Finally, the alarm went off at 5:00, and I got up immediately. Thirty minutes before the cab arrives should be plenty of time, but time has a way of flying by. I took a hot shower, stowed away the last clean dishes, and packed my prepared breakfast into the backpack.
Right as I was about to head out the door, the fire alarm in the hallway went off. I couldn’t see any obvious reason for it—a quick check of the storage closet and outside my front door showed no signs of heat or smoke. I replaced the batteries in the detector, and then in the second one as well since they’re connected, hoping that would solve it. Still, I left feeling a bit worried that it might go off again while I was away and scare the neighbours. I made sure to inform Claudia and Bengt, who are cat-sitting while I’m gone, about what had happened.
The cab was already waiting when I got downstairs, and the trip to Arlanda Terminal 5 went smoothly and quietly, save for a brief chat during the last couple of minutes. I’m not sure how many times I’ve ridden in a Lexus before, but it was a comfortable ride.
Bag drop worked like a charm, as it usually does. After grabbing a quick sandwich, I breezed through security without any queue at all. Only then did I notice that gate C31 was located in the old Terminal 4, which meant quite a walk (about 15 minutes) to get there. Apparently, my pace was brisk enough for my smartwatch to register it as a workout and cheer me on afterwards!
I spent the waiting time at the gate downloading books to my e-reader. Stockholm Library suffered an IT incident earlier this year, which meant my PIN code needed a reset, and both the library and the Biblio app had switched to email and password logins. Once that admin task was sorted, I had 12 books lined up for the week—we’ll see how many I actually manage to finish.
Boarding started at 7:35. Since there were no priority groups, I was fairly close to the front of the queue. I always prefer getting on the plane early so I can secure a spot for my backpack in the overhead bin right above my seat, leaving the space under the seat in front of me clear for my feet.
It was interesting to note the distinct difference between a weekday morning domestic flight and a charter flight—safe to say the former is slightly more efficient! I also noticed that there were no weight or bag size checks for carry-ons. That’s good to know for the trip home, as I had been quite strategic about what to check in due to weight limits. I’ll probably just grab some food at the airport on the way back instead of ordering onboard.
Apparently, someone named Britt was turning 70, as evidenced by a whole family wearing matching custom caps—a fun idea we definitely missed out on when travelling with mom and dad!
Right on schedule for departure, the first officer announced that our flight time was estimated at 3 hours and 20 minutes, compared to the scheduled 4 hours and 10 minutes. That sounded like great news—until he added that adverse weather around Greece had created restrictions preventing us from taking off. The estimate was that we’d be stuck at the gate for about an hour. Luckily, the wait was cut short to just 30 minutes, and at 8:43, flight JTD635 finally took off. I spent the flight listening to podcasts and playing mobile games. The brunch I had pre-ordered was decent enough, though I forgot to ask for extra bread.
We landed at 12:00 (13:00 local time, EEST). While disembarking, it struck me that all verbal announcements had been exclusively in Swedish. Usually, it’s a mix of Swedish and English, but I guess they don’t expect many non-Swedish speakers on these charter flights.
Stepping off the plane, I immediately regretted packing my sunglasses in the checked luggage. On the upside, the bus transfers were extremely efficient. Just before entering the terminal building, we caught a glimpse of a British Navy helicopter landing on the tarmac. According to Google Gemini, Rhodes is frequently used as a refuelling stop for NATO missions or vessels passing through.
While waiting at the baggage carousel, I caught up briefly with Peter on the phone, but had to cut it short as my bag arrived surprisingly fast. Out in the terminal, I spotted the Apollo staff right away. They directed me to the parking area outside, where another representative checked my hotel, assigned me a bus number, and pointed me in the right direction. The minibus driver checked me off his list and loaded my bag—all very seamless!
After a half-hour bus ride accompanied by commentary from our guide from Skåne (“I hope you can understand my dialect anyway!”), I was dropped off two blocks from my hotel, the Best Western Plus Hotel Plaza. Accessing the narrow streets directly was probably a bit tricky for the bus, but the hotel was easy enough to find on foot. Since my room wasn’t ready for another 45 minutes, I filled out the check-in form, left my luggage, and set off to find some lunch.
It occurred to me at reception that this was the very first time on the trip I had to show any ID. Not at Arlanda security, not at the gate, nor upon arriving in Rhodes or boarding the transfer bus. This was the single moment anyone actually verified I was who I claimed to be—a bit surprising, I must admit!
Just a couple of blocks in the opposite direction from the hotel, I found a street packed with restaurants. After checking out a few menus, I settled on Στάβλος (Stavlos). They offered a pita kebab for €5, which was perfect since I only wanted a light bite before dinner later in the evening. The food was great, and when I asked for the bill, it was exactly as stated on the menu—no pressure to tip, and they accepted American Express without issue. Why can’t it be like this everywhere? (I’m looking at you, USA…)
I returned to the hotel at 15:00 and received my key card for Room 111—easy enough to remember! It comes with a view of the pool, though no balcony. I might check my booking later to see if a balcony was actually included; I’ll survive fine without it, but “rätt ska vara rätt” (right is right), as we say in Sweden. The room itself is spacious, with a decent-sized TV, a safe, power outlets right by the bed, and effective AC.
After unpacking, I changed into my swimwear, grabbed my e-reader, and headed down to the pool area. I found a sun lounger and just kicked back to enjoy life. Peter called again for a proper chat, and afterwards, I took a dip in the jacuzzi while diving into Tom Clancy’s Power and Empire.
When clouds eventually rolled in and cooled things down, I retreated to my room to start researching options for dinner.
As 19:00 approached, I left the hotel and set off on a walk towards the Old Town and the sea. I needed two things: a solid wide shot for this post’s header, and some dinner.
I passed a string of restaurants, struggling to decide what I was in the mood for—burgers, souvlaki, pizza, seafood, bagels… I ended up walking out towards the Windmills of Rhodes, which offered a lovely view of the city skyline from a bit of a distance.
I decided not to venture into the Old Town just yet, saving that exploration for another day. On the walk back to the hotel, I got reeled in by a restaurant tout and ordered a pesto pasta—it turned out to be absolutely delicious! I even managed to stream the first period of the Leksands IF vs. IK Oskarshamn hockey game while eating.
After dinner, I swung by a local supermarket to pick up a few supplies. I had hoped to find a cheap pair of flip-flops to wear down to the pool instead of my heavy-duty sandals, but no luck this time.
Back at the hotel, I asked at reception if they had an HDMI cable I could borrow. The receptionist scanned his desk but couldn’t find one, suggesting I check back tomorrow when the day staff might have better luck. If they don’t, I might just go out and buy a cheap one—that way, I can stream my sports games on the room’s 42″ TV instead of my 13″ laptop screen.
I watched the game and then went to bed. Got up pretty early this morning so nice to get some sleep.