FIVB Beach Volleyball - Women’s Hellas Open June 8, 2003 The first event of the 2003 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour drew to an exciting close on Sunday here on this picturesque Greek island when the world's leading men's teams battled it out for the title on a court set up in a historic square just adjacent to the beach. And to capture the advantage of the magnificent Mediterranean evening air it was, as it will be at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, held under lights. In what is certainly a landmark year for this exciting Olympic sport, the event, a men's Open one week before the women also meet here for their season's opener, was characterized by highly competitive play that illustrated that the gap between the dominant Brazilian and USA players and the rest of the world has narrowed. From now on there will be little room for the top teams to coast through to the round of sixteen in comfort. After the main draw pool play, teams from Canada, Switzerland, Cuba, Netherlands, Austria, Norway and Australia joined the Brazilians and Americans in the shakeout, and from then on, matches resembled a battle of attrition that signals that the sport has not only become more professional, but the standard of play much more demanding. By the semifinals, just one team from Brazil remained with Benjamin Insfran and Marcio Henrique Barroso Araujo meeting Canadians John Child and Mark Heese, while Olympic gold medallist Dain Blanton and his lofty new partner and ex-national Volleyball player Jeff Nygaard were the sole USA team left to play against Austrians Niki Berger and Clemens Doppler. The final came down to a contest between the new partnership of Blanton and Nygaard against the highly-experienced Brazilians, the top ranked team in Rhodes after finishing second on the 2002 World Tour. But it was the Americans who upset the form books to secure the gold medal with a 22-20, 21-18 victory, with Blanton producing an inspired defensive performance that also won him the Speedo Most Valuable Player Award. Bronze went to Berger and Doppler, whose third place was also a career-best finish for the fast-improving duo. While players are chiefly concerned with their individual results, looked at in the bigger picture they represent a strong signal for the globalization of the sport. Indeed in the main draw pool play a team from Estonia forced Austrians Berger and Doppler to 30-28 in their second set, while a Russian pair Roman Arkaev and Dimitri Barsouk drove Sweden's Bjorn Berg and Simon to a tense 19-17 tiebreaker, nearly spoiling their chances of making the final 16. There is no doubt that this year's World Tour will more than ever before challenge the recognized stars and set the scene for a highly competitive pre-Olympic year. The event also launched the FIVB's new partnership with title sponsor Swatch, the world's biggest manufacturer of time keeping and timing devices and was enhanced by animated electronic score boards and a speed measuring device that revealed some players can serve at more than 83km per hour. In addition, on the occasion of World Environment Day (June 5), the FIVB launched its partnership with Global Sports Alliance and their Eco Flag program, which encourages environmental awareness among sports enthusiasts around the world. All Swatch-FIVB World Tour events will from now on fly the Eco Flag and actively promote the slogan Keep the beach clean - think environment! Author : www.Travelling-Greece.com

EURO 2004 July 4-7, 2004 The Association of European Operational Research Societies (EURO) and the Hellenic Operational Research Society (HELORS) are pleased and honored to invite you to Rhodes to attend and enjoy "EURO 2004". The Island of Rhodes, the largest of the Dodecanece complex, is also known as the isle of Sun. The famous poet Pintar mentions in one of his Odes that it was born of the union of Helios, the sun god, and the nymph Rhoda. The capital of this island, also called Rhodes, is actually three cities on one site - modern, ancient and mediaeval. Its history come back in 700B.C. and along the centuries has been gifted with a lot of monuments and sites worthy to see. The fact that the 20th Conference of EURO has chosen as main topic "OR and the management of electronic services", a modern and very important topic for all researchers and interested companies, may represent an additional reason for you to join us on the beautiful Island of Rhodes. The conference is taking place in a five stars environment, which is only 50 meters from thesea. It is a great opportunity to combine your participation to the conference with holidays in Rhodes. Therefore, we are waiting for you and your whole family, and mostly don’t forget to mark your calendars: July 4-7, 2004, Rhodes, Greece. Professor Yannis Siskos President of HELORS Chairman of the Organizing Committee Author : HELORS

