I woke up a bit earlier and headed down to breakfast while watching last night’s game between the Packers and the Falcons. Even though I would have loved to just sit, eat slowly, and enjoy the meal, the game, and the warm climate, I finished in under half an hour and went back up to my room. While watching the disappointing end to the game, I published a ticket link for the Leksand Superstars away matches, and then waited for the official ticket release to secure my own.
The Packers lost, but at least I got my tickets! I put on sunscreen—which is always a bit tricky to reach on your back, though a spray can definitely help—and walked down to the pool. Arriving an hour later than yesterday meant options were pretty limited, and I only found a single available sunbed, tucked away in the shade.
Back to reading it was. Being in the shade created a slightly odd dilemma: it was bright enough that I wanted my sunglasses on, but too dark to read comfortably through them. In the end, I put on my cap, pulled it down low, and that worked out well enough.
When I went up to the bar to get a Coke and asked to open a tab, the bartender asked, “Room 111?” Either I made quite an impression yesterday, or she’s just exceptionally good at her job!
Today’s lunch was a much more sensible sandwich than yesterday’s feast. I had completely misjudged how long it would take for the sun to reach my sunbed, which finally happened around half past four. I immediately jumped into the pool and spent the next hour and a half floating and reading until I finished the book. Back in the room, I showered and created an account on The StoryGraph to keep proper track of which Tom Clancy books I’ve actually read.
By then, it was time to explore the Old Town. It’s only a ten-minute walk from the hotel, and I’m becoming more and more pleased with its location. After passing two massive walls and moats, I entered the historic streets. It’s a wonderfully cosy area, though very easy to lose your bearings in. Alleys branched off in every imaginable direction, and the winding streets made navigation a fun challenge. Between the narrow paths, there were plenty of charming small squares filled with greenery, restaurants, and shops—a truly fascinating district.
I browsed several shops looking for a souvenir mug to bring home. Early on, I spotted a Pythagoras cup with a great design at a reasonable price. Convinced I’d see the exact same cup further along and wanting to avoid carrying it around, I held off. That turned out to be a miscalculation!
Eventually, I found myself outside the fortress walls down by the water, where a long row of boats was docked. A few of them had more storeys than my brother’s house! I sat down for a moment to soak in the harbor atmosphere and took the opportunity to book a boat trip to Lindos for tomorrow. An hour on a speedboat sounded much better than a long bus ride without air conditioning. Hopefully, four hours ashore will be plenty of time, and the midday heat won’t be too overwhelming when we arrive at noon.
My stomach soon reminded me it was dinner time. Realising that most places inside the Old Town would be relatively pricey, I decided I might as well pay for a good view and landed at La Veranda a couple of floors up. It promised a sea view, which you could catch glimpses of between the buildings. It had all the classic signs of a tourist trap—including menus translated into at least six languages, Swedish being one of them—but I ordered garlic bread and the Chicken à la Chef with a baked potato, and the food was honestly quite good given the setting.
After the meal, I popped into a shop on the same square and spotted another Pythagoras cup. The shopkeeper asked if I knew the story behind it, which kicked off a nice conversation. The cup I was holding featured the goddess Athena, and he explained her various roles beyond just wisdom and strategy. Even though it didn’t explicitly say “Rhodes” on it, it was a unique and beautiful piece, so I decided to buy it after all.
Just as I stepped outside, a drum troupe of about 15 musicians marched past, filling the street with music. They didn’t even have a tip jar out—maybe they save that for when they halt in one of the main squares. As I navigated my way back out of the Old Town, the distant echo of their drums kept bouncing off the stone walls.
Walking through the maze of tiny alleys—some quite dark, though overall the lighting was very decent—I noticed I was passing right by residential quarters. The doors and shuttered windows varied wildly in age and character. What struck me most was how remarkably clean everything was; even in the tightest corners where you might expect unpleasant smells, there were none. There were no cars allowed in the Old Town either, just a few local scooters zipping around.
Back at the hotel, I grabbed my laptop and headed down to the bar. I asked if they could put the Sweden vs. Romania match on the TV and mix me a non-alcoholic Piña Colada. They happily obliged just as the match kicked off. By then, I had already written half of this blog post while catching the first half of the MoDo vs. Leksands IF hockey game on my phone!
Tomorrow I’ll go to Landos!