My Covid Walk: 7. Rhodes

Where could I have walked to if I had walked through a year of Covid in one direction instead of round in suburban circles?  Last time to scary Benghazi - but angling more East I could (with some water-walking of course) reached the island of Rhodes.

When Paul had finished speaking (in Ephesus), he knelt down with all of them and prayed. They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship. After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo.  [Acts 20:36 - 21:3]

Paul suffered greatly for the Gospel, but at least had the compensation of the Mediterranean climate (though in his day Rhodes had a lot of snakes).  But now?

It would be difficult to find something missing from Rhodes. The first visitors saw the unique combination of nature, urban landscape, inhabitants, culture and history and made Rhodes famous in all the lengths and breadths of the Earth.  The Old Town is a World Heritage Site, as it is the best preserved medieval settlement in the world. The Street of the Knights and the Palace of the Grand Master will take you atmospherically to other places and other times. 

 

Like all Greek islands, Rhodes is characterized by countless beaches with golden sand, crystal clear blue waters and rare beauty.

Is it Covid-safe?

On or near the UK's current Green List.

On the Plus Side:

Weather, history and natural beauty.

On the Minus Side:

Are there still any snakes?

Has it got a Football Team?

Its oldest Club is Diagoras FC, founded under Ottoman occupation in 1905 as a kind of Greek underground movement.  Hence the unlikely badge which is of a famous wrestler - but definitely at least a free kick.

Has it got a Baptist Church?

No.  Two or three small evangelical or pentecostal churches, at least one of which translates into English if a visitor turns up (according to one reviewer) or not (according to another . . .).

Prospects out of Ten:

Nine.  Thin spiritually and sportingly, but - those beaches and buildings . . .

My Covid Walk: 6. Benghazi

If, instead of walking the North London suburbs and parks day by day the past year I had set off south and a little east and kept walking (across the Mediterranean too) I could have reached . . . Benghazi.  My first speculative Covid Walk took me to potential danger in Mariupol (Here).  Benghazi, for all its Mediterranean breezes and sunshine, is a great deal less safe as my destination.  Let the UK Government explain . . .

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advise against all travel to Libya. This advice has been in place consistently since 2014. If you’re in Libya against this advice, you should seek to leave immediately by any practical means.

All travel to, from and within Libya is at the traveller’s risk. Local security situations are fragile and can quickly deteriorate into intense fighting and clashes without warning.

In August and September 2020 both Tripoli and Benghazi saw demonstrations against deteriorating living conditions and corruption. Pockets of violence were seen, with reports of civilians being shot and wounded.

Here, then, is the confirmation that travelling in one direction is not much use if it takes you to the wrong destination.  Atheist readers please consider.

Is it Covid-safe?

Benghazi is not the kind of place where this is the main issue - but that's not because its safer.

On the Plus Side:

Weather (but Lanzarote was good too!) - and fantastic history, now not easily discoverable on the ground in these disrupted times globally and locally.   In fact, if all went well, it is by far the most interesting place of my six walks so far.  

On the Minus Side:

Civil unrest erupting at times, guns that are used too much and general lack of security, especially for someone who's walked in from England.

Has it got a Football Team?

Several, who play in the Martyrs of February Stadium (Even the football stadium's name hints at troubled times!). Al-Ahly have been very successful in the Libyan Premier league.  However unsurprisingly the LPL has not successfully finished all its recent seasons - and not because of Covid-19.

Has it got a Baptist Church?

Probably not.  Unlikely to have an internet presence for obvious reasons.  I could visit the Coptic Orthodox or a leftover-from-Italian-colonial-days Catholic church.  Simon of Cyrene came from near here and in the early years of Christianity this was one of the most Christian areas on the planet so it represents quite a sad story.

Prospects out of Ten:

Two.  Just too dangerous right now - but it would be a great city to see if it was safe.

My Covid Walk: 5. Lanzarote

Had I walked in one direction during Covid year (and been able to walk on water) where would I have reached?  As we have seen, and will see, not everywhere is an improvement on the woods, parks and suburban streets of North London.  

But had I headed broadly south and a little west I could have reached - Lanzarote!  Now we're talking...

From the Daily Telegraph 

'You can go to the Canaries at any time of year and have good weather more or less guaranteed.  It gets windy sometimes, and storms aren’t totally unknown, but most of the time it is sunny with an average temperature of around 22C. Even when the islands are at their hottest, in July and August, the temperature is usually only in the mid-twenties centigrade. Whenever you go, it is nearly always warm enough to swim and sunbathe.'.

Is it Covid-safe?

The Canaries have had their bad weeks, but things are improving now.

On the Plus Side:

Warmth, seaside, mountains and just a great holiday destination.

On the Minus Side:

Not much to report on the downside.

Has it got a Football Team?

Unión Deportiva Lanzarote are the island's most notable team, but of course the Canaries as a whole have two leading clubs on Tenerife and Gran Canaria who have played at the highest level in the Spanish League system.  Lanzarote has a much smaller population.

Has it got a Baptist Church?

Lanzarote Christian Fellowship seems like an amalgam of evangelical Anglicans and New Frontiers so that seems to land somewhere near me http://www.lanzarotechristianfellowship.com/ There are Baptist Churches on the more populous islands.

Prospects out of Ten:

Ten.  Lanzarote would be a great result from a year's walking.

My Covid Walk 4. Flores Island

Where would I be if, in Covid year,  I had walked in one direction instead of up and down the paths of North London?

While the northerly walking would have left me shivering on Shannon Island or in Arkhangelsk, warmer options unfold walking South West!

Flores Island.  The Ilha das Flores and one part of the Azores that I could reach (again walking on water).  Here's the tourist blurb: 

The island of Flores is the westernmost point of the Azores and Europe. It offers some beautiful landscapes and, together with the nearby Corvo, it shapes the western group of the archipelago. Just like the other Azores, also Flores has volcanic origins and it has a mountainous territory cut through deep hills. Its highest peak is Morro Alto, with an altitude of 914 meters. The water flows create several waterfalls and its coasts are characterised by very tall cliffs. The inland of the island is filled with craters that turned into lakes. The most popular is “Caldeira Funda“, which is located between laurel trees and hydrangeas plants. A world made of nature, walks, and breathtaking landscapes.

Is it Covid-safe?

The Azores have fared quite well, and this is an isolated isle.

On the Plus Side:

Warmth, natural beauty, seaside and generally a big improvement on East Finchley High Road.

On the Minus Side:

The odd hurricane - plus a legal ban on leisure travel.

Has it got a Football Team?

Clube Desportivo Santa Clara are only an island hop to another Azorean island, and they play in the main league of Portugal.  And during the pandemic they have been playing in Portugal itself for home games due to quarantine restrictions. On Ilha das Flores there is Gremio Recreativo FC.

Has it got a Baptist Church?

I think I'll have to settle for https://igreja-ilhadasflores.wixsite.com/adflores , the Assemblies of God.

Prospects out of Ten:

Eight.  Difficult to beat, but  perhaps a little small to stay too long.