When I was in Rhodes in early August, I had a tour of some of the sites that were away from where I was staying in Rhodes city. The tour bus drove up into the mountains where we stopped at Elafos Hotel and then Saint Nikolaos Fountoukli church where we could also explore the church. This is a rural part of Rhodes and picturesque, much different than the coastal areas and did not feel as warm either.
The journey up the mountain was filled with some beautiful views and many pine trees. It almost did not feel like we were in Rhodes.
There had been forest fires some years before, and we could still see the damaged caused in places.
On the mountain is the Elafos Hotel, which looks out of place in Rhodes but more like it belongs in Switzerland. We were able to go inside the hotel and have a drink and then visit the church next door at Profitis Ilias. The interior of the hotel has large windows with some views over the valley. The hotel dates from the late 1920s and the objective was to build a hotel in the beautiful scenery where the local deer (Dama Dama deer) are. The deer is a symbol of Rhodes. The hotel was expanded in the 1930s to what is seen today in the Alpine style.
After a drink at the hotel, I went to quickly explore the church next door.
It is a more modern interior.
Further up the road, we explored a very old church Saint Nikolaos Fountoukli. This church dates from the 14th and 15th centuries. The paintings are 15th century, and the church was built by Italians and part of the monastery.
A very old olive tree is located in front of the church, and there are also fig trees.
The sheep were wandering in the road around this area, which is a rural location.
Also opposite the church is a fountain and artwork with the deer.
I found it to be a tranquil place to visit.
Another place we stopped at was a former monastery which was later converted into community use and used in World War II. The Italian fountain was built here and does contain fish. It is located in Psinthos.
Further along is a deer sanctuary. These deer have been brought to recover. This started with the fire, and the deer are cared after and can be seen along the road in this sanctuary.
There are many amazing things to see in Rhodes, and it was good to see a little bit of the island.
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