Sorry this story has been delayed but have wifi connection problems.Well our 9 day odessy to the Greeks Islands was very enjoyable but In retrospect we have to say the first and the last island were the best with the two inbetween okay for us. In order our trip was to Paros,Naxos,Mykonos and Rhodes. The first 3 belong to the Cyclades group of islands and the last to the Dodecanese group. The start involved a 6am start with a taxi to the main port of Athens,then onto a huge passenger/vehicle ferry (think Spirit iof Tasmania size) for a 4 hr sail to Paros. The Cyclades islands are famous for the white washed smallish stone buildings/houses with the blue shutters and Paros certainly lived up to that. WE stayed in a hotel called Paros Paradise and the location was true to its name. A room with a view across the bay to the town opposite.the location was quiet and it was not hard to sit outside,have a cuppa or a drink and while away some time. The walk to the town via the beach was only 10-15mins and we wandered in and out the little streets and alleys enjoyed the pretty vistas around each corner. We did spend some time on the beach and gary even ventured into the sea. Even though there were loungers and umbrellas to be sat on and under for price there was also plenty of free sand to sit on.A very relaxing time was had, All too soon it was time to leave after only 2 nights there and so onto to Naxos - an hour ferry ride away. As we approached once again we could see the white washed buildings but a much bigger town and more of touristy feel. Walking to our accommodation we could hear the voices of a larger tourist presence especially of European origin. This time we were 1 street back from the beach view but still close. We did miss our sea view. The town still had the small quaint streets and alleys to wander in and get lost.There were more loungers and umbrellas on the beach but still free space for us. Unfortuneately the onshore wind made it a bit difficult to lounge around on the beach w/o sand blowing onto us. However we were able to take a couple of nice long walks along the beach around the bay area. A big find here was a tin of english Heina baked beans. Guess what we had for dinner - bacon and eggs,baked beans and tomatoes. But the next night we did enjoy some local food - a fresh grilled whole bream fish for me and a local pork stew for Gary. Also indulged in complimentary Ouzo. Not my cup of tea. Once again after 2 nights it was onto MYkonos by fast ferry (1.5 hrs) arriving late in the afternoon. After a pick-up at the wharf we arrived into a busy central area of the main town and had to be guided to our accommodation in one of the narrow streets. Unfortuneately we were sandwiched between 2 narrow streets one of which was a bustling tourist shop area with business hours until nearly midnight. There were plenty of narrow alleys again and many times we got lost or went around in circles. Plenty of charming street scenes and the sea was always to be seen within a 5 mkn walk but the beaches were further away. We walked about an hour to one of the bays and beach and whilst very lovely to look at there was not much free beach.We didn't have time to go further afield, Lucky for us an airline strike was cancelled and we were able to catch our flight out of Mykonos after 2 nights there also. The flight was to Athens and then change planes and onto Rhodes.A late night arrival meant straight to bed . However on the way from the airport(14km away) we saw many big resort complexes along the coastal road - a popular holiday destination.No white washed houses in the town of Rhodes. It comprises an old walled medieval town and the so called new town outside the wall. The town is right by the sea so plenty of coastline and boats. Our hotel was just outside the old town anad so we set off eagerly to explore the next morning.It is amazing to see the wall of the moat,then the moat and then the inner wall that is mostly intact all around the old town. We could walk nearly all the way around the town in the moat(no water). We first walked around along the promenade around the coastal side of the old town taking in the sea,the marinas and further round the beaches and more resorts. There were plenty of tourists sunning themselves on the loungers but not many seem to enter the beautiful blue sea - maybe the water is still cool. Before entering the old town we wandered through the "new" town with its many shops,restaurants and tourist shops - all touting for business as even though there seemed plenty of tourists to us the summer season has been very poor for locals all over Greece.The old town has many cobbled streets,some small and of course many of the tourist shops as well. The town has a long history including the crusader times. The Palace of the Grand Master is a magnificent building and also the many buildings around it. Plenty of history to see and read about. One day we took a local bus 1 hr down the road to Lindos - a pretty costal town with a couple of lovely beaches and buildings built into the side of the hill with some of them white washed. We manged to get the direct bus there but on the way back we caught the bus that dropped off at seemingly every resort nearby Lindos and so that was 2 hrs back. We experienced some greek food again . Gary had a Stifado (beef stew) one night and once again I got fresh fish grilled whole. Rhodes is also on the cruise ship stops. On our last day there were 2 boats in port and of course many day trippers. That afternoon we hopped on a hydrofoil for the 1.5 hr trip across to the town of Fethiye in Turkey. Very easy to exit there - 1 hr before departure pick up ticket,a quick trip through immigration and on the boat. So onto our last leg - Turkey
