Rhodes, the best of everything
In the Netherlands, when it comes to the number of vacation days we are a lucky bunch. On average, an employee gets between 20 en 40 days vacation, depending on the branch he or she works in. In my job, I get 38 days. We are a lot less lucky with our weather though. Summer lasts at best 2 months. In spring and fall, we might have a few days of nice weather but the other 9.5 months, it is cold, grey and rainy.
This time it was to be a short trip with cultural aspiration. Short meaning nearby, we opted for a Greek island and decided on Rhodes. We chose eight days in the fall, from October 23 to October 30. On departure, the weather in the Netherlands was fine. The flight was uneventful; it left and arrived on time. However, near Rhodes we were in for a surprise. The captain announced the weather on the island wasn't really good at the moment but forecasts predicted a change for the better. The captain, who obviously went through intensive customer satisfaction training, had made the understatement of the year (1997).
At Rhodes 'not good' meant it was raining cats, dog and a whole bunch of other domesticated animals. It truly came pouring down. Cars drove through water up to their fenders. People walked knee-deep in muddy streams gushing down the mountain. Thank heavens, the transfer from the airport to the hotel was by coach. That way, at least we kept our feet dry. Nevertheless, it did make us a little anxious. If this was going to be the situation for the entire week, we wouldn't learn anything about the ancient culture, but all about the present day people. It would be interesting to know how they would deal with this. Then again, who knows what tomorrow brings? We'll see.
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