The Rhodes less travelled 24 April 2004 Away from the tourists and beaches, an enchanted isle awaits writes Andrew Harvey. The brochure was quite clear. The hatchback was to be insured, manual, and air conditioned. Even as we sweltered 10 kilometres out of Rhodes town, hope persisted. Pulling in for petrol, my American colleague asked a mechanic why the air conditioner wasn't working. The mechanic looked calmly under the bonnet. Because you don't have one, he replied. Sunburn and rage met in a spectacular shade of red across the American's face. He suggested driving on with the hatch open. As the backseat passenger, I suggested driving with the hatch closed. I hadn't come this far to die in an overturning Ford Festiva on the road to Lindos. The other passenger, a French academic, shook her head and muttered something about this never happening in Paris. We continued with the hatch closed, quietly sweating and seething. There are no clouds on the island of Rhodes. There are very few Rhodians either, at least in the capital of Rhodes town. During most of its Ottoman history, the Greeks were forced outside the city walls of Rhodes town while the Turks lived within. After four centuries of this, Mussolini arrived. A substantial tourist industry was created, mediaeval palaces were rebuilt, and substantial infrastructure was developed. The downside, of course, was fascism. This downside was exacerbated when the Germans dropped in briefly in 1943, though they themselves were soon replaced by the British. Now, it is the Scandinavians who have discovered a land where taxes are low and sunshine isn't. The result is an island whose locals are surprisingly friendly, but surprisingly hard to find. The largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands, Rhodes is known as the pearl of the Mediterranean. For some tourists, Rhodes is the Ibiza of Greece, a heady and hedonistic cocktail of beaches, bikinis and Bacardi strollers. There are, however, good reasons for packing a pair of walking shoes. Rhodes town is unthinkably old. Designed by the famous architect Hippodamos in the fifth century BC, it was the first town built to an urban plan. The famous Colossus of Rhodes also stood here, one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. Little remains of this legacy now, but tourists still flock to Mandraki harbour which the statue supposedly straddled. Away from the harbour lie narrow cobbled laneways without end. As the three of us quickly discovered, the ancient town may be gone, but the largest mediaeval walled city in Europe remains. Coming from the New World, the American was particularly impressed: Extraordinary city gates, drained moats, drawbridges - this is fairytale stuff, he extolled. The laneways remind me of France, the Frenchwoman shrugged. Visiting the local aquarium is rarely high on my to-do list in foreign lands. Nevertheless, the Rhodes aquarium was air-conditioned, underground, and free of French academics. It was also full of gizani fish. With the appearance of a Greek tadpole, the gizani goes by the unlikely moniker of Lilliputian Rhodian Champion of Survival. This dimunitive fish has adapted to the harsh climate, and learnt to live in ever receding pools as summer approaches. It is an impressive example of Darwinism conquering drought, though others have found easier ways of overcoming the heat. In Greece, there are myths and there is Mythos. Mythos is the local beer, designed for the cloudless days of summer, spring and autumn. Prices have risen since the Euro came to Rhodes, but not enough to deter hordes of British and Scandinavian tourists. By day they explore the fine line between tans and second-degree burns, and by night they swill Mythos at a variety of theme bars. Some go even further - an English tourist was nearly jailed recently for removing her top at a Euro thong contest in Faliraki. Her family and friends were briefly horrified when this looked likely. Upstanding Rhodians are horrified on a more permanent basis. Our ill-fated hire car sped past Faliraki to the southern town of Lindos. Fortunately, there was rare agreement in the car that a fourth century BC acropolis was more interesting than a beach full of British tourists. It was. Remains of the acropolis stand 115 metres above sea level, on an impossibly dramatic outcrop. The path to the acropolis is steep. It is a 20-minute walk to the top, or possibly slower if you hire one of the many donkeys available, but a spectacular view awaits. As we looked east from the highest vantage point, the stark columns of the ancient acropolis framed the azure Aegean sea. To the west, heat shimmered off the whitewashed roofs of the village. There is a place just like this on the French riviera, the Frenchwoman proclaimed. No, I said, there isn't. Lindos reminds that the island is unique. Rhodes may be a party island, but there are plenty of reasons to leave the beaches. Beyond the haze of heat and Mythos lies an enchanting island of cobbled laneways, cultural artefacts and occasional air conditioning. Author : Andrew Harvey

Hortus Musicus @ Sound & Light Saturday, 18 June 2011 This Saturday, 18 June at 21:00, the picturesque, chivalrous garden of "Sound & Light", will open its doors again, after a long time, to host the awarded Estonian ensemble, Hortus Musicus, who will musically travel us, Crossing Ages and Cultures. From the Medieval East to the Renaissance West. A unique musical experience, for the first time on the isle of Rhodes. With the Collaboration of the Estonian Embassy in Athens. Author : Travel Rhodes

Medieval Rose Festival - Festival of Castles June 15, 2012 The agenda of the sixth island of Rhodes Medieval Festival - Festival of Castles The Medieval Rose with creativity and imagination with the help of volunteers, friends and supporters, enrich this year events, even in the absence of funds. The program of our Medieval Festival this year includes: 1. The Feast of the Castle of Monolithos Saturday, June 16 at 20:00 A unique evening in the clearing under the trees, overlooking the spectacular castle under the starry sky, with live music, storytelling for adults and children by John Elenitsa, Astroparatiriseis and traditional food and wine from the local cultural association New Life. A captivating experience to stay away from it all next weekend! Author : TtR