

Nearly every household in Greece decorates a Christmas tree. In Public places Christmassy-decorated boats also remain popular. It represents a symbiotic relationship between the Greeks and the sea.

Wishing you a Christmas that's merry and bright!

Stay safe and enjoy a relaxing holiday season.

Cheers to 2023!

I wonder what this cat is thinking:

So what's planned for 2023:

Crete, Malta, Tunis, Balearic Islands, Morocco, Gibraltar then heading towards the Canary islands and Cape Verde